“A huge thank you. I just had the most wonderful time. The volcano, hikes, swims, floating, the food, wine. Everything was brilliant. The whole thing was organised so so well, it was seamless and just so easy for us all to gain the most out of both Iceland and the group. I’ve made amazing connections, learnt a great deal and thoroughly enjoyed myself.” — JD, UK

“Seamless organisation that flowed extremely well; a great deal of thoughtfulness about how to get the guests interacting and with the widest variety of different attendees. Many moments of feeling that I was connecting emotionally or intellectually with decent, interesting, curious people.” — DL, UK

“The incredible quality, depth and diversity of participants even within the same industry; very smooth organisation and support throughout; felt confident and like I could 100% trust all aspects of the trip. Unforgettable learnings.” — LC, Portugal

Thank you so much for these magical moments you created. It takes a lot to reach that level of perfection. The secure environment you managed to create, leading people to being vulnerable and share. The mix of people you brought together. All senses stimulated — views, music, food, wine, touch, making it a truly unique experience.

HG, UK (on VOYAGERS' 2019 Health-Tech Adventure in Iceland)

A CAREER-ENHANCING LEARNING PROGRAMME BUILT INTO AN OUTDOORS ADVENTURE

This three-day learning and networking weekend began and ended in Reykjavik, for easy flight connections, but was mostly spent in the rugged countryside in the south-east of Iceland.

Our official schedule started on Thursday morning in central Reykjavik. After some local morning exploration, we shared a headphone hike through the city centre hearing fellow VOYAGERS’ stories as we walked. We finished at the harbour, where we enjoyed a relaxed lunch before being picked up and taken to our base, the rural Grímsborgir Hotel. Amid beautiful surroundings, we began our content programme, with experts leading workshops and discussions on key themes of relevance to today’s health-tech market — such as “How AI will transform healthcare”, “What’s happening in clinical psychedelics”, “How to ace your grant application in health-tech”. You could also relax with a welcoming hot swim. Hotel Grímsborgir is located 70km east of Reykjavik in the heart of the Golden Circle, nestled on the bank of the River Sogid surrounded by stunning landscape. All hotel rooms came with balcony or terrace and access to some of the 29 geothermal hot tubs on site, both private and shared.

Later in the evening, we gathered for our official welcome dinner at the hotel, where we got to know each other over some traditional Icelandic delicacies. As part of every VOYAGERS gathering, we concluded the day with some storytelling and late-evening group games such as Werewolf (a VOYAGERS tradition).

Friday was a full day in nature, with a visit to local geothermal pools, and the opportunity to explore the nature around the pools. We organised more content sessions, so that participants could learn from experts in the group. We also scheduled some well-deserved downtime where participants could unwind at our hotel’s Jacuzzi and pools. After dinner at the hotel, we bonded over an evening of games and good conversations.

Saturday was an intense day of outdoor activities. We went rafting in the Golden Circle (with relatively mild rapids, ideal for both beginners as well as those who had rafted before), exploring the beautiful glacial river Hvítá, the White River.

Instead of rafting, some participants could choose to explore inside an inactive volcano. This experience involved a memorable descent 120 meters to the bottom of the crater in an open cable lift, after which participants were free to wander inside the dormant Þríhnúkagígur volcano, which last erupted over 4,000 years ago. The hike that leads to the crater offers amazing views.

Later on Saturday afternoon we travelled back to Reykjavik and checked in to our city hotel. We transported all our participants’ luggage, so that it was one less thing to worry about. We met for a further content session over drinks in the city with local friends, followed by our farewell dinner at the Ocean Cluster House, with a view to the harbour.