Syngenta, Sports day

We brought summertime lake-side to Budapest for a team building event for around 100 people, a lot of them arrived from Basel to Hungary to spend a few days in the heart of Europe. The client asked for an active, sporty event, where they can let the healthy competitive spirit out of the bottle.

Syngenta Services is our recurring client who values their employees greatly, which has become even more important during and after the Covid period. We have worked together on various events, and the common theme is always the well-being of the employees. A waterside teambuilding & sports day in Budapest.

The project

A few months after a postponed Christmas party, management decided it was safe for the employees to meet again. After a long time without seeing each other because of the pandemic, they wanted a fun, leisurely event to leave every difficulty behind. It was already summery, and a sporty teambuilding day seemed perfect to bring the team closer together. Some had not met in person yet!

Based on client feedback, the event was successful, and the employees of Syngenta Services had a great time together. The collaboration between HighVibes and Syngenta has remained strong ever since!

The task

As requested by the client, we organised a fun teambuilding event for approximately 100 people, emphasising active and sports-oriented activities, where healthy competition could be encouraged. Of course, this was set in a summer environment, with food and drinks, by the waterside.

Our task was to find the right balance to engage the employees while not forcing them into anything they didn’t want to participate in.

The challenges

The most challenging factor in an outdoor event is always the weather. On an early summer day, heavy rain or scorching heat can occur. Fortunately, the latter was the case, so we didn’t have to worry about rain, only about the sun. We’ve provided fresh water activities, cold drinks and colourful festive shades.

We made sure to involve everyone in activities by forming teams with different colour codes, who took turns at each station. We had to make plans flexible to accommodate changes in attendance. The agenda was optional, so we designed everything to allow participants to join as many activities as they wanted.

The solution

We wanted to bring a taste of summer-at-the-lake-feeling to the employees without them travelling for hours. The newly opened Dürer Garden in Budapest, with delicious food and drinks and a large grassy area, proved to be a perfect venue. Additionally, we organised water activities on the Danube.

We arranged a SUP race and a group dragon boating. Participants could also play table tennis, badminton, and volleyball and practice yoga and tai chi. Those less inclined to engage in sports could play board games, lie on the grass, chat, and enjoy cocktails.

How did it become sustainable?

Sustainability was a priority for the event, primarily aimed at avoiding unnecessary pollution:

• We chose a venue close to the office, allowing colleagues to walk there.
• We implemented a reusable cup system at the venue.
• We brought large bottles of water, which we returned to recycling later.
• Nature provided the decoration and ambience.
• Any unavoidable waste generated during the event was properly disposed of in recycling bins.
• Instead of individual drink packages, we used drink vouchers to reduce waste.