25 years in the VISCOM industry

It’s an achievement any company would be proud of. That’s why we wanted to do something special.

At the end of September 2017, the entire iC GROUP team – the warehouse, customer service, marketing, sales and management department – went on an incentive trip for 4 full days. The iC GROUP not only wanted to thank the employees for their immense dedication and hard work, but also aimed to bring the team closer together.

Why Istanbul?

Our choice of city is not a coincidence. Obviously, there’s plenty of reasons to pick the most vibrant city in Turkey: the beautiful Bosphorus, the cultural richness of the city, the delicious mezze …But on top of that, we have some very good customer relationships in Turkey and the iC GROUP itself harbors some Turkish backgrounded employees, which was a plus as they made our trip even more convenient with their local guiding.

Sales meeting with a view

We arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday late afternoon, took a cab and got a first glance of the beautiful city on our way to the hotel. Our hotel stands tall on the shores of the Bosphorus and is located in Karakoy, the hippest neighborhood of the city.

The following morning, we had a buffet-breakfast on the top floor of the hotel and enjoyed one of the best views of town. After that, we scheduled a sales meeting in the business lounge of the hotel. We discussed the progress we’ve made, pointed out some workpoints and identified future opportunities.

Friday is history

On Friday, we spent all day long in the historical part of the city. Two local guides from Anatolia Tours showed us the way and uncovered some of the cultural and historical gems of the city. Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were just a few of the sights that we visited. To complete our amazing day, we had dinner at a seafood restaurant with a lovely view over the city and the Galata Tower.

On the water

The next day, our main attraction was the Bosphorus yacht tour. Before that, we took it easy strolling in the Grand Bazaar. Visiting the traditional shops, buying some herbs and picking up souvenirs for our beloved ones at home. As we got on the boat just about an hour before sunset, we were set to enjoy both the day and night view of the metropole city. It was also the perfect moment to praise An, who has been working for the iC GROUP for over 20 years with enormous dedication and devotion. As a surprise present, we gave her a photo album with pictures taken over the years at all our company’s events.

After getting dropped off in Ortakoy and a little walk through market shops and cafes, we were all ready to enjoy a Turkish night out in Arabesque Club. Authentic food was served all night long while we enjoyed the view of some belly dancers. That inspired some others of our own iC GROUP team to do the same. Especially Jean-Pierre seemed to be quite talented in the fine art of belly dancing. His incredible performance dancing on the stage won’t be forgotten for the next 25 years.

Sunday funday

The following day, we had our flights back in the evening. Everybody was free to do what they want.  Some of us did shopping, some explored the city even more and a few enjoyed the Turkish hammam in the hotel.

Our 4-day Istanbul trip passed by very quickly, time flies when you’re having fun. It has left us with lots of wonderful memories and even stronger relations with each other because of it. We all enjoyed and will continue to enjoy the great feeling of being the part of this amazing team, The Dream Team! We also like thank Tijen Suveren and her Company Anatolia Tours to take such good care of all the details of the organization.