To some, Google may seem like a faraway fantasy-land of free lunches, sleeping pods, spinning hats and hallway slides. Although this is (mostly) true, Duncan and I had the opportunity to test the waters and do some investigating firsthand at the Headquarters in sunny San Jose, California this past month. Our advertising department received an invite for two to the Partners All-Stars 2015 Conference for a 3-day, 2-night stay. Needless to say our arms did not need much twisting!
With an early Tuesday morning start, we were off to San Jose, Starbucks in hand. Our first day was spent freely between the Caltrain and a variety of Uber drivers, with a full afternoon an
Wednesday morning arrived quickly and it was Google time before we knew it! We arrived on campus with two coach-loads of All-Stars attendees from across North America, eager and excited to see what Google had planned for us all. After registration and receiving our big kid name tags, the presentation began. We heard from many different head honchos from across the Google departments, including the Head of Marketing for Google Partners, Katerina Havrlant, Gopi Kallayil, Chief Evangelist Brand Marketing, and Tom Fishburne, creator of Marketoonist. Katerina shared a vision of innovation, as her position involves ensuring the proper resources, training and support are brought to the Google Partners Program agencies and individuals across 57 countries. What a gal! Gopi brought forth a personal story of his family in India, and the struggles he faced to put himself in the successful position he is in today. Determination is key, no matter your roots; Preach! He definitely drove that point home.
With a free lunch courtesy of the Google chefs, and a tour around the executive campus including a visit to the Google Giftshop, our clan of Google Partners All-Stars was ready for the after-party – it was 5 o’clock and the outdoor bar was calling our names! Beside the Google soccer fields (yes, they have their own soccer fields – multiple), an inviting venue had been set up, com
Take a guess who was first on the slide. Right here! That’s right, the kid in me was more excited about the slide than the open bar (or maybe a combination of both – one may have influenced the other). We chatted with some of the other agencies, meeting some awesome individuals from places like Dallas, Texas. As the crowd settled post-supper, the coaches pulled up and it was time to head back to the hotel and say goodbye to the promise-land.
I felt both blessed and enlightened by this awesome experience, and am very excited to push for another invite to the Partners All-Stars conference in the coming years. California stole my heart, if not just for the weather alone! See you next year, Google.