--- title: We're a fully-remote company. Why host concurrent In-Person and Remote Summits? teaser: 'We ran our in-person Amsterdam Summit and Remote Summit at the same time in October. A ton of effort. Culturally priceless. ' tags: operations,remote,leadership,inclusion,values,culture author: Stephanie Kuroda published_on: 2025-11-21 --- **Because of brilliant moments like these 👆.** *Video thumbnail: Three thoughtbotters sitting and smiling while on a canal boat tour during Summit in Amsterdam. The video is a slide show of teammates co-working, sharing presentations, and engaging in both in-person and remote activities.* --- Advocating for company-wide team-building events can be challenging: - "It's expensive." - "Logistics and planning are too complicated." - "People already connect over the good work they do." - "Wait. You want to do in-person *and* remote Summits? Isn't that much harder?" Okay, fair. But then you hear: * "This is the highlight of my year." * "Connecting through the virtual escape room was SUPER fun! Everyone was into it!" * "I like that we don't force mandatory 'team spirit' type activities; these connections and relationships develop organically by having a range of activities that people sign up for. You naturally fall in with new people and groups which is great without the uncomfortable feeling." * "These events feel fun, productive, safe, inclusive, and dare I say...transformative. Your attention to detail and utmost care are felt in every moment and appreciated by all of us." With positive feedback like that, how could we refuse? ## Why in-person *and* remote? **One work, all work. One play, all play.** Not everyone can make it to an in-person, and since everyone contributes throughout the year, everyone should be part of the celebration. Whether from Amsterdam or at home, we all benefited from connecting beyond our usual day-to-day. Putting it together isn't easy, but it's worth it and makes us stronger. We're always adjusting to find the right balance. ## How we make it work **The more complex it is, the simpler you need to make it.** * **Build a solid structure**: The Operations team plans budgets, schedules, and activity sign-ups that prioritize high-touch in-person and remote connection. * **Be adaptable**: Plans and resources change. When obstacles arise, agility is our friend. * We research visas and destinations carefully, staying flexible when new information affects team health, safety, and comfort. *[Equaldex](https://equaldex.com/)* is a useful tool for information on LGBTQIA+ rights in different regions. * **Create shared moments**: From org-wide *Culture Awards* to regional *Amsterducks* and online *Digiducks*, we bookmark a few experiences that everyone can join, or that carry the same spirit, even across locations. * **Lean into our values of trust and self-management**: Once folks understand the assignment, we trust them to self-manage their time, energy, and budgets, and to ask for guidance as needed. * **Communicate**: Keep it concise, clear, and timely. Even the best plans work only when everyone gets the memo. --- At thoughtbot, "fully-remote" doesn't mean "disconnected." It means we honor each teammate's needs so we can be united in our purpose and fulfilled in and out of work. Sure, it's a ton of effort, but for us, this kind of connection is culturally priceless.