We are a group of brainiacs who love technology. Teams meetings are as much a part of our culture as adorable dogs. But once a year even the most introverted of us packs up and comes together for the ITS Bark & Bond employee conference. This year we set out with the lofty goal of making it our biggest event yet, and spoiler: we pulled it off. In a shocking twist, there were no dogs and no T-shirts.  

We wanted to get over 160 employees, from 23 states and 4 countries, together in one place at one time, so we took our Bark & Bond show on the road to Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Maryland. The venue was an absolute game-changer that allowed us to bring our vision for a full-scale employee conference to life. The only downside was that our dogs had to stay home. 

We started each day off with an all-hands keynote session. Some were inspiring, some were informative, and all of them came with a delicious breakfast buffet. 

After fueling up, employees had their choice of breakout sessions designed to spark ideas, sharpen skills, and strengthen connections. From hands-on technical workshops to culture-driven conversations, each session had its own flavor. All of our presenters were members of the ITS team, and it felt meaningful to showcase the wealth of our institutional knowledge. 

We weren’t all business. On the second night everyone got to choose from one of six events to spend time with coworkers and explore something new. The choices were varied: a plant workshop, a chocolate-making workshop, a trip to a dinner theater, bowling, indoor go-kart racing, and a paint-your-own-pet night. We laughed, overdid it on the sipping chocolate, and discovered that our CEO Pat Ward has a hidden artistic talent. 

On the third night, we took a group trip to see the Orioles take on the Pirates at Camden Yards. It was a bit rainy and cold, but our soft pretzels were warm, and the O’s brought home the win. 

It might shock our long-time blog readers to hear that we didn’t get an ITS T-shirt for this event, but that’s only because we got a buttery soft, retro-inspired long- sleeve shirt instead. Perfect for fall and a reminder of the golf carts at Turf Valley. 

At the end of the week, even the most skeptical among us had to admit that Bark & Bond 2025 was something special. We left feeling inspired, connected, and ready to dig into work. From our home offices. With our dogs by our side. In our sweatpants. 

About the Author

Maili joined the ITS team in 2010. She’s our People Ops & Culture Lead, Employee Event Planner, Creative Lead, and People Person. Maili holds a BA in Visual and Performing Arts from UMBC and maintains the SHRM Certified Professional certification. (We aren’t sure how she does it, but she somehow uses both of those accreditations in her role at ITS!) When she isn’t designing one of our famous ITS T-shirts, you can find her helping our team with their benefits. Outside of ITS, she is a professional photographer and a mom to one tiny human and two tiny cats. Maili loves coffee, CrossFit, and meeting new people.