We
breathe
soccer
breathe
soccer
For the second time this year the ISL family got together to celebrate achievements, milestones, discuss company vision for 2020 and to bond over good food and healthy athletic competition.
This past May marked ISL’s 6th year anniversary as a company. What started off as a dream by a couple of childhood friends from Spain has blossomed into a global sports management powerhouse, with 8 locations across the United States and Europe, with 100+ full time employees working with a variety of clients and projects.
Upon arrival in the historic Catalonian city we were met by the mountainous terrain in the distance and the salt air from the nearby coast line. With a sense of electricity that is seemingly unique to this part of the world we converged onto the southern part of the city. Our time together was limited, so we were determined to maximize it.
Events were held at the world famous David Lloyd Club Turo Sports Facility, the location of WTA Tournaments in recent years, for our corporate meeting with the executive team and all of the directors. ISL CEO, Alex Isern, opened up by welcoming us, some pleasantries, anecdotes and the itinerary for the day. Shortly after concluding his remarks we jumped right in.
An array of topics were covered by each of the departments that make up ISL as a whole. This was a great way for each director to level set the expectations of their respective department. Senior Executives and C-Suite discussed how we can all work together in tandem for the greater good of the company to improve programs and our customer or client experiences.
What was set for a 3 hour block of presentations and open discussion flew by, and before we knew it both Alex Isern and Marc Segarra (Co-Founder) were up front delivering their concluding remarks and heartfelt thanks to each of us for the hard work and dedication that has been put in to getting ISL Agency to where it is today.
Shortly after the conclusion of the meeting the team made there way to locker rooms to change out for the first of hopefully many more future Padel competitions to come. Padel is a racquet sport, which is both fast and highly entertaining to play and watch. After a spirited afternoon of competition, laughter and one rolled ankle, a pair of champions were crowned. From the courts we made our way out for an evening of fellowship over good food and wine. As the evening drew to a close we were all reminded of how fortunate we are to be in each others lives. Not just from a professional point of view, but because we genuinely work together like one big happy family, and although it may not have been the sole purpose of the trip, it was the lasting impression we all walked away with.
A successful week was rounded out with a surprise visit from our old friend and partner, Bobby Epstein – the owner of COTA, who had travelled to Barcelona to catch up with the ISL owners and team before everyone headed back to their respective parts of the world. “Since I met Marc and Alex I knew they were going to build something unique. Their work ethic, passion, and business acumen are very impressive and I’m very excited to start doing things together. ISL has a tremendous potential in the US and I look forward to pushing the boundaries of this industry” – Bobby Epstein. We are truly grateful for this relationship and look forward to many fruitful years ahead.
Once again the ISL directors and executives team got together to welcome in the new year as a company and to level set from our last family get together in Barcelona, 2019. Over the course of the week we heard from each of the department heads about the progress of each team, the vision for 2020 and how we could each partner up together in expanding the ISL brand around the globe, all the while giving our clients the best possible experience.
Ahead of the company’s 7th anniversary in May, both co-founders Alex and Marc, took the opportunity to share their gratitude to all in attendance for of the hard work and efforts being poured into expanding the ISL brand into new markets, as well as set the stage for the presentation portion of the corporate meetup by giving a high level overview from the past year to date.
In addition to the presentations from the more visible parts of the company, back office departments including marketing, HR and operations were also given the chance to share updates to processes, discuss current statuses and give future outlooks. Overall, the time spent together and hearing from each department gave each of us a better perspective of the hard work and efforts being put forth to truly deliver an unparalleled experience for our clients and guests into focus.
That said, it couldn’t be all work and no play. Once the corporate portion was taken care of and out of the way, we (as a family) took the opportunity to explore the city that never sleeps by taking in the local cultural flair and fun that makes up this eclectic destination spot of the U.S. and has become a global home of our headquarters.
Unfortunately, like all good things, it must come to an end and our trip was soon over. However our engines were all refueled to tackle new opportunities ahead, relationships strengthened and fortified, but more importantly know that we are working together as a team and that we have each others backs.
Watch out 2020!