Parchifest is about coming together as a company to celebrate our accomplishments of 2022 and to experience the vision for 2023. We’ll have time to develop deeper relationships outside of Zoom within and outside of our individual teams. Additionally, we will have a chance to learn (or even teach!) new skills and develop deeper business knowledge. It’s an opportunity to review where we’ve been, but more to look forward to the excitement of what’s to come in 2023 and how we each contribute to Parchment’s success. Honestly, we’re building a new, interactive, fun tradition! We’re being given an opportunity that not many companies get – to gather together IN PERSON to interact, learn, play and get a little goofy too.

Stakeholders was more of a year in review with a celebration looking forward to the new year. Parchiefest takes our coming together to the next level – to building relationships, learning and interacting in person with our colleagues. Again, we’re building a new tradition so anything can happen!

YES! All Parchies, everywhere are welcome! It is a long flight for some, but we hope you’ll take it! And we of course welcome you to come in earlier in the week to make the most of your trip. Discuss your travel plans with your manager.

Short answer: no

Longer answer: Parchiefest is designed to be an in-person event – with all the perks that go with one (i.e. a company paid trip to see your best work buddies in person at a cool resort!). It is not designed to be a hybrid event. One reason it is not mandatory, as Stakeholders used to be, is we recognize that individual circumstances vary when it comes to attending an in-person event. The reason Parchiefest is not a hybrid event is twofold, neither of which has to do with “pushing” participation (in case the thought crossed your mind.) First, it is explicitly meant to bring people together in-person as a counterpoint to the virtual ways we engage throughout the year. Second, we have learned the hard way to respect the tremendous amount of work and resources it takes to execute a hybrid event well. The pandemic has taught us hybrid events are more than just having a webcam and a Zoom link. While we try to hide it, there is definitely a “let’s go out to the barn and put on a show” element of organizing the company wide meeting given it is something we do on top of all the other things we do. We’re choosing to create and execute one program in the hopes of it being really valuable to everyone who participates. We will certainly communicate important information after the event to those who do not attend.

No, but we highly encourage you to attend. Not only is it going to be extremely informative, but a rootin’ tootin’ good time! There is great value in getting together in person to deepen relationships that have been built on and fostered through Zoom, Slack, etc. Besides, you don’t want to miss out on all the team building, training, swag and prizes!

Depending on the number of folks from Member Services who want to attend in person, we will make a decision about shutting down support (including each of the regions outside the United States), production, and print in order to allow for travel to and participation in Parchiefest. To help with this decision, we’ll be asking folks to RSVP promptly. That will allow us to analyze the coverage and, in the event we need to shut down, provide ample opportunity for proactive communication to our Members. The Member Services leadership team will work with individuals to coordinate travel in order to minimize disruption, just as we did for last year’s event.

There are meeting spaces available at the hotel during the week, with more details to follow once agendas are finalized. The office is also open for folks to come in and work. The office is 30 min away from the hotel, so we encourage group rides via ride-sharing apps. In the meantime, reach out to Kristy Bonanno for special requests.

Meetings are casual. “Casual” in Parchment terms means you may wear shorts, jeans, flip flops, tee shirts if you wish, provided the length is “office appropriate”. If you want to dress it up a bit, feel free. Just be sure to dress comfortably as meeting rooms always seem to be chilly. 

Every time we have set our COVID mitigation policy too far in advance of an event based on what is true at the moment, the form (variant) and prevalence of the virus has changed materially by the time the event arrived. For this reason, we are going to wait to announce our pre-travel and onsite protocols. That said, except as required by law (of course), we do not require vaccination to attend Parchment events or the office. We will set our testing, masking, and spacing protocols closer to the event to benefit from a more contemporaneous understanding of the risks and public health recommendations.