AP Summit 2022: Insights from a Newbie

We caught up with Deont’e Taylor, Affiliate Marketing Associate at Acceleration Partners, to learn about his experience attending his first in-person AP Summit this past May. Discover what it’s like for new employees at AP Summit, how AP gives coworkers unique bonding opportunities, and the biggest life lessons Deont’e took away from this year’s annual event.

First, I would like to thank Emily Tetto and Annabelle Loudon for their hard-work and commitment to planning an exceptional AP Summit this year. This was an amazing experience that I will remember and appreciate for the rest of my life.

We had a ton of activities to choose from and I was determined to do as much as could with my limited time at Camp No Counselors (where this year’s summit was held). As a personal goal, I wanted to meet as many people as I could and to try anything I’ve never done before. I was there to make memories—and I can definitely confirm that memories were made!

Branching outside of my comfort zone

I am a city kid (from Chicago, Illinois) head to toe. I’ve never been camping, done any water activities, or even been out of the country—yet! Thanks to AP Summit 2022, I was able to check a camping trip off my bucket list, do some rope climbing, archery, and waterski!

Besides getting to try a bunch of new activities, I also got to play soccer, something I haven’t done since elementary school. It was a blast—our fun competitive sides came out and it got heated on the field! When some coworkers decided to try kickball for the first time, I got to teach them the basics, and I was also able to be a part of some coworkers’ first s’mores experience. Getting to bond with coworkers over shared new experiences was something I didn’t realize how much I’d come to value.

Bonding with coworkers in-person

I’m a very social person, so I couldn’t wait to finally meet my client services team outside of a Zoom setting. Not only was I able to connect with my team, but I built new friendships with coworkers from across the country and overseas and got to know AP’s leadership team.

I’ve never been at a company where I could directly have a conversation with my CEO or Founder, however, AP does things differently. At AP Summit, I got to meet Matt Wool and Robert Glazer (AP’s CEO and Founder, respectively) and have personal and meaningful conversations with both of them.

Another activity we did to foster team spirit and collaboration were the camp Olympics games. I got to lead the amazing and talented green team as the color war captain, and though we fell short of winning gold, we had so much fun working together and competing.

What I’m taking away from my first AP Summit

This was AP’s first summit in-person after doing virtual summits for the past two years due to Covid. With this being a momentous summit of getting to reconnect—and having so many new employees in attendance—I wanted to be able to bring an energy people haven’t felt all pandemic.

Although I’ve only been at AP since March, I’ve felt early on that I would be able to make an impact. I loved listening to Dr. Malik Muhammed’s keynote speech during AP Summit and was able to take some things back and put them in place in my daily life. I’ve also felt more connected to my colleagues since hearing their personal stories and journeys that have led them to AP.

This event was an amazing opportunity that is much needed in our virtual work environment and I’m glad to have been a part of it. I was able to try new things, meet new people, and make lasting relationships, all while continuing to develop my professional career at AP. I don’t know if I had more personal or professional growth, but I’m thankful of the experience all around. If I could rate AP Summit on a scale of 1-10, it would be 1,000.

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Author: Deont’e Taylor