It was Friday, June 2nd, that Hipoges welcomed the summer season with the Hipoges Summer Party 2023 in Spain. More than 840 people gathered to enjoy a different day away from the office. Among them were guests from the offices in Valencia, Barcelona and Seville, the Portuguese offices in Lisbon and Porto, as well as from the headquarters in Athens, Greece. In addition, we had the pleasure of having some colleagues from Grupo Cobo and CENTURY21.
The venue for the Hipoges Summer Party Spain 2023 was the spectacular Hipódromo de la Zarzuela in Madrid. We were able to enjoy an extensive main garden area, the Paddock area, as well as the racetrack and grandstands.
In previous years, Hipoges celebrated its famous Teambuilding event, but due to the current exponential number of employees and weather conditions with high temperature forecast, this year the format was changed to the Summer Party. An event that contributes to interdepartmental relations, increased collaboration between teams, as well as to the support of new incorporations, in a place away from the office.
For all those who choose to not go on their own vehicle, the company made available buses that departed from the office in Madridd, as well as from other points such as Atocha and Chamart stations, for those who came from Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, etc. For colleagues who came from outside of Spain, taxis were provided for the trip back to the airport.
The agenda of the Hipoges Summer Party Spain 2023 was:
- 11:30 AM: Beginning of the Hipoges Summer Party Spain 2023.
- 11:30-12:30 PM: Welcome snacks and gift hat delivery to combat the heat and scorching sun.
- 12:30 PM: Welcome speech by General Manager Partners Hugo Velez and Claudio Panunzio, and delivery of the commemorative pens for the 10th anniversary at Hipoges.
- 12:45-1:00 PM: Horses and jockeys’ exhibition. Moment when the surprise of the Hipoges Summer Party Spain 2023 is revealed.
- 1:15 PM: Horse race.
- 2:00-3:30 PM: Cocktail in the main garden.
- 3:30-6:00 PM: Open bar and DJ set.
- 6:30 PM: End of the Hipoges Summer Party Spain 2023 and delivery of towels as a final gift.
As we pointed out earlier, we changed our Teambuilding event to celebrate the Hipoges Summer Party. However, Hipoges did not want to miss out on the opportunity to surprise its employees through a fun and different activity. Thus, this year’s surprise activity took the form of a horse race, which was revealed during the exhibition of the horses in the Paddock area. At this point, everyone figured out why they had been asked to choose a color before the event, but without knowing the purpose. Horses and jockeys were paired to the following colors:
- Red Horse – Ambition
- Blue Horse – Assertiveness
- Green Horse – Flexibility
- Orange horse – Commitment
- Yellow horse – Expertise
Although the race was very balanced from the start, halfway through the course both the ambition of the red horse and the assertiveness of the blue horse began to take shape and thus overtake the other runners. Ultimately, it was the red team that crossed the finish line in first place, becoming the winner.
The circa 200 people who chose the red horse later received a special prize: a Hipoges Summer Beach Kit. The beach kit includes a large bag, a lunchbox, a pair of beach rackets, a necessaire, a reusable water bottle and a pair of sunglasses.
Throughout the event, an ideal environment was experienced to foster the feeling of belonging and strengthen the relations between the different departments of which this family is composed.
All that is good ends quickly, and after having enjoyed a day with colleagues, all together in the same space, the buses brought people back to the offices in Madrid, and to the stations of Atocha and Chamartín for the participants from outside the Spanish capital.
For some this was not the end of the Hipoges Summer Party Spain 2023, since the participants who were on the last bus, as is already a tradition, decided to continue the party on Florida, in the Retiro.
A few days later, it was possible to collect feedback from all the people who participated in the Hipoges Summer Party Spain. The results surprised the entire organization, this one being amongst the best events in the company’s history. For Hipoges it is a great pride to know that all invitees enjoyed this different day with the great support of the organization of the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela and the excellent AGA Catering service.
