In the summer of 2024, around 400 employees of Salzburger Sparkasse AG were invited to Bad Hofgastein to join an employee event. Here is how the idyllic location in the Gastein Valley transformed into an event stage for an entire day and why it is an excellent example of a Rent-a-Village concept.
In June of this year, almost 400 Salzburger Sparkasse AG employees met in Bad Hofgastein for the presentation of their new corporate strategy. Salzburg CVB took a look behind the scenes at the event, and revealed how an entire rural village in the state of Salzburg became a stage for corporate events and experiences in line with the guiding slogan: “Rent a village for your event!”
Why Bad Hofgastein? A village with historical significance
Bad Hofgastein in the state of Salzburg is of special significance for the Salzburger Sparkasse bank, where Salzburger Sparkasse AG opened its second branch, many years ago. The decision to choose Bad Hofgastein as the venue was based on experiences made in close partnerships with numerous local businesses and the Gastein mountain railways, in which the Sparkasse has a stake. These connections and relationships all contributed significantly to the success of the event.
The event was designed to bring all the bank employees together to communicate the new corporate strategy. Below we summarise exactly how this was achieved, how the employee event was organised in the ‘Salzburger Land’ region, and details of the local partners involved.
Professional partners on site
Bad Hofgastein is known for its alpine scenery and excellent infrastructure and proved to be the perfect venue. Gastein Congress is one of the best-known venues in the region and, together with the Gastein Alm & Festalm, and numerous other hotels and venues, ensured perfect conditions for the event.
The event prelude and kick-off were held at the Gastein Alm and Festalm venues. Overall, the location has the capacity to accommodate up to 700 participants. This made it the ideal setting for a gathering of all Salzburger Sparkasse AG’s employees, and for a start to the day involving numerous workshops – these being key to the event. The aim was not just to introduce the new corporate strategy, but to develop it together. To this end, around 400 participants were split up over different locations, all within walking distance of each other.
“We succeeded in communicating the new corporate strategy and boosting team spirit. The choice of locations, comprehensive planning and flexibility in implementation – due to changeable weather conditions – contributed significantly to the success of the event. The positive participant feedback shows a challenging event was realised successfully,” said Ms Christina Egger – Head of Customer Experience & Ombudsman Office – Salzburger Sparkasse Bank AG.
The new mission statement was communicated in small groups, and developed in content workshops and joint team-building activities at seven different locations, including: Die Weitmoserin, Hotel Blü, Hotel Bad Hofgastein, Alpenarena, Kursaal, and even the Stüberl clubhouse at the local football pitch.
The diversity offered by the region and its businesses was reflected in the catering for the participants – from food trucks and snack bags to a barbecue buffet – with no limits, and something for every taste!
At the end of the event all employees gathered again at the Gastein Alm and Festalm venues to collate and present the results of the workshops.
Due to bad weather, the concert by the Salzburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sparkasse Choir originally planned for the Schossalm was moved successfully to the Kursaal hall. Once again it was shown that the partner companies in Bad Hofgastein were capable of absorbing changes of plan at this staff event on short notice.
Flexibility in the planning process is key!
Poor weather conditions meant there was great demand placed on the event organisation in terms of flexibility. Bad Hofgastein offers a variety of outdoor locations, such as the Alpenarena, and numerous squares and open spaces in front of the Kursaal hall and Congress Centre, all ideal for open-air events. Unfortunately, there is no good weather guarantee in the Salzburg mountains, so every item in the programme was planned for outdoor and, in the event of bad weather, indoor implementation. Consequently, the concert originally planned for the Schossalm was successfully