Atlassian Corp. has built its entire ethos around the concept of teamwork. The enterprise software company has a mission to unleash the potential of all teams and operates under the belief that what is impossible alone is possible together. Its software brings together individuals from around the globe and helps them efficiently tackle tasks together so that their team can reach its full potential. For the past three years, Atlassian has celebrated this concept and the people who believe in it through its annual Team event, which brings together customers, partners, and investors so the organization can show them a little appreciation for their loyalty and give them the opportunity to network with each other. Atlassian had several objectives for Team '23, including deepening brand loyalty among customers and partners globally, growing its customer base, and making major brand and product announcements, but the organization first had some difficulties to overcome.

Going into the event, Atlassian was weathering the challenges of an uncertain economic climate, yet was determined to create a rich experience despite a flat budget and rising costs across core event components. Exacerbating the already tight budget was a pre-COVID-negotiated hotel contract coupled with lower-than-anticipated attendee registration rates. However, Atlassian leaned into its strengths and its members came together as a team to meet difficulties with creative solutions.

Team '23 was held at the Sands Expo & Convention Center at The Venetian in Las Vegas where Atlassian created an immersive, outdoor festival vibe. The event's agenda was designed to encourage dwell time within the expo, which was the sole access point to keynote sessions, and attendees were treated to a choose-your-own-adventure experience they would expect to find at an outdoor festival. Further enhancing that open and airy vibe were natural elements woven throughout the event space, such as wood materials and greenery, plus a few pops of neon purple that would make any club kid feel right at home.

Long before anyone arrived at the event space, however, Atlassian used an experimental pre-marketing strategy to connect with potential event attendees. For the first time, Atlassian tried an infographic-style promotional email, which garnered an open rate 10 percent higher than its traditional emails. It also took advantage of the siren song of going viral by running influencer campaigns on TikTok. This was the company's first foray into TikTok and it was a success, resulting in 5.13 million impressions and nearly 4,000 clicks. Internally, Atlassian supplied its sales team with a toolkit they could use to market the event, and nearly 200 employees used it to spark conversations with their clients. Post-event research showed that 71 percent of event registrations were directly attributed to this pre-marketing campaign and 93 percent of registrants were influenced by it. Would the event be able to deliver on the promises made by this exciting pre-marketing strategy? Attendees were about to find out.


Impossible Is a Mindset
Landing on a theme for Team '23 was no easy task. It had to check a lot of boxes to be compelling, inspiring, and point to the capabilities of Atlassian's software and the company's overarching philosophy. Organizers eventually settled on “Impossible Alone” as a theme, which drove home the idea that a group can accomplish so much more than any one individual. This theme was a thread woven throughout the event, from registration to activities to sessions, and attendees embraced it.

The team theme was part of attendees' very first interaction with the event. During the sign-up process, Atlassian encouraged team instead of individual registration by offering group passes, which were dubbed Team Bundles. More than 100 teams took Atlassian up on this offer, resulting in nearly 500 people attending the event under a Team Bundle. Atlassian also set and landed within reach of an important goal. The organization hoped that 50 percent of companies would bring two or more employees to the event, and 44 percent of companies represented at Team '23 brought at least two employees to the event so that they could embrace the teamwork theme together. And there was a bonus on top of that goal — 20 percent of companies represented at Team '23 brought three or more employees.
Upon arrival, attendees found an expo center buzzing with activity. It was divided into four quadrants for easy navigation, anchored by the Customer Success Hub, where more than 1,300 attendees engaged in one-on-one conversations with subject matter experts, received product support, and experienced product demos. The other quadrants were dedicated to Atlassian-focused booths, sponsor booths, and partner booths. The partners had a critical role to play by helping to deepen attendees' understanding of Atlassian products through storytelling. They showed attendees exactly how they used Atlassian software in their companies and while doing so, increased their own brand awareness among those who participated in the expo. One example was the Atlassian Cafe, developed by Atlassian partner Breville, a global company that develops small kitchen appliances, such as high-end coffee makers. Not only did Breville educate consumers on its products, representatives explained how they used the Atlassian software, inspiring others to do the same. The Atlassian Cafe became a hot spot for networking, and the coffee flowed as easily as the conversation.


