Can you hear the leaves rustling, the frogs croaking and the party guests chatting? ‘Jungle Whispers’ was the theme of this year's Gilgenfest.
Although there was no whispering – the atmosphere was far too cheerful for that, with laughter echoing from every corner of the ‘Kubus’. Around 400 Gilgen employees from Schwarzenburg and other parts of Switzerland gathered at this event venue in Bern. Guests were greeted with a firm handshake from CEO Peter Koller and a cool, exotic mocktail from the catering team. The drink was perfectly suited to the summer evening sun and the sun terrace decorated with jungle garlands and jungle frogs.
‘Are you my counterpart?’
An original idea from the organising committee ensured that visitors spent their first moments in the cube getting to know each other across departments and locations: each guest had to find their counterpart using keywords and then take a creative photo together. The photo booth provided for this purpose was eagerly used. In addition to the keyword pairs, various other small groups dressed up with the jungle accessories provided. The guests took turns transforming themselves into adventurers, snake charmers, monkey keepers and other humorous photo models.
Feasting, playing, having fun
For dinner, visitors wandered from one food stand to the next, sampling the evening's culinary offerings. Every dish was available in a vegetarian version – from wraps to fish & chips. For dessert, there was a sweet refreshment: frozen yoghurt, decorated to suit individual tastes. Wine, beer and soft drinks for toasting, as well as water for cooling down, were available at the bar throughout the evening. Guests with a keen eye could then turn their attention to darts, football fans to table football, and those who didn't get dizzy from running around joined in at the ping pong table. The celebrations continued into the night.
It was a wonderful evening with a lively atmosphere – Gilgen would like to thank everyone from the bottom of his heart for coming!
