Hartelijk welkom, bienvenue and welcome to Antwerp - once one of the biggest and richest cities in the world, now best known for the second-largest port in Europe and for being the diamond capital of the world. We were hosted in the best placed hotel in town and enjoyed dinners in the Royal Yacht Club Belgie as well as the city's iconic event places like the Bourlaschouwburg.
Thursday opened with a walking dinner at Jaques, a new event place located in the heart of the city. And as always, the atmosphere was warm-hearted and filled with delight to see each other again for the first time after our Madrid congress.
On Friday, we crossed the river by watertaxi to meet at the Royal Yacht Club for a barbecue with a fantastic view of the city panorama. And the best was yet to come: Saturday's dinner was held at the famous Bourla theatre's stunning premises. Eurojuris Belgium surprised us all with a marvelous performance of two opera singers who made the place vibrate and led to standing ovations and cheers, and the fantastic dinner was followed by a boisterous dancing party.
Of course it wasn't all about party though - we had lively practice groups meetings followed by a session on a topic that is now more important than ever:
ALL HANDS ON DECK: How to build a high-performing team
Our Practice Group Days 2023 were focused on leadership. Our new leadership group secured Chris Sweetman, an experienced Leader, Facilitator and Executive Coach, and set up an inspiring session with a question to all of us: "How high-performing is your team?"
Effective teams are at the heart of organisational success. And yet, the latest research shows that not all workplace teams are achieving their potential as a collective.
In this practical session, we looked at the features of high-performing teams, including team purpose and ways of working; what they mean in practice; and how to foster them in law firms. The key points were brought to life through a combination of live polls, practical exercises and questions for discussion.
Participants walked away from the session with:
- An enhanced understanding of the features of high-performing teams
- Clarity on areas of best practice in their own teams, as well as development opportunities
- An action plan (including tips and tools) to facilitate increased team performance in their firms
Thank you for joining us in Antwerp!
Please find below our Practice Groups' programmes at the event:
