2026 Retreat Highlights
Strategy, Team Building, Cheese Curds, and Kringles
After missing last year’s Canvas Cloud retreat, I was especially excited to head to Appleton, Wisconsin, October 1-3, 2026, and finally meet some of my colleagues in person!
The setting made it even better: a gorgeous spot right next to the Fox River, in the city Canvas Cloud calls home. We’d been a little nervous about October weather in Wisconsin, but it couldn’t have been more perfect.
After settling into the hotel, I took a walk along the river and spotted a beautiful swan, then another. Several photos later, they still hadn’t moved, which is when I realized they were fake! Apparently, the swan decoys are there to discourage Canada geese from gathering nearby.
The heart of the retreat was spending time together. We went out for meals and trivia night, tackled an especially challenging Halloween-themed escape room (no, we did not escape), and hit the arcade, where Daniel scored a claw-machine win and we played what felt like the longest arcade bowling game on record.
We ordered dinner and had a game night in the hotel lobby that had us laughing so much. Shout-out to Amy for winning most of the games, and to Koren for her Canvas Cloud BINGO victory! The game that had me crying laughing was Card Sale.
We also spent time in Canvas Cloud’s beautiful river-view office, reviewing our strategy and progress in 2026 and brainstorming campaigns for 2027. The sessions were full of ideas, discussion, and hands-on participation. I even donned a blue beret to lead our marketing workshop.
We enjoyed Wisconsin kringles from Uncle Mike’s and cheese curds at multiple meals because one serving clearly wasn’t enough. I had my first ever taste of fried deviled eggs, and they were really good! Fun giveaways included Salesforce plushies and stickers, plus custom Daniel Doodle and Benardo da Vinci buttons. We also got some Canvas Cloud merch: polos and playing cards!
Appleton had a little more inspiration in store, too. My early Saturday departure meant missing a visit to The Trout Museum, but Conner made it there before his flight and shared some gorgeous photos. It’s on my list for next time!
After missing last year’s gathering, getting to share in the conversations, friendly competition, and laughter made this retreat especially meaningful to me. Naturally, we took plenty of photos and the collage above captures a few of our favorite moments.
About the author
Alissa Arford is the director of marketing at Canvas Cloud. Connect with Alissa on LinkedIn.
