Embracing Humanness in the Age of Automation

Don't let technology overshadow human connection. Find the perfect balance with Marco Experiences.

In today's fast-paced world, technology is rapidly becoming an integral part of our lives. As we’ve seen over the last couple of months, even the potential of Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize the way we work is limitless. However, along with all that excitement, there is a growing concern that the increasing use of technology may diminish the human touch in our lives. We understand that dichotomy as well, so we wanted to dive deeper into this topic. Specifically, in how it relates to planning events and experiences. To do so, we sat down with one of our recent clients, Formic Technologies to discuss. We cover:

  • How Marco strikes a balance between tech-integrated automation and individualized human touch to provide the best possible customer experience.
  • From property selection, to RSVP management, how Marco leveraged product to make process more efficient
  • How Marco planned a bespoke itinerary filled with thoughtful and personalized team-building experiences 

Seeking a Partner

Formic Technologies employees Christine Keelan and Vilma Jaku came to Marco after being tasked with the daunting assignment of planning the company's largest retreat.

Formic Technologies is on a mission to increase the collective output of humanity by making automation deployments simple and effortless. Their website prominently features the message "We Manage Automation, You Manage Your Business," which highlights the power of automation while also emphasizing the importance of outsourcing non-core initiatives. Christine and Vilma leaned into their own ethos, and shortly after beginning the planning process, knew that they didn’t have the experience or playbooks to create their retreat on their own, so they looked for help.

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Understanding the Customer

It’s a pretty common theme we’re seeing these days at Marco: companies understand that they need to bring their people together, but are not being equipped or staffed to do so.

Thankfully, Marco is and we dove in! First, goals: Christine and Vilma already identified what they needed to make this retreat great, humanness & connection. They were a fully remote team (mostly engineers) who needed to bond and connect on a level they hadn’t been able to do thus far. The Formic team had mastered being productive and efficient in a remote environment, but needed help getting deep and building trust across their teams with such a dispersed company. Marco jumped into action and shared our proposal- the retreat itinerary would include facilitated team-building sessions and activities focused on connection, sprinkled with opportunities to get vulnerable. Christine and Vilma were thrilled.

The Main Event

In August 2022, after just over one month of Marco planning from ideation to retreat Kick off, the Formic team met in Saugerties, NY—in the heart of the Catskills. They enjoyed an unforgettable week of hiking, lawn Olympics, a river cruise on the Hudson, private dinners under the stars, productive presentations, brainstorming sessions, and more. “Marco came in to save the day. We would have not been able to find something like Autocamp without them. We couldn’t have done it alone; It was an invaluable experience.”

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When both teams got back together for a post-event sync, Formic gleefully shared how Marco provided that special touch the retreat needed. “This retreat was just the first of many Marco experiences we will plan for our employees in the future!”

Formic then spoke to the aforementioned secret sauce of Marco; how we delicately can toe the line between being both a futuristic tech company and a curated event planning team. In their words, our retreat was:

  • Human-centered: Marco knew how important connection was to Formic, and planned an itinerary filled with thoughtful and personalized team-building experiences.
  • Efficient: We worked with an extremely short deadline of just one month to plan the entire retreat
  • Tech-integrated: From property selection, to RSVP management, Marco leveraged product to make process more efficient
  • Bespoke and boutique: Marco showcased a beautifully decorated campsite and thoughtfully-curated meals.

At Marco Experiences, we're passionate about delivering exceptional experiences that strike the perfect balance; we believe in enhancing human interactions with technology, not replacing them. Our mission is to help our clients achieve this balance and create unforgettable experiences that truly resonate with their employees. Read more about Formic’s retreat here

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