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How we organized an incentive trip for 450 kpn colleagues to hamburg!

Linda de Ruijter

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What was the assignment?

After having organized several great incentive trips for KPN, we were challenged again this year to organize a great incentive trip. And this time not for about 150 people, as we had done before to trendy Berlin, but for 450 people! It had to be a trip that allowed this group of KPN employees to be put in the spotlight after their hard work.

The additional challenge? Sustainable transportation was a requirement! And now let that be a wish we regularly receive from clients: group travel by train! Wondering how we made this XL incentive trip a success? Keep on reading!

TEAMUITJE

sustainable to THE OUTSIDE

450 employees

How have we shaped this?

Brainpower! 💪

We kicked off the process with a brainstorming session. The entire GSE team came together for maximum creativity, ideas and brainpower! After an intense hour, we came up with 12 possible destinations. Then the real work began: working out whether (and how) the destinations were actually logistically feasible. Super important for a group of this size. For example, can you actually get 450 people to Paris in one trip by train? Or does the group have to be split up over several trains? And how do you handle arrival and guidance on site?

Train travel in Europe with 450 people: challenge accepted! 🚆

Within Europe, many destinations are easily accessible by train. Think classics like London, Paris and Berlin. Night trains are also hot, with places like Vienna, Prague and Innsbruck! (Click here to see a map with more train routes within Europe). But honestly, the offerings are a lot more limited than air travel. Mix this with a group of 450 and the options become even more limited. But hey, we at GSE the Agency do love a challenge and took this on with both hands!

In search of cool activities and hidden gems 🔎

Time for the next step: fleshing out the itinerary! What cool activities do the large-group destinations have to offer? And where will we have lunch and dinner? Because the hot & happening restaurants almost never fit 450 people. No, we need a fat event venue for that! This is another puzzle in itself, but a very fun one: looking for the hidden gems of the city!

""Thinking creatively on a project ensures that no day is the same. I like to be challenged to let participants go home with the coolest experiences."

the choice of destinations ✅

After switching with our regular suppliers, many of the 12 destinations quickly fell by the wayside. And it became clear that we had to move off the beaten path. Challenge accepted! Not a regular train but a charter train? No bus trip but by 3 private ships to Germany? And what are the possibilities for exclusively chartering a ferry to England?

the hot list of 5 🔥

Taking a charter train to Hamburg

By ferry to Newcastle

Five different trains to Paris

With 3 private ships to Cologne

the choice!

hamburg

""I like to be challenged to give each project a unique twist, to make the impossible possible and to surprise and connect participants with each other.""

pitch, pick & choose ✅

Informed of all the ins & outs, too-crazy program components and logistical challenges, it was time to pitch all four destinations to KPN! 'We pitch' and then it's up to them 'to pick & choose'!

What destination do their feelings go to? Which venue and mode of transportation suits the group and available budget? And with these top destinations, that's certainly not an easy choice either!

The final choice? A group trip by exclusive KPN train to trendy Hamburg! From stickers on the train, headcovers and a party wagon, to personalized train tickets and green tokens. Branding game strong! The KPN employees were completely put in the spotlight, exactly as the client had in mind. It was an adventure full of challenges, but with a great outcome!