Tropical Adventures had the amazing privilege of hosting 125 volunteers last week from the world’s leader in Sensory Innovation, Givaudan Fine Fragrances.
Three long months went into planning a special trip for Givaudan Fine Fragrance employees who attended a global team building and corporate bonding event here in Costa Rica for a four-day period.
Billed as “Givaudan Growing Together 2007,” participants arrived from France, New York and South America to “grow together” as a company, as well as to do their part to help the environment.
We all worked together to:
- Plant 1,000 trees at an animal refuge
- Plant 5,000 medicinal plants at a technical high school
- Paint a high school
- Lead environmental education workshops for 400 elementary school kids
Tropical Adventures Executive Director, Scott Pralinsky, facilitated the corporate bonding and team building exercises and helped Givaudan participants determine what personal values their employees bring to their work. After looking at the relationship between their personal values and Givaudan corporate values, participants worked together in teams to develop new corporate initiatives and goals for the future of the company.
Though we had a very tight schedule and worked incredibly hard, we still found plenty of time for fun and enjoyed several banquets and parties. We even squeezed in a canopy / zip-line tour. On Monday night we had a beach party at the Paradisus Playa Conchal where we all stayed during the event. Tuesday we had an amazing beach party at Lola’s on Playa Avellanas.
Wednesday night we celebrated with a grand finale party in the middle of the jungle and enjoyed an evening full of entertainment. The surprise event started when the group was driven by bus into the “middle of nowhere” and was met by a live calypso band. We were then led through a long, jungle labyrinth by a group of mystical creatures.
The other end of the labyrinth was like another world altogether. It was pretty incredible, to say the least. There was an amazing DJ, Ciro, who kept us on the jungle dance floor all night. Tepee chill out lounges were set up and brilliantly lit.
There was a large screen showing clips of photos from the week, as well as the names of the values that the participants had identified from the work they did in their team building breakout sessions. We had amazing decorations, lounge chairs and sofas, an open bar, as well as food. We enjoyed entertainment by fire spinners, phosphorescent performers, a Cirque du Soleil-style segment, a Cuban comparsa celebration, face painting, and fireworks.
Our Tropical Adventures team did an amazing job. It was a lot of work, for sure. But at the same time, it was a lot of fun. We thank Givaudan Fine Fragrances for giving us this opportunity to host them and we hope that we have the opportunity to see them again soon!
Photos can be viewed on our online photo gallery. We got some amazing shots. If your company or group has an interest in planning an event in Costa Rica, Tropical Adventures would be happy to help.
We specialize in creating unique experiences for groups of all sizes. Please contact us for more information.