9:00 am strikes on the clock on Friday, May 21, 2021, which means it is time for our annual Spring Monster Technology Conference. The goal of the conference, which is hosted twice per year, is to collaborate and develop new and innovative ideas to enhance the company utilizing up-and-coming technology. Ideas range from the new software to upgrading our current in-house software, and even advocating/pitching other third-party companies to partner with, so we can make data-driven decisions that we believe will help grow our company even closer to our Mission.
We head out of Myrtle Beach, and all excitedly text our other team members to let each other know we are leaving! We take 1-26 west all the way to Asheville, North Carolina staying at the Bend of Ivy Lodge. This 9-bedroom, 4 bath cabin-style mountain house was an absolutely beautiful spot for a conference. It laid perched on a mountainside, surrounded by goats, a dream backyard pond with a fire pit to enjoy at night, and even had a kitchen out of the HGTC Magazine.
On Day 1 we got right into an afternoon meeting to cover what we would be doing this weekend, topics they choose to talk about, and to start a conversation on a few of the topics we discussed at our previous conference! The most exciting piece of news we heard was how we accomplished everything from the previous conference back in November of 2020! After, we ate a traditional Dominican dinner dish put together by one of our Ted team members! The conference isn’t all just meetings and eating though, we also played a very competitive game of Throw Throw Burrito to close out the night.
The morning of the 2nd day we woke up to eggs, bacon, toasted blueberry muffins, and coffee. It was a cool 55 degrees outside morning and the perfect conditions to talk about a few ideas that will help our current travel specialist team members deliver a better experience for our guests.  As we head into our 4th topic, we realize it is lunchtime and time for our team bonding hike. We hiked down around a small lettuce farm and crossed over a mini river where we had to walk across rocks to reach the end trusting each other’s hands of help to cross over the river together. We then found a path that hiked us up to a mountain top that looked over a mountain peak. It was the most beautiful scene we all had ever seen. We closed the night with a steak and chicken night spending the evening talking through some extremely exciting new things Monster is bringing to the table.
Asheville was a great experience. With beautiful views, a quiet picturesque cabin, and with plenty to do on-site, that was one of the best conferences we’ve had yet! We are excited to announce the new and exciting technology we are creating in 2021 so stay tuned!