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27 Adidas employees were given a business trip like no other after winning a competition as voted for by their colleagues.
The unique experience, described by adidas as “the business trip of a lifetime,” was a part of the company’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
The legendary apparel company recently hosted a festival to celebrate three-quarters of a century since it was founded.
According to a blog post by Sophia Obrecht, Manager of Digital Corporate Communications, the organizers were determined to give members of its global team the chance to attend.
Colleagues were asked to create a media submission showing how they overcome pressure and live up to adidas’ new “You Got This” ad campaign, uploading their work to the company’s intranet. “The entire adidas team then voted for the winners,” Obrecht explains.
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The lucky employees voted as winners were not only given a trip to its global HQ in Herzo, Germany but also an invite to its Three Stripes Festival and a ticket to watch a UEFA Euros soccer match between Belgium and Slovakia.
“For the second time, we're thrilled to execute a global trip competition, with the simple yet ambitious goal of creating a unique experience for employees,” says Tanja Kaiser, Global Director of Internal Communication at adidas.
"The best experience"
Visas were organized and flights were booked for employees of 18 different nationalities from across the globe.
The workers were given a private tour of adidas’ 75 Moments exhibition, before joining the Three Stripes Festival which had over thousand guests in attendance. The event included soccer legends including Roberto Carlos, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller; and performances from (Run) DMC and Rudimental.
A trip to Frankfurt followed to watch Belgium play Slovakia capped off the unforgettable trip for the employees.
One staff member, a manager of adidas’ head office supply chain, describes the business trip as “the best experience of my short adidas life,” hailing the personal and professional networking benefits of the trip.
The power of travel & unique trips
Obrecht adds the trip organizers buried a time capsule with memories from the occasion to be opened on the company’s 100th anniversary in 2049, but hinted similar a similar competition may be afoot for adidas’ global workforce next year.
“Let’s see where next year’s trip takes us,” she remarks.
Some HR teams offer employees the chance to travel, including through competitions, to drive engagement and build culture across global teams.
“While a big annual all-hands can be satisfying to the CEO, those more regular, smaller gatherings can be more meaningful to drive productivity and team culture,” Maya Bordeaux, CHRO at ATPCO has previously told HR Grapevine.
“Building in the budget and the leeway for teams to travel in new ways has the potential to create higher loyalty and higher productivity.”
