As you might well have seen or heard, the Magenta Team have just returned from our fabulous company trip to Lisbon, Portugal. The entire team are whisked away abroad annually, courtesy of our wonderful MD, Cathy, to spend some time socialising outside of work and exploring the cultures and sites of new cities. This year, we were in Lisbon, and enjoyed a whirlwind of a two-day stopover, exploring the best sites, food and drink that Portugal has to offer!
After an early start for all, we arrived at Gatwick at the crack of dawn and headed right to breakfast, and much needed coffee. Arriving in Lisbon around lunchtime, we stopped for lunch in a beautiful, bustling, sunny square right in the heart of the city. We then quickly stopped off at our amazing nine-bedroom Airbnb, choosing our rooms, dropping our bags, and changing outfits before heading out for the night.
We were driven down to the waterside, where we climbed aboard the boat that would be taking us on a stunning sunset tour of Lisbon, along the river Tagus. Enjoying the breathtaking views of the sun setting over the historical city, we enjoyed many a drink and nibble, before heading back to land. Many of the M-People said this was by far the highlight of the trip for them, unsurprisingly! We then headed out to dinner in a lovely traditional Portuguese restaurant, followed by a few bar stops on the way home.
The next day, we had a quick breakfast of coffee and the famed (and rightly so) Portuguese custard tarts, before heading out to the Time Out Food Market, based right by the river. As a team full of foodies, we were in absolute heaven – enjoying delicious flavours from Japan, France, Portugal, Spain and many more. Following this, we then spontaneously decided to book a tuk-tuk ride, which would take up the rest of the afternoon. We split into teams of five and six, and were driven up to some of the highest points of the city, to take in the absolutely stunning views; admiring the blur of traditional orange roof tiles, the sea and beyond.
Stopping for one more meal afterwards, we then reluctantly headed back to the airport for the three hour flight home (stopping off at duty free first, of course…)
The trip was an incredible opportunity for the team to spend some time together outside of the busy Monday-Friday office setting, and learn about the beautiful, historic and vibrant culture of Lisbon. Here’s what a few of the M-People had to say…
“Spending time together in a non-work setting is important to my team’s dynamic as it develops a closer bond of trust and understanding. Having been with the company for the best part of a year now, this was a wonderful opportunity to get to know those colleagues outside of my team a little better too.” – Xenia, senior account manager.
“Having only been with Magenta for a couple of weeks, it was an amazing team building opportunity to get to know everyone and really settle in. I enjoyed spending time with the team on a more personal level and exploring the fantastic city of Lisbon!” – Becca, account executive.
“Taking the team away for a few days for the chance to socialise together outside of the pressures of day-to-day work while exploring new places is really important. It’s a great way to reward our hard-working teams, relax and have fun. Having been to Barcelona last year, and now Lisbon, the annual team trip is a key part of the Magenta calendar.” – Cathy, managing director.
A massive thank you to Cathy for taking the team, and to Katina, our wonderful office manager, who planned the trip so exquisitely. Take a look at the video produced by junior account executive, Ollie, here:
