Corporate Activities. Diary of a Convention

Diary of a Convention

A couple of months ago, a real estate developer got in touch to ask us to organise their annual convention — the first the company would hold to mark its third anniversary. From the very start, they made clear they wanted something special, something that wouldn't leave their employees indifferent. Their intention was for everyone to thoroughly enjoy, over the course of a weekend, not only our magnificent corporate and Team Building activities, but also a fabulous venue, complemented by great food and a series of details that would make participants remember this corporate event for a long time.

So we got to work, and began searching for venues near Madrid, Ávila, Toledo or Segovia. It wasn't an easy task — the client wanted something special: a five-star hotel, a historic parador, or a venue full of charm. With 55 attendees, several of the most special venues were ruled out, since they usually don't have that many rooms and aren't suited to this type of corporate activity.

The client narrowed it down to three options they especially loved, finally settling on the Hotel Palacio de Buenavista in Toledo, a former Hilton, whose building, entrance and lobby won everyone over from the very first minute. From that point on, we had the invaluable support of Ana and Loana, two fantastic professionals whose experience and charm made sure everything ran smoothly.

Once the venue was chosen, the priority was picking the most exciting, fun and inspiring corporate activities or team building. We suggested an activity for Friday night, to break the ice and set the right mood for the rest of the weekend to run smoothly. They chose the TV game show activity, with hosting and a disco, where they'd need to dance, sing, perform choreographies and other super fun games.

For Saturday, they wanted two activities, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, to foster camaraderie and cohesion, while also rewarding their good work and great effort throughout the year. From the start they settled on one of our most empowering corporate activities, the In Tune with the Team batucada, which they'd do in the afternoon. And for the morning, the team building activity chosen was Charity Bike, our most moving, rewarding activity.

Since El Clásico, Real Madrid vs Barcelona, was scheduled for that Saturday during the convention, and they didn't want to miss it, we set up a giant screen to watch the match together, with a hearty afternoon snack, and while some people watched with real passion, others took the chance to visit the hotel spa — a great decision, of course.

The convention was already well rounded out in terms of corporate activities: the TV game show on Friday, batucada, Charity Bike, the match and the spa on Saturday. Now it was time to enjoy the culinary offerings of a city like Toledo, with its great variety of cuisine. And, naturally, Friday called for a gala dinner. The client was clear they wanted it held at a cigarral (a traditional Toledo country estate), and the one finally chosen was El Cigarral del Ángel Custodio.

Both Lucía and Jesús, the maître d', are great professionals and lovely people, who took care of every last detail. On Saturday, lunch was held at the hotel itself, which also boasts excellent cuisine, and in the evening the plan was to head to the San Agustín market and rent out the lower area, known as "la cueva" (the cave), so the group could relax comfortably. Beatriz and Zigy turned out to be wonderful hosts, making everything easy for us — we've genuinely been very lucky with everyone we worked with over the weekend. After dinner, it was time for a bit of partying, so we spoke with Círculo del Arte, a wonderful old church converted into a cultural centre and nightclub, and reached an agreement with Víctor for a drinks package.

Sunday was set aside for watching the memory video Marina had put together throughout the weekend, gathering photos and beautifully capturing the group's best moments.

The Magic of This Type of Corporate Activity

So the moment arrived — on Friday, November 20th, early in the morning, the whole Kaizen Coaching and Team Building team set off from Madrid to Toledo, to have everything organised and under control. When you organise a corporate event or a Team Building day, there are many details to plan and execute, but when it comes to organising a three-day convention, with a jam-packed agenda of activities, outings and events, things get a lot more complex. So the group was scheduled to arrive at 16:30, where Antonio, the driver from the coach company Ronabus, showed up with perfect punctuality — he offered us great service and exemplary attention, even when the client requested last-minute changes that weren't fully planned for.

By 17:30 we had everything ready, hospitality set up in the hotel lobby, the best possible setting, with its immaculate, spectacular central dome that leaves guests breathless. Everything went smoothly — attendees were given a folder with the convention programme and their room key, and told to gather again at the same spot at 20:00 for the gala dinner.

At 20:20 we arrived at El Cigarral del Ángel Custodio, beautiful, with its illuminated gardens, and that's where we took the group photo, with everyone's invaluable cooperation. First, they were offered a cocktail reception, where the ham carver stole the show, delighting everyone. Then, following the set protocol, they moved on to the banquet, where they enjoyed fresh pasta filled with spider crab over carrot cream, Cantabrian hake with txacoli, Toledo-style stewed partridge, and a tocinillo de cielo cream with biscuit crumbs and cinnamon sugar. All paired with local wines — spectacular. Then it was time to work off the dinner. We'd planned a fun activity to break the ice and set the mood for the 3 days ahead together, so we left them in Sandro's hands, our showman, who had them perform various choreographies, games and dances, and they had a fantastic time. In fact, we had to extend the venue rental and open bar because there was no stopping the activity!!!!

Saturday dawned a beautiful day, and after breakfast it was time for the corporate/Team Building activities. Participants, freshly dressed in their corporate T-shirts, were about to start Charity Bike — little did they know how many emotions awaited them. Kike, our master of ceremonies, ran a game to split them into teams, and they got going right away. They completed hilarious challenges, like the cooperative sack race, ski races, hoop races and crazy ball.

They had to try to score as many points as possible, so they could later visit the "supermarket" and buy as much as they wanted. When the moment came, they already had their bicycle parts, balloons, streamers, decorations and more, to build and decorate each bike. And that's when the final surprise arrived — a group of 3 instructors and 15 children from the Barró association visited the hotel to tell us about what they do and take home the 5 bicycles participants had built with such care. That half hour of interaction was fabulous — they played, laughed and hugged with the joy and energy only children have — an unforgettable experience for everyone.

Then came lunchtime. The little ones were treated to a huge burger, while convention attendees enjoyed an appealing menu of tempting starters, followed by roasted tomatoes with mozzarella and ventresca, veal cheek and a chocolate brownie.

After lunch came the second activity: our Batucada. Gastón had everything ready, and although participants weren't exactly at peak energy, they got going quickly. Within five minutes they were already fired up, gripping their drums, forgetting all about naps and any accumulated tiredness. It was a joy — everyone congratulated us on the activities, they'd had a wonderful time.

The rest of the afternoon was free time, to head to the spa, take a nap or watch the match — a full Real Madrid-Barcelona game for football lovers.

At 21:00, we headed to Toledo, to the San Agustín market, where we had "la cueva" booked, and a spectacular cocktail reception awaited, where participants exchanged their Secret Santa gifts, having a wonderful time. Afterwards, we headed to Círculo del Arte, where they gave everything they had left. Surrounded by their colleagues and friends, they danced, laughed and shared a fantastic night — it was starting to draw to a close.

For Sunday, we'd prepared a highlight video, and at 11, after breakfast, they gathered in a room to watch it. It was a heartfelt moment, full of memories and laughter, and everyone recalled the fantastic weekend they'd had. They also received one last surprise: a typical Toledo gift, an assortment of sweets and marzipan, but not just any — ordered from Santo Tomé, an almost 200-year-old bakery, probably the most prestigious in all of Toledo.

Then it was time to head home, and we found ourselves surrounded by hugs and congratulations. Everything had gone spectacularly, and inside, we felt full of satisfaction for a job well done. It had been an exhausting weekend, keeping track of a thousand details, but there's nothing more rewarding than seeing others happy thanks to your dedication.

Thanks to everyone!