Toes in the Water, Booties in the Sand, Not a Worry in the World, Bahama Mamas in our Hands

On November 10th, 2022, members of the rayobyte team were joined by friends and family to embark on the journey of a lifetime. We came together for the first time at the Riu Peninsula Palace located in Cancun, Mexico. We gathered to connect, grow, empower, and be free, our four cherished core values. It was something our CEO Neil Emeigh always envisioned, a #Onerayobyte coming together and connecting in a way that we hadn’t before.

Connection between our teammates has always been a top priority here at rayobyte, especially during the pandemic when many of our team members started working remotely. So when the opportunity to come together and get to know each other deeper arose, we jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, some of our team members could not join our expedition to the Caribbean due to pandemic restrictions. But they held down the fort, crewed the operations, kept the business running, and were with us in thought and spirit.

On our first two days, we chatted each morning about our accomplishments as a team, what we love about rayobyte, and some team-building improv activities! Neil presented and shared the rayobyte journey and how we got where we are today. Employees were asked to film what they loved about rayobyte, which provided attendees with a fun video highlighting what brought us to Cancun: our people.

After our final meeting, we set sail on a 6-hour Catamaran ride around the Caribbean. While the first half of the trip was a little rainy and choppy, the sun eventually came out, and it was smooth sailing ahead. The team was able to snorkel around a shipwreck and visit Isla Mujeres to shop, eat lunch, and rent golf carts to cruise the island. After we all made our way back to the shore and the catamaran ride ended, so did all of the required work activities. We were now on our own for the remainder of the trip. While some opted to spend their free time relaxing by the pool, several groups hopped on a bus and traveled 2 hours to tour the Chichen Itza ruins. This tour provided our team with a history lesson and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see one of the world’s seven wonders! Our Ukraine team even found a local tour guided in Russian.

Another group took off on the ferry for a full-day adventure to Isla Mujeres. They rented a golf cart and toured different parts of the island, tried different kinds of food, and sampled a few, or many, margaritas! After the sun went down and dinner was had, the nightlife began. Our hotel provided a wide variety of shows, from Michael Jackson, acrobatics, rock shows, and more. Some even went off-resort to check out the shopping, local restaurants, and clubs.

This experience allowed us to grow and connect with each other in so many ways. It was inspiring to see how strong our relationships became, how well we got to know each other, and the bonds that developed between those who generally don’t work together. In what has become a primarily virtual world, we united and engaged in real-time. We take pride that we can work from anywhere in the world and empower our employees to adventure out and take on new experiences. We work hard, and we play even harder. So, what did we learn on this trip? A couple of key things: Bahama Mamas should be consumed in small quantities, no one is ever truly awake at 4 am, and if you wake up with a saxophone in your bed – you had a good night. So cheers to our hard work, our adventures, and all that’s yet to come. I cannot wait to see what our next team trip has in store for us!