Solving Impossible Problems
Strategically placed throughout the expo were hands-on activities that amplified the Impossible Alone theme. Atlassian event planners designed three seemingly impossible tasks and challenged attendees to see if the power of a collective could transform those problems into opportunities. The first challenge was making money grow on trees. Anyone who forgot to turn the lights off when leaving a room as a child has the answer to a gruff father's question — Do you think money grows on trees? — burned in their brain. The answer, obviously, is no, so go turn off the lights. And close the front door while you're at it. But Atlassian turned that question on its head through a giving tree in Possibility Park in the expo center. Atlassian partnered with online payment service provider Stripe to turn a digital tree into a tap-to-donate fundraiser that grew funds to protect green spaces and parks. A sister tree was launched at Battery Park in New York following the event to raise even more money for the cause.

A second challenge was the Earworm Eraser. An earworm is a catchy tune that's impossible to shake from the mind's soundtrack. Anyone who has encountered the song “Baby Shark” or taken a spin on the It's a Small World ride at Disney World has likely experienced one. However, a team of musicologists, psychologists, and software developers put together a bespoke collection of tones and rhythms that blended perfectly and banished those catchy tunes. At least until the next encounter.

The final challenge involved dreams. Most people forget 95 percent of their dreams the moment they wake up. Capturing those fleeting bits of imagination feels impossible. But Team '23 asked dream scientists and AI engineers to collaborate and turn weird and wonderful dream descriptions into pieces of AI-generated digital art. Attendees were asked to input the details of their dreams into a software application and in response, a piece of digital art would appear and evolve as more details were added to the dream description.

Additional activities that celebrated teamwork included a relationship therapy table, where attendees were asked to write a letter to Atlassian about their experience at the event or with the product, and a must-try teamwork lab with tactile micro-activities that asked attendees to question their perceptions of equitable teamwork. At one lab station, attendees could listen to others' stories about equity in the workplace. At another, they could share their feelings on the use of emojis in the workplace. And opinions were strong. One Corporate Event Awards judge was particularly impressed with the variety of experiences offered, recognizing the deliberate attempt to engage both senses and emotions.

Team '23 participants were able to seamlessly flow from the fun, team-centered activities in the expo to ancillary events, including Atlassian University Training, workshops for community leaders and partners, training sessions for customers, and press briefings. The nearly 2,000 Team '23 attendees were very engaged in the ancillary events. On average, each person took part in four breakout or theater sessions, and more than 365 attendees completed the Atlassian University Training while they were at the event.

From the keynote stage, which was decorated in the same pops of neon purple that appeared on the expo floor and the registration center, attendees heard not only Atlassian product announcements, but took in inspiring talks from invited guests. Acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron and CNN host Van Jones both discussed how they and their colleagues used teamwork to push boundaries to accomplish things many thought were impossible. One Corporate Event Award judge was impressed with the stage program and praised Atlassian for its “mix of keynotes and injection of product announcements.”


Impossibly Impressive Metrics
The Atlassian team headed into Team '23 with lofty goals in mind and accomplished much more than any one of them could have done alone. More than 850 companies from across the globe were represented at Team '23. And despite a turbulent economic year, the organization reached 72 percent of its attendance goal of 2,500, proving that the organization successfully engaged its most passionate users. In addition, the organization sailed past the goals it set for the syndicated digital content designed to engage people who could not attend the event in person or who wanted to experience it again. Atlassian hoped for 200,000 views by the end of June 2023 — the end of its fiscal year. Instead, the organization realized one million views and 3.3 million minutes of content watched.

In addition to Atlassian's primary goals for Team '23 were several secondary goals that were measured by a post-event survey that was sent out to attendees. Survey results showed that 91 percent of attendees felt their objectives for attending Team were met. Seventy-eight percent of respondents reported that they found the “Impossible Alone” messaging personally relevant, and 63 percent of respondents said as a result of the event, they were likely to purchase or try an Atlassian product they had never tried in the past.

Team '23 attendees took their experience and Atlassian's message and ran with it on social media. Ninety-three percent of social media posts about the event were positive, and journalists in attendance collectively published more than 70 articles in top-tier publications. After witnessing Atlassian partners serve as advocates for the brand, 155 attendees volunteered to do the same by participating in case studies, video testimonials, and events. A further 300 attendees volunteered to help shape the future of Atlassian by joining the Atlassian Research Group.

Much like the legendary teamwork of the Avengers or the camaraderie of a top-tier sports team, Atlassian showed how collaboration can overcome challenges and achieve the extraordinary. The organization's experimental pre-marketing strategies set the stage for a dynamic event. The “Impossible Alone” theme was seamlessly integrated throughout, from the hands-on activities in the expo to inspiring talks on the keynote stage. Atlassian turned obstacles into opportunities, and in doing so, drove home a powerful reminder that together people can achieve what seems impossible alone — or at the very least, throw a truly epic party.E