Bartram’s Garden located in West Philadelphia.

Earlier this month, I-SITE took a trip to Bartram’s Garden for an off-site brainstorming session and annual retreat. Sometimes you just need to take a break and get away to generate some fresh ideas!

The team left the office at noon and traveled westward on our bikes 5.2 miles from the I-SITE headquarters in Old City over to Bartram’s Garden. Once we arrived, we enjoyed lunch and a tour of the garden together. Bartram’s Garden offered a lot of interesting sights that we wouldn’t normally see in the city – like snakes, a coy pond and even a toothache tree. Taking in the sites and exploring nature together made for a very collaborative experience that got our creative juices flowing.

The great thing about meeting off-site was that we were in an environment that had minimal distractions. At the garden, we were less inclined to worry about our work obligations and focus on the task at hand. While in this quiet and serene atmosphere, there was no outside pressure, which allowed us to listen to one another and spend quality time together.

Taking in the sights and sounds of the garden together.

After our tour, we met in the barn and began our brainstorming session. After reflecting on our accomplishments throughout 2011, we focused on moving forward, building on our current skills, and generating new ambitions for the year ahead. The result? A lot of powerful and aspirational goals for 2012!