SemSys Retreat 2025 

Well, it’s that time of the year again, our yearly SemSys retreat! We took a day away from emails and deadlines to actually talk to each other. The result? It was pretty great. 
 
We kicked things off with short presentations from each group member. Everyone took a few minutes to introduce themselves, explain what they’re currently working on, and share what they’re hoping to achieve. Suddenly, you get a much clearer picture of who’s doing what and where the interesting overlaps might be. 

 
 
Next, we split into four groups, one for the seniors and three for the rest of us. The mission: brainstorm ideas for joint cooperation. How can we actually work together? What projects make sense? Where could combining our skills lead to something interesting? 

After some lively discussions, each group presented their results. And honestly, some really interesting ideas emerged from this section. 

In between all this thinking and talking, we took a proper break for lunch at GAON, a really nice Korean restaurant. Good food, good company, and much-needed fuel for the rest of the planned sections of our retreat. 
 
After lunch, we collected everyone’s individual goals and wishes for the coming year. It’s always interesting to see what people are aiming for and how those ambitions fit together as a group. 

We also had a deep discussion together about a topic, but it was the kind of conversation that reminds you why it’s worth taking this time away from regular work. 

 
For our evening activity, we decided to join a pub quiz. And guess what? We placed 2nd! Turns out we know more random trivia than we thought, and it was the perfect way to end the day, competitive, fun, and just the right amount of chaos. 

So yeah, another SemSys retreat in the books. New ideas, better connections, and proof that we’re pretty decent at pub quizzes. Until next year!