Since maintaining the culture we build is extremely important to us, we make sure to come together each quarter, celebrate our differences and successes, and remind ourselves why we are here. As mentioned in the previous article, where we talked about people traveling to Brno for the All Kiwis Week, we arrived at the headquarters in Brno from around the world for planning, face-to-face meetings, and lots of activities and fun.
The Week started with a company-wide breakfast and continued with lots of planning, business dinners, strategy sessions, decisions, and many events such as the Winter Market, Kids Program, live Weekly Online Briefing, and the Time Travelers Ball.
Supporting Ukraine
For many, this time of the year is all about giving and sharing – especially when we think about those in need. That’s why we decided to organize a charity sale where Kiwis could buy retro Kiwi.com merch pieces and Christmas decorations prepared by the kids from our Day Care Center.
Kiwis donated gifts to Ukrainian orphans, and thanks to those contributions, we also raised funds that will be used to purchase equipment for two Children’s Hospitals in Dnipro and to help an NGO supporting Ukrainian children.
Winter Market for all generations
Winter markets are a vital ingredient of the festive magic in Central Europe, so we created that magic here, in front of our office, that included not only traditional Winter Market activities but also a handmade market selling hand-crafted goods from Kiwis, along with program for our future Kiwi.com generations – our Kiwi.com kids.
Among many Kiwis who make their crafts, Kamila, our Junior SEO Specialist, started making macrame and beads bracelets when she was young. Still, now she focuses on making things that people can use in their daily life.
“I make reusable make-up pads to reduce waste and create fabric gift bags, leather wallets, and personalized embroidery pieces for different occasions.”
Kids program
During every All Kiwis Week, there’s a Family day organized regularly. This time our Kiwi parents were also welcome to bring their children to participate in several fun activities such as painting gingerbread cookies, decorating Christmas angels, ornaments, and more.
We asked Iva, our Project Manager, how it feels for her, as a parent, to have these kinds of events in our office.
“I’m happy about all of those activities. We took part in the kid’s day during the 10th anniversary, and my kid was delighted to experience all of that. He was running around the office, trying to pet every single dog. He was around one year old, and although there were clowns bouncing castle, he just wanted to play with balloons hanging from the ceiling,” said Iva.
Weekly Online Briefing and strategic planning
All kinds of decisions and plans are made during this week. Each team has its agenda; for example, Carolyn, our Sustainability Manager, shared more information about the Sustainability program and got more people involved this particular week.
Jakub, a Prague Site Lead, said that the main difference between online and offline meetings is the level of concentration and attention people give each other.
“All Kiwis Week is a special time when suddenly many discussions are solved on the spot, and new connections are forged,” mentioned Jakub.
At the same time, many teams had brainstorming and planning sessions; Design team organized Hackathon while our Senior Management team held an in-person strategy session. During the Weekly Online Briefing learned critical plans for the next year, looked back and appreciated everything we have done during the year.
Time Travelers Ball
This year’s Winter Party theme was a Time Travelers Ball, an event where the past, the future, and fantasy met reality. During the night, we danced as flappers from the roaring 1920s and did a fabulous 1950s jive, a groovy 1970s disco, all while going through the portal into the future.
Juan, Senior Director of Revenue Management & Business Insights, said that meeting with his team and experiencing the HQ atmosphere and the company’s heartbeat is something he enjoys.
“An All Kiwis Week is impossible to describe or explain; you have to experience it in real life f. Once you live it once, you’ll spend the three following months looking forward to the next one!” said Juan.
Take a look at some of the costumes below.
If you want to be part of these weeks as a Kiwi, check our open positions, and don’t hesitate to apply.