smartclip offsite 2025

In early July 2025, smartclippers from across Europe came together in Bremen for three days of company updates, knowledge sharing, and team building. We chose Bremen since it’s central location made it convenient for all attendees from across Europe to travel effectively both time and cost-wise. Now in its fourth year, our annual offsite has become a firm fixture in the smartclip calendar — and one of the only times all our colleagues gather in one place.

We were joined by teammates from RTL AdAlliance and our subsidiary Realytics, making the event an even richer mix of perspectives and experiences. For an international, largely remote company like ours, the offsite is more than just a meeting — it’s a rare chance for long-time colleagues to reconnect, for new team members to meet face-to-face, and for everyone to exchange ideas while enjoying some much-needed time together.

Learning, Culture, and Strategy in Focus

This year’s programme placed culture at the forefront — quite literally. The agenda featured a series of Cultural Bootcamps led by internal experts Nadine Wagner, VP Data Engineering, Tobias Wolff, VP Engineering, Mirjam Naves, VP Projects & Processes, and Sonja Schuster, Head of Training & Development, on topics like our learning and meeting cultures, as well as managing the microconflicts that arise in everyday teamwork. 

Building on the success of last year’s “The Typical smartclipper” session, Christian Osterhues, VP People & Culture, put a smartclip twist on the TV classic, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”. In “Who Wants to Be a smartclipper,” participants tested their company knowledge and played for a good cause — raising €1,000 for Viva con Agua, a charity focused on making clean drinking water accessible to all.

Beyond culture, we used the time together as an opportunity to discuss important strategic topics, like launching our new smartclip Knowledge Centre, a crash course on our recently announced AI platform, “Sidekicks”, the integration of BEE into smartx, and updates from the RTL AdAlliance universe. Along with our culture and strategic topics, we also hosted sessions on security best practices, LLM prompting techniques, a deep dive into our client profiles, and data management. 

“My first offsite at smartclip was a great experience overall. I really enjoyed meeting so many new people and having the chance to connect. The welcoming and open atmosphere made it easy to feel part of the team right away. One of the highlights for me was definitely the Coding Challenge, which was fun, engaging, and I got to know some people from other teams while working on the challenge.”

-Tim-Niclas Oelschläger, our newest Tool Ops Engineer

Collaboration in full bloom 

The team-building activity this year took a playful turn with the “Saving the Bees” challenge — a series of tasks designed to boost cross-team collaboration, help our smartclippers get to know each other better, and celebrate our shared values. The challenge included a flower maze, pollen relay, and a custom crossword packed with quirky facts about smartclippers. Competitive and chaotic? You betcha. Fun? Absolutely.

“I wasn’t remotely prepared for what I would experience at the smartclip offsite. Not only did I finally meet colleagues from different locations, but I also confirmed that, although we are diverse, we share many values, visions, and goals for our ways of working and for shaping the ad landscape in Europe. The overall positive atmosphere of the event made me feel that I’m working for the right company. It was not only focused on improvement, but also on reinforcing that smartclip is a strong player in the ever-challenging and constantly evolving Adtech industry.”

-Enrique Mireles, our newest Software Engineer TV

After-Hours Adventures: 

Offsite afternoons weren’t just about workshops — they were about exploring Bremen together. smartclippers could choose from four activities: a bike tour through the streets of Bremen (rain included), a coffee roasting and tasting workshop at Union Rösterei, a Cold War-era bunker tour for our history buffs, and an off-road driving experience at the Mercedes-Benz factory for our adrenaline junkies. 

On day two, over 80 smartclippers headed to the iconic GOP Varieté Theatre for an evening of good music and daring circus-style entertainment. One of our smartclippers even took the stage, proving that techies can have a bit of fun too. 

A Toast to Ourselves

Of course, no offsite would be complete without a proper party. We celebrated milestones, toasted to new friendships, and even sang happy birthday — all backed by a photo booth to capture the fun and a jukebox that let smartclippers play DJ for the night. 

“I loved the offsite! Meeting people in person so soon after starting at the company was a blessing. The activities and talks were great, as was the entire organisation. The people were very friendly, and despite not knowing almost anyone, I didn’t feel alone. The entire offsite experience was great, but if I had to choose a favourite moment, it would definitely be the party on the last night.”

– Amanda Garcia, our newest Software Engineer API 

The offsite isn’t just a yearly highlight — it’s a reflection of how we work, learn, and grow together. If you’re looking for a company where culture isn’t just a buzzword but something you experience first-hand, smartclip might just be your kind of place.