The Year of TROOP: Connection, Community, & Growth | TROOP

As the year comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what we’ve learned at TROOP, and how those lessons shape where we’re headed. This year made something clear: our work matters because it helps teams connect in person. 

It was also a year defined by connection: with each other, with our customers, and with the community that inspires us. As I look back, three themes rise to the top:

1. The power of in-person connection
2. The insight we gain from our community
3. The progress that comes from relentless product improvement

Learnings that shaped this year

Together, these themes capture what shaped our year and the lessons that will carry us forward.

1. The power of in-person connection

When our team gathered in Milan for TROOP Sync, our annual all-hands meeting, it reaffirmed what we’ve always felt: meeting in person fuels innovation, trust, and alignment in ways no video call can. 

That week in Milan was an opportunity to understand one another better and showed us the tangible impact of being together. Decisions were made faster, priorities became clearer, and our product roadmap moved forward with new energy.

And, like our customers, we planned our own meeting with data, care, and intention. For Milan, TROOP helped us compare destinations and choose the right location. We then used the platform to manage the logistics of bringing 70 people together. We could visualize flight times, coordinate arrivals, and organize transfers in one place. We’ll do the same next year as we prepare for our 2026 Sync in Paris.

2. Insight and engagement from our community

We also spent more time listening to the communities we serve, the Executive Assistant, meeting planners and business travel professionals. Across every conversation, one message stood out: collaboration isn’t optional. With new technology, dispersed workforces, and tighter budgets, it’s essential.

What inspired me most was how adaptable the Executive Assistants, the planners, and the Travel Managers are behind every meeting. Yet, they remain focused on what matters most: keeping connection human. Their stories gave us perspective on where the industry is heading and where TROOP can make the biggest impact.

These on-the-ground insights directly shaped our roadmap — new budgeting tools, smarter workflows, and better visibility to support those managing the details that bring teams together.

3. Progress from relentless product improvement

Everything we learned this year from our customers, our community, and our own team came together in the product. 2025 was a year of meaningful growth for the TROOP platform. One of my favorite parts of this year was seeing our product evolve in ways that genuinely make planners’ lives easier. A few updates stand out to me personally:

• Strategic budgeting: Meeting budgets are notoriously difficult to estimate and track — a longstanding pain point for planners. Now, you can quickly build an estimate, see how choices affect costs, and track changes as the meeting progresses. It’s a simple improvement with a big impact.
• Redesigned interface: We made it easier to move between exploring meeting options and planning the meeting itself. Whether you’re comparing destinations or locking in details, the experience is lighter, cleaner, and more intuitive.
• Keeping meetings on track: We strengthened the essentials planners rely on most: travel logistics and attendee coordination. Flight and hotel lists now provide a centralized view of arrivals, departures, and accommodations. Attendee management brings rosters, RSVPs, and meeting briefs together in one place. These enhancements keep teams aligned and give planners confidence that every detail is covered.