Group photo from the 2026 wetransform offsite. Fifteen people pose inside a wooden frame, with the German text

The wetransform 2026 Offsite

Veranstaltungen Allgemein Neuigkeiten Kultur Veranstaltungen Offsite Personal Strategie Teamwork wetransform
John Boudewijn
John Boudewijn
Thorsten
Thorsten Reitz
22 Jan. 2026

The new year has brought the wetransform offsite to a new location. After many happy years of offsites in Saig, this year’s event took place at the Rhöniversum environmental education centre in Oberelsbach, located right at the heart of the Rhön UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The Rhöniversum, a large modern greyish building with a long rectangular ground floor. In front is a half-circle of pillars that partially holds up two circular-shaped floors above.There are many large windows and balconies recessed into the building. The ground is covered in snow and to the left are three flagpoles, displaying flags that read: "Umweltbilldungsstätte Oberelsbach", Rhöniversum", and "Rhön".

The Rhön UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is a model region for sustainable development that spotlights harmonious ways to balance ecology, economy, and social issues. This lines up well with wetransform’s mission. By building open data ecosystems, we transform how data is shared, accessed, and used for the common good. In doing so, we improve the societal impact of data, empowering individuals and organisations to make sustainable and future-oriented decisions.

This being our offsite, it was time to make sustainable and future-oriented decisions of our own.

Workshops

Operating under the theme “Seize Opportunities. Shape Change.”, the team harnessed the classroom-like atmosphere at the Rhöniversum to review 2025, exchange open feedback, discuss challenges, and focus on the best ways to move forward.

Part of the wetransform team inside a classroom at the Rhöniversum during the 2026 offsite. Half the room is visible, with a wooden floor and walls in white and green. There are large windows as well as a glass door, showing snow outside. Five desks are loosely arranged in an L-shape and ten people are talking and smiling. Some sitting in chairs, some perched on the windowsills by the radiators.

To do so, we divided four days into seven blocks and prepared homework in advance to ensure everyone’s input would be adequately represented and integrated. We used four of the seven blocks for the heart of the offsite:

  1. What opportunities do we have to make significant progress towards our mission?
  2. How do we improve our processes, tools and competencies to make sure we are able to make the most out of these opportunities?

Being highly action-focused, we ended up with four “opportunity squads” that developed four of the eight strategic opportunities – ranging from using AI for Transformation to building out the Forest Digital Ecosystem. These opportunity squads have since then been laser focused on the next steps – reaching out to clients, submitting bids, developing concepts and more – with a deadline of just 30 days towards producing first results.

wetransform team members Johanna, Fabian, and Nathanael peek out from the wooden booth in which they are having lunch, plates perched on their laps and cutlery in their hands, and smile at the camera. In the background is a large window, showing a small patch of snow-covered plants and rocks and the outside of a grey building with many windows.

Outings

While the weather was a bit of a hindrance at times, with snow and fog barring us from activities such as tree planting and felling, wetransform is not a company where the weather can ruin our day.

Group photo from the wetransform 2026 offsite. Fifteen people pose in a snowy forest, nine standing in the back, six squatting in front. All smile at the camera.

Under the guidance of a local forester, we marched off into the snowy woods to learn about the various types of trees, the reintroduction of natural predators, the challenges in organising hunts, and other things that happen on the forest floor. A great way to prepare for the upcoming SmartForest 2026 conference, which we’ll be hosting this coming March.

A grey-haired forester in a blue sweatshirt stands amid the wetransform team in a snowy forest, gesturing as he explains something to the crowd.

A different day brought friendlier weather, which allowed us a visit to the nearby Wasserkuppe, a scenic spot full of interesting historical sites, much-loved by the air sports community.

Five members of the wetransform team are seen from the back as they look towards a large hill with an old radar dome on it. On the field between the group and building are people engaging in air sports. Four actively paragliding and three still on the ground. To the left is a signpost with three elaborate German signs about air sport safety, one of which is sporting the blue Wasserkuppe logo.

Here, we enjoyed pleasant walks and took the opportunity to see the sights. Not only the aerial acrobatics on display, but also the former radar dome, the spring of the river Fulda, and various other monuments and stunning landscape features.

A collage of four images, showing some of the sights in the Wasserkuppe-area in Rhön. The radar dome, a landscape view of hills and evergreens, the spring of the river Fulda, and a historical monument of three standing stones with metal plaques on them.

Good Times

Our indoor activities were not limited to work alone. The Rhöniversum boasts a table tennis room that soon became a much-favoured hangout for the wetransform crew. Often, a sly wave of the paddle was all it took for a break to turn into a thoroughly enjoyable game.

Five members of the wetransform team, Kapil, Thorsten, Franziska, Morchid, and John, are dashing around a blue table tennis table, bats in hand. The white ball is mid-bounce in the centre.

People had also had the foresight to bring tabletop games, which immediately became a staple evening activity for the entire crew.

Five members of the wetransform team: Chris, Julia, Johanna, Thorsten, and Nathanael are gathered at a wooden table with colourful chairs in a canteen, laughing as they engage in a game with small purple cards.

Conclusion

For a remote-first company, it is always a challenge to set up a balanced offsite. We want to have the time and space to connect, as doing so is a rare opportunity, but also want to harness the momentum created by a shared space to get some real work done and hammer out strategic solutions.

Fortunately, we’re pretty good at balancing.

wetransform CEO Thorsten Reitz grins broadly at the camera from behind an impressively balanced construction of wooden blocks he has built into the shape of an evergreen tree. He is making triumphant gestures with both hands.

Want to join us for the next offsite? We are hiring!
Check out all vacancies here.