My First Teams: From Disillusionment š to My Cinderella Moment š āØ
Iām sitting at the airport in Barcelona, waiting for my gate to be announced, still trying to process everything that just happened over the last few days. It was exhausting, painful, wonderful, funny, and inspiring all at once.
Iād love to share my personal experience from my very first Atlassian Teams event, along with a few lessons and tips that might help both you and my future self.
āļø Arrival: The Calm Before the Storm
I live in the sunniest little corner of southern Germany, so it only took about two hours to fly to Barcelona. Prepping for the Teams event was a bit chaoticālast-minute presentation edits, ordering merch, and hoping everything arrived on time. You know the drill!
When my team and I finally touched down on Sunday evening, we were already a little frazzled. To top it off, one of our team members got sick, so what was supposed to be a session led by three of us suddenly became a two-person show. Despite the stress, the Seibert Group team knew how to unwind, so we enjoyed some tapas and a few drinks together.
ā” Last Day Before Teams: The Stress Was Real
Even though I went to bed early on Sunday, I hardly sleptāprobably got a total of four hours in. Since I suffer from chronic headaches, which get worse without enough sleep, Monday was physically tough for me. My colleague from appanvil, Jƶrn SchĆ¼ler, and I spent the morning rehearsing our demo skills, both of us total Atlassian Teams newbies.
Our sick teammate was the one with the experience, so we had to wing it, supporting each other and reworking our presentation as we went.
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After a few key meetings and some last-minute prep, we headed to the expo hall to check on our booth. Of course, Murphyās Law was in full swing: the booth wasnāt printed correctly. But Clara Roder, Seibertās Business Owner for Products, swooped in and handled everything like a superhero, š freeing up Jƶrn and me to attend Seibert Groupās Partner Info Session.
And in that momentāsick colleague, booth issues, extreme physical pain, lack of sleep, and feeling completely overwhelmedāI was hit with a strong sense of disappointment. I had been so excited for my first Teams event, but the last few hours had been anything but glamorous. The stress was real, and my motivation had plummeted. I suddenly questioned everything and felt a deep disillusionment.
Thankfully, we ended up going to the Seibert Info Session. That experience grounded me and made me happy again.
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One of the highlights was reconnecting with people Iād only known online. The joy of meeting these "virtual" friends in person was pricelessāthereās something magical about those moments of recognition: āPatricia, is that you?ā š
The hugs, smiles, and little gifts exchanged were what true community is all about.
šŖ The First Day: Women in Tech and My Unbelievable Morning
Even though the expo officially started at 3 PM, my day began early with a meeting hosted by Appfireās "Women in the Marketplace." I proudly pinned my first badgeāāWomen in Techāāto my shirt. We shared tips, exchanged compliments, and stared in awe at the giant Atlassian sign outside the hall. It was one of those surreal moments where everything felt beautifully unreal.
Back at our booth, time flew, and before we knew it, it was time to meet Mark Cruth, Atlassianās Modern Work Coach, for a quick run-through of our session, "From Inspiration to Isolation ā the Atlassian Way."
Mark gave us amazing advice and made us reflect on our approach. Honestly, I think I learned more in that hour than I had in an entire week of bootcamp.
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Huge shoutout to Mark for being such an inspiring person! ā¤ļø
Another big thanks goes to Yannic Lauer - our appanvil newbie who spontaneously flew to Barcelona to replace our sick teammate. š
On the first day of the event, I had the opportunity to attend the opening keynote, and it was nothing short of inspiring. The keynote was delivered by ArsĆØne Wenger, the legendary former Arsenal FC manager, who spent 22 years shaping one of the most successful football teams in history. His talk wasnāt just about football, thoughāit was a deep dive into the art of building high-performing teams, whether on the pitch or in the boardroom.
My fave quote: āTo reach your full potential, you need to accept to suffer.ā
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š To Dance or Not to Dance
After the first day, everyone wanted to party. It was hard to pick which rooftop to hit, but by 9 PM, I knew I needed to prioritize reworking our session for the next day. I had index cards to write and a rehearsal to get through. Sometimes you just have to say no to the fun stuff for the sake of workāand in this case, sleep too! Strangely, I didnāt feel any FOMO (fear of missing out)āwhich, funnily enough, was the topic of our session the next day.
š In the Spotlight: Our Big Presentation
Day two arrived, and it was time for our big presentation. Iāve done readings from my debut novel before, but never in a work context, so the nerves were real. My colleague Jƶrn was just as tense. Thankfully, we had Andreas Springer snapping photos of us to capture the moment.
Together with Mark Cruth, we took the stage, and I have to admitāit was so much fun! Especially afterward, when people came up to us in person or reached out on LinkedIn to thank us for the presentation. Is there anything better than connecting with people over shared experiences?
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After that talk, we felt unstoppable and truly happy.
š Cinderella Moment
In my spare time, Iām a writer with a degree in German studies. My passion for tech eventually brought me to this role, and Iāve been part of the Atlassian ecosystem for three years. This was my first taste of the limelight, and it felt incredible.
Six months ago, I became an Atlassian Creator, and a few months later, a Community Leader for Freiburg, Germany.
This led to an invite to the Community Leader Reception. I almost skipped it to hang out with my friends, but when I arrived at that stunning rooftop bar overlooking Barcelona, I felt like Cinderella.
Surrounded by so many wonderful "fairy godmothers" (a.k.a. Community Leaders), I was welcomed with open arms. Everyone wanted to meet me and introduce me to othersāno newbie hazing here!
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A special moment was meeting Anu Bharadwaj, president of Atlassian. I even got a picture with her and told her how much I admired her. When she complimented my jacket, I nearly passed out! Iām never taking this jacket off, by the way.
#fangirl
š„³ Celebrations and Business Talk
After the reception, we were whisked away to the Bash Party, held right on the beach.
Atlassian didnāt hold backāthere was a DJ, a saxophonist, a drum band, photo booths, tapas, and dancing. It was surreal to see colleagues and internet friends come together and let loose in such a beautiful setting.
For so many years, I had seen pictures of the Bash parties and imagined how amazing they must be. And I can honestly say: all the rumors are true. Bash really is legendary!
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š Sightseeing (Finally)
The expo ended at 4 PM on the last day, giving us some much-needed downtime to explore Barcelona. Jƶrn and I were still buzzing from the amazing feedback we received after our session.
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After wrapping up and packing our remaining merch, we finally got to do some sightseeing. Four days in Barcelona, and weād hardly seen any of it!
In a small group, we headed to La Sagrada Familia and then climbed the steps above Park GĆ¼ell, all the way to the viewpoint at Mirador de Joan Sales. The sweat and effort were totally worth itāthe view was breathtaking. After four days of hard work, the sight of the endless sea felt like the best reward we could ask for.
What an unforgettable experience!
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These days in Barcelona were some of the most exhausting yet inspiring of my entire life. I met so many warm-hearted, intelligent, and funny people that I can hardly believe it. The Atlassian community is such a rare and wonderful place, and Iām so grateful to be a part of it.
Thank you, amazing people, and thank you, Atlassian š
šļø Lessons Learned and Tips:
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Stay Hydrated: Between all the meetings, sessions, and keynotes, itās easy to forget to drink water. I kept a water bottle visible at all times to remind myself to sip throughout the day.
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Donāt Skip Meals: You might think you can grab lunch, but then you bump into someone and start chattingā¦ Boom, no lunch. Listen to your body and suggest grabbing food together with your new acquaintance!
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Plan Your Merch: Think carefully about what kind of merch best delivers your message, and order it early.
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Read Hotel Reviews: Sleep is precious. Youāll need it! Donāt let bad sleep ruin your few hours of rest between events.
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Dress warmly! It doesnāt matter how hot it is in the expo hall the day before the opening, when youāre sweating like crazyāonce the expo starts, itās going to be cold. So make sure to pack long pants and hoodies.
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You canāt be in two places at once. Pick one after-party and donāt regret your choice! No one will be upset with you.
See you at the next Teams!
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Patricia Modispacher _appanvil_
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