When you hear the term ‘Annual General Meeting’ what is the first picture that springs to mind? Meetings after meetings, tight timelines, boardrooms, white backdrops, projectors, and staff dressed like robots in their neat and perfect formals with no wrinkles. Right? You are correct; most annual general meetings look just like that! Shareholder attendees, serious discussions on important matters like financial statement approval, auditor appointments, compensation or remuneration, dividend declaration, and all the other stuff that could put you to sleep even after a dozen cups of coffee!
We can all imagine how an employee would react if an email invitation to the AGM appeared in their inbox. Everyone would anticipate a long and drawn-out discussion on corporate objectives with no breaks. There would be no smiles, no spontaneous dancing, only stern faces expressing their year and quarterly goals through monotonous presentations. Let’s face it, we all need comic relief now and then, whether in life or at meetings.
Let us imagine a parallel universe where the company AGM is held in a stunning location, complete with tall palm trees bowing down to greet you.
You are ushered into a breathtaking resort by a band of perfectly-synced drummers and fragrant garlands around your necks. As you open the windows of the sea-facing villa, the breeze rushes in and the thundering roar of the sea waves play in your ears.
You walk into a restaurant where a buffet has been set up with assorted dishes to suit everyone’s taste buds. After you’ve filled your tummies, you walk into the most beautifully decorated conference room, expecting the drudgery of back-to-back meetings to begin, but you’re surprised when the session begins with relaxing meditation, followed by an ego-crushing ape-dance that you happily shake your feet to. Then come the goals; goals that motivate you to push yourself beyond your limits and do more than you thought you were capable of.
Sorry to break it to you, but this is not actually happening in a parallel universe. This is what the AGM at Repos looks like!
“Meetings come and go, but the fun element should never be lost.” This is what our founders believe, and this is why they don’t leave any stone unturned to make the AGM a truly fulfilling experience for every single one of us.
The teams are briefed on the departmental goals through lighthearted presentations, with laughter booming down the aisles. We had been earlier told that in order to make things even more interesting, we would do something fun.
The best part of the fun isn’t what we expect, but what we don’t!
When evening descends, the regular conference room gets transformed into a musical area, with drums lined up in a giant circle. Everyone takes one and starts drumming on the miniature bongo to their hearts’ joy, letting out the child in them. Teams from all departments rise from their chairs and begin matching their steps to the rhythms of the drums, sometimes desi, sometimes Arabic, having a great time until their feet are too tired to dance and their fists too sore to pound.
The next morning, the chaotic minds and emotions get soothed through an energising meditation session by the sea. Slow music plays while the blue breeze blows through our hair.
Despite the fact that meetings immediately followed this meditative session, there were a few additional events to lift the team’s spirits. From performances by Sounds of Yes’s in-house members to presenting awards honouring the team’s hard work over the previous year, the night reverberated with echoes of joy and pure laughter.
Sounds a little too good to be true? That’s right, our AGM is definitely better than yours! This annual meeting which involves communicating with team members across India and discussing yearly, quarterly, and even monthly goals, is not taken lightly. We sing, eat, laugh, have a good time, and, of course, talk business. After all, “all play and no work makes Jack a dull boy.” Read that again!