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20 Years | We Made It Again!
As you probably already know, a month ago we cycled to Aarhus in celebration of our 20th anniversary. On September 29, we set off from our office in Delft to TimeXtender's headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark. We arrived here on October 1 (our birthday). In this blog, you can read more about how the trip went.
Celebrating our 20th anniversary with a bike ride to Aarhus, a city trip to Hamburg, and a city trip to Billund was once again a unique event. Life is about making stories, and trust me, plenty of stories were created once again. Proud of where we stand as a company and of what we pulled off last week. What a wonderful group of people!
– Jaco Geluk, Managing Director at E-mergo
Why cycle to Aarhus?
But why did we actually hop on our bikes to Aarhus? By now, it's become a tradition at E-mergo to celebrate an anniversary with a bike ride. Five years ago, in celebration of our 15th anniversary, we cycled to the founding city of Qlik in Lund, Sweden. Another 5 years before that, in celebration of our 10th anniversary, we cycled to Delft's sister city, Freiberg in Germany.
When plans were made this year for our 20th anniversary, it seemed like a fun idea to continue this tradition. As TimeXtender Partner of the Year (2019 & 2020), we thought it would be a great idea to make this trip's destination TimeXtender's headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark.
Want to know more about the preparations? Check out all the blogs here.
Twenty years of E-mergo, summed up in 4 days: hard work, a team effort, but above all, a lot of fun. Our core values of quality, pragmatism, and sportsmanship all came into play.
– Aad van den Berg, Managing Director at E-mergo
The trip to Denmark
The trip was split into 3 different groups heading to Denmark: the group of cyclists, the group that drove to Hamburg, and the group that drove to Legoland in Billund. The group of cyclists set off on Wednesday, September 29 at 6 a.m. with a supply van and camper from the office in Delft. Over the course of 3 days, they cycled in relay fashion from Delft to Aarhus, accompanied by a few cars and a camper. During their trip, the two other groups drove to Hamburg and Billund. In the end, all the groups came back together on Friday, October 1, the day of the anniversary, at TimeXtender in Aarhus.
The 856-kilometer trip didn't go entirely without a hitch, but after dozens of flat tires, broken spokes, heavy rain, creaking chains, falls, a lost bike, and sore legs, our entire team of 60 people arrived at TimeXtender in Aarhus. There, the TimeXtender team gave us a warm welcome, complete with a finish line, DJ, photo wall, and a champagne shower.
We were welcomed like heroes by TimeXtender. We crossed the finish line in a shower of champagne. We're so grateful to them for the perfect finish, the day program on Saturday, and the great time at the Hant Werk brewery.
– Jaco Geluk, Managing Director at E-mergo
On Saturday, the day program was organized by TimeXtender, and in the evening, a true E-mergofest took place. With a DJ, dance floor, food corners, and old-school arcade games at the atmospheric Spiselauget in Aarhus. Naturally, the lights stayed on late in Aarhus's nightlife.
Our entire trip could be followed on social media, and an internal app was also built in Microsoft Power Apps for employees to share their photos with each other. This app also contained important travel information, such as hotel locations and local COVID rules.
We´re very proud and grateful for our partnership and that E-mergo chose to celebrate their 20th anniversary with the Xpeople. E-mergo's achievements are admirable and they´re a true role model to the business world.
– Anne Krog Iversen, DNA & Culture Officer at TimeXtender