AssetWorks is proud to be a Volaris-owned software business. One of the benefits of being owned by Volaris is the community of like-minded software houses and being able to share best practices.
From September 25 to 29, 2022, more than 1,100 participants from Volaris-owned businesses came together in London for Quadrants, the world’s largest gathering of vertical market software leaders. They were also joined by nearly 80 participants from across other Constellation Software operating groups.
The 2022 edition of the conference represented a major milestone for Volaris. It was the biggest version yet of the flagship learning and networking event, and the first event of its size overall for the company. Volaris employees filled the entire hotel and were temporarily immersed in a space filled with Quadrants branding.
The Quadrants Experience
Starting with an opening night party kicked off by Volaris CEO Mark Miller and continuing throughout the week, attendees had chances to mingle with Volaris executives, portfolio leaders, group leaders, fellow business unit leaders, and functional leaders.
The conference is conceptualised around our core value of knowledge sharing as a driver of business success. Designed with the understanding that each business within Volaris is in a different stage of growth or profitability, conference attendees were able to customise their individual learning experiences by choosing from more than 1,600 sessions.
Celebrating Successes, Overcoming Challenges
Day 1 kicked off with a look back at the success of Volaris Group over the past 27 years, through a detailed multimedia presentation showing the company’s journey of learning as the company grew by revenue and through acquisitions.
Volaris CEO Mark Miller encouraged participants to treat the conference as a “professional speed-dating opportunity”. The culture of sharing at Volaris facilitates connections between colleagues, who often trade advice and offer help to those facing similar challenges.
Miller invited leaders and representatives from each of the four Quadrants tracks into the spotlight to talk about the unique journeys of learning each has gone on while at Volaris. Those leaders included Nathan Godfrey, Craig McAlister, Rob Turner, Andy Wheeler, Tony DeSilvester, Cristina Wheless, Chris Wildsmith, David Eason, Tiffany Dunsdon, Tran Ly, Lucy Naylor, and Sarah Thompson.
Volaris employees heard a summary of an extensive Volaris culture report compiled by Constellation Software board member, author, and academic Larry Cunningham. The report was commissioned by Volaris to help us reflect on the drivers of our success and take the pulse on how the organisational culture has evolved. It also suggested directions in which Volaris could continue to grow, in keeping with our key value of ongoing learning and improvement.
A Culture of Perpetual Learners and Experimenters
Day 2 started with the presentation of the inaugural Volaris Learning Award to Tony DeSilvester, one of the track leaders who played a major role in organising Quadrants. The award was presented in honour of Marie Borg, a former employee who tragically passed away in 2020. Borg was remembered for giving her enthusiastic support to help plan the very first version of Quadrants.
Next, Quadrants attendees were treated to a thought-provoking fireside chat about innovation and organic growth. Constellation Software President and Founder Mark Leonard took to the stage for an in-depth and entertaining exchange of ideas with Michael Schrage, MIT research fellow and author of The Innovator’s Hypothesis. In a conversation filled with witty repartee, they expounded the benefits of using business experimentation as a method of generating actionable insights for businesses to better understand customers, products, and themselves.
In continuing with the Volaris belief in long-term investment, Mark Miller announced plans for the corporate office to continue offering workshops about business experimentation as a tool to create value.
Knowledge-Sharing via Breakout Sessions
A key part of the Quadrants experience is the opportunity for each participant to moderate sessions. Each session at the conference was capped at 12 participants and 45 minutes, which ensured many intimate discussions about a variety of business challenges.
Reflections and Key Takeaways
Mike Gadd, Managing Director of AssetWorks shared “it was humbling to see so many impressive leaders and successful businesses sharing their experiences and best practices with others. It was a very collaborative experience”.
HR leader Susanne Guld said upon reflecting on the event: “A few of my takeaways are: ‘Let’s test it’, call a client when you do a reference check, and the last one: ‘Always have a big, hairy, audacious goal.”
The event inspired Modaxo leader Tatiana Pieper to quote a lyric from a Brazilian song—Um passo à frente e você não está mais no mesmo lugar—which translates into: “A step forward and you’re not in the same place anymore.”
What does this phrase mean to her when reflecting on Quadrants?
“It symbolises transformation. It holds the promise of change. Someone who learns something new is always a different person than they were before.”
As a company that strives to get better all the time—we truly couldn’t have said it any better.
