Coming Together: ICS.AI's Quarterly Company Day in Birmingham

At ICS.AI, we believe in the power of connection. As a remote-first company with colleagues spread all the way from Northern Ireland, Darlington and Harrogate, down to Brighton on the South Coast, we've mastered the art of virtual collaboration. But there's something special about gathering in person that simply can't be replicated online.

Last week, we had the pleasure of bringing (most of) our team together for our quarterly company day in Birmingham, hosted in the impressive Birmingham City Council chambers.

The Power of Face-to-Face

Our CEO, Martin Neale, put it perfectly when addressing the team:

"There's no real alternative to get an understanding of someone you're working with. It's not so much what you say when you're presenting to a group. It's all the stuff that goes around it in-person - the meeting beforehand, the small talk, taking them for lunch."

These in-person connections are invaluable, especially as we welcomed ten new team members over the past six months. For many, this was the first opportunity to meet colleagues they'd previously only seen through a Teams screen. The energy in the room was palpable as new relationships formed and existing ones strengthened.

Celebrating Innovation and Teamwork

The day was filled with presentations from different departments showcasing their achievements and future plans. While we're saving the detailed success metrics for our upcoming momentum press release, we can share that the past year has been transformative for our AI solutions in the public and trusted sectors.

Some key highlights included:

1. Award Recognition: We celebrated three major award wins from the past year, including Partner and Customer Collaboration of the Year at Socitm, Entrepreneur of the Year at the Enterprise Awards, and a remarkable #9 position in the AI Tech 35 category

   
   

2. Parliamentary Recognition: One of our proudest moments was being referenced in Parliament for our work with Derby City Council, highlighting how our AI solutions are making a real impact in the public sector

   
   

3. Strategic Platform Development: Our technology team shared insights on the evolution of our unified platform approach, bringing together front-door and staff experiences in a way that distinguishes us from competitors

   
   

4. Higher Education Breakthroughs: We celebrated significant progress with a top London University, where student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive about our AI teaching assistant solution

   
   

5. Marketing Reach: Our marketing team shared impressive statistics about their outreach efforts, including 26 events (one every two weeks!), 8 podcasts, and PR coverage reaching over 2 million unique monthly visitors

   
   

6. Launchpad Success: Our AI Launchpad scheme participants shared their journey of becoming truly AI-native talent, highlighting how they're now working on creating internal agent tools to boost company-wide productivity

   
   

7. Partnership Developments: We discussed exciting new partnerships being formed with key organisations in the public sector space, expanding our reach and influence

   
   

8. Customer Success Initiatives: The team unveiled new approaches to measuring and ensuring client success, with dedicated focus on renewal and relationship building

A Culture of Learning and Growth

What stood out throughout the day was our company's commitment to continuous learning and adaptation. The company day perfectly exemplified our “velocity-driven” approach to growth that has become a cornerstone of our culture.

Our leadership team emphasised the exponential nature of AI progress, noting how the algorithms, chips, and data centres are all improving at a rate of 3-4x per year. Rather than being overwhelmed by this pace, we’ve embraced it as an opportunity to lead. As our CEO noted

“This is a divergence, and that divergence is the different between those who do and those who don’t… the people who take the opportunity now are the ones that are going to benefit”.

As an AI-native organisation, we've embraced this rapid evolving nature of technology. Our CEO encouraged everyone to "make mistakes" and "push the boundaries," emphasising that "if you're not making mistakes, you're not trying."

This culture of experimentation and growth has enabled us to develop innovative solutions that make a real difference for our customers. As one speaker noted,

"One of the great things about working at ICS.AI is that what we do really does make a difference... we are improving people's lives."

Looking Forward Together

The day concluded with an evening of downtime and socialising, giving everyone more opportunities to connect outside the formal setting. These moments of camaraderie are just as important as the strategic discussions in strengthening our collective identity and purpose.

As we look ahead to the next quarter and beyond, we're energised by the possibilities that lie ahead. Our company day wasn't just about reflecting on past achievements - it was about aligning our vision and preparing to tackle new challenges together.

For a remote-first company like ours, these regular meet ups are invaluable touchpoints that remind us of the humans behind the screens and the shared mission that drives our work every day.

Stay tuned for our upcoming momentum press release, where we'll be sharing exciting news about our company's growth and success!

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