The Netherlands in Krakow
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Why Krakow
Why would Symphony Solutions, a Cloud Transformation company headquartered in Amsterdam, opened an office in Krakow, when new business could easily be serviced from one of their other offices? The answer is obvious once you take a look at what Krakow has got to offer.
Krakow is seen to be home to the type of high-level talent on which the company thrives, and it doesn’t hurt that Krakow is known as a youthful city with a rarefied cool. In fact, in 2016 Conde Nast Traveler, a luxury travel publication based in the United States, voted Krakow as one of the top 5 cities in the world.
Why Symphony Solutions
That Symphony Solutions was recognized in December, 2017 by CIO Bulletin as one of the “50 Best Places to Work” is a nice acknowledgment, but the most meaningful accolades come from those who work there.
“I was inspired by the opportunity to build a product development office in Krakow and hire talented people to add value to Symphony Solutions.”
Sunny Vashishtha, Site Lead, Krakow
A Dutch Village, Really?
As a Dutch company, Symphony Solutions enjoys an allure among those seeking the collegial embrace of well-practiced colleagues, professional growth, and an original physical workspace modeled on the Dutch Village, Zaanse Schans. The design of the new office location in Krakow is identical to other Symphony locations – a circular format around an open park setting, with green astroturf, picnic tables, a swing hung from the second story and several life-size Dutch Friesian cow replicas. Bicycles and colorful Dutch clogs add style and authenticity to the theme.
The green village ‘houses’ surrounding the park are meeting rooms, each derived from a legacy heritage – The Red Light District, The Delft Blue Room, The Flying Dutchman Room, and others. Props and cues enhancing this theme, such as brightly colored clogs, bicycles, and Mr. and Mrs. Cannabis images give life and authenticity to the village.
New Krakow Office Design
The new Krakow office is spacious and comfortable, yet keep the interior in the already familiar traditional Dutch style. The meeting rooms are twinning the ones in other office locations, even bearing the same names, like the Heineken and Mondrian meeting rooms, and the signature Old Amsterdam cafe. The hallways are designed to take you straight to the bricked streets of Amsterdam: a night view of the city spreading across an entire wall, elevator doors made to look like an entrance to a coffee shop. Lots of thought went into subtle details like a bicycle parked at a red streetlight and replicas of Banksy graffiti art on the walls.
We’re putting the finishing touches on the office interior, bringing together an amalgam of contemporary vibes and the tried and true traditional style. Later this August, we’re planning on opening a terrace with the meeting room facades and wind-mills on the perimeter.
“When designing this new Krakow office, we’ve set it in our minds to create a modern and functional office space, yet preserve the origins and unique Dutch spirit of the company. Despite the fact that it was a stretch to coordinate office construction and delivery remotely, we learned a lot on the way. This is going to be our most advanced office location so far.”
Valentina Synenka, CMO at Symphony Solutions
Culture First
Symphony values are based on trust and intimacy which drive the style of freedom of mind and freedom with each other. When candidates come in for interviews, the culture is palpable, such that they can feel whether it matches their personalities and work styles. That type of match is one of the most important drivers of success. Symphony Solutions prides itself on its strong core values and corporate culture which help bring projects to fruition and acquire a competitive edge in the marketplace.