Team Huddle 

At DMC, we value having fun and sharing information, so it should come as no surprise that we chose a holiday party activity in the most democratic way possible.

Past favorites included a cooking class where everyone learned to make a component of a meal that we all then enjoyed together, and a glassblowing lesson where everyone in the office took home a handblown ornament.

This year, we all agreed to prioritize good food and a fun activity over a sit-down dinner. We narrowed our choices down to curling or an elevated game night, and game night won the coin toss.

Preparing the Field

To select the perfect venue for this event, we balanced a casual vibe with a space that would allow mingling, conversation, and the flexibility to accommodate various forms of gameplay. We ultimately settled on the Alibi Room, a speakeasy-style bar tucked into Seattle’s Gum Wall (if you know, you know) at Pike Place Market. This spot checked all the boxes with brews on tap, classy cocktails, and a selection of elevated comfort food—think Greek-inspired appetizers, Neapolitan-style pizzas, and fancy mac and cheese.

For games, we opted for some office favorites like One Night Werewolf, classics like Taboo, a mini Hook-and-Ring game, and even a Metagame where party guests won points for sneakily completing conversational challenges throughout the evening, like getting someone to show someone else a picture of their pet or having someone define random objects written on cards. Once a player completed a challenge without getting caught, they could enter their card in a raffle for the chance to win a prize. The field was set.

Game Night ≥ Game Day

The evening kicked off with appetizers as guests trickled in. We kept the bartender busy as the appetizers, salads, and mac and cheese made their appearance. The Hook-and-Ring game saw some action while half a dozen DMCers and their plus-ones played Taboo. The rest of us opted to mingle, drink, and nibble until the main course arrived.

Halftime Show

About halfway through the night, Dan Freve, DMC’s Chief Operating Officer and head of the Seattle office, gave a rousing speech reflecting on the growth of the Seattle office from a small team into one of the company’s largest offices outside of Chicago. He was followed by managers Steven Fuchs and Phil Schaffer, who thanked the team for their contributions throughout the year. We were also able to show one of our new hires how the Seattle office lives by one of DMC’s core values, Have Fun. The evening wound down with the announcement that Meghana Annamaneni had won the Metagame.

Fourth Quarter

The end of our time at the Alibi Room did not mean the end of the night. Many DMCers kept the party going at a local barcade, Jupiter Bar, for a different sort of game: Killer Queen. This strategy arcade game is a DMC tradition, played by up to 10 people on competing teams of 5.

This capped off the night with a bang, much like the annual DMC office holiday party caps off a productive year and gives us a moment to reflect on and celebrate our team’s outstanding work.

Holiday parties are just one of the things that make DMC a special place to work.

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A Sweet Sampling

Systems Engineer Wen Deng knew the high-quality bakery’s innovative flavors would be a hit with the adventurous eaters at the Seattle office. She “Made Things Happen,” per DMC’s core values, and arranged a company-sponsored activity fund event. Wen ordered several of the most exciting flavors to arrive after the workday wrapped up.

Analysis and Assessment

As often happens when you “Hire Smart People,” the DMCers who stuck around naturally engaged in a spirited evaluation of the various cakes and “Told it Like it Is.” Here are some of our findings.

• Coming in at the top spot, the mochi were universally enjoyed.
• The pistachio raspberry cake had a great balance of mild sweet pistachio fragrance contrasted with tart raspberry bites.
• The saltiness of the Oreo Basque cheesecake helped bring out the flavor
• The Earl Grey jelly proved polarizing. Some loved it while others thought it was “mid.”
• The sweet meat cakes, featuring pork floss and duck respectively, were worth trying but did not top anyone’s list.

In the interest of “Sharing Information,” hopefully, our findings can help guide you if you’re ever looking for a sweet treat in the Greater Seattle Area.

The post Not Sweet-less in Seattle: A Team Cake Tasting appeared first on DMC, Inc..

Core Values on Display

Entering the classic escape room, the DMC crew was transported back in time to Seattle’s famous 1960s World Fair. We were confronted with locked doors, secret messages, and uncracked codes. With 60 minutes on the clock, we sprang into action, demonstrating several of DMC’s core values in the process.

Share Information

With two adjacent rooms to comb through, we needed to divide and conquer. People revealed different pieces of the puzzle, but the sequence of their application wasn’t always immediately clear. It was only through information sharing across the group that we were able to apply the relevant clues and advance.

Have Fun

We enjoyed an entertaining, teamwork-fueled evening! The welcome party was a wonderful opportunity to get to know Meghana and introduce her to the lively team culture.

Hire Smart People

The breadth of our team’s intelligence was on full display as the crew tackled the different mind-bending aspects of the room. Using deduction, logic, and good old-fashioned trial and error, we were able to put pieces in place, crack codes, and unlock doors. We ultimately escaped, setting the timeline right in the process. The staff were impressed that we finished the expert-level room with 20 minutes to spare, but it came as no surprise to the DMC crew.

The escape room evening was the perfect way to welcome Meghana while highlighting what makes DMC an incredible organization to be a part of.

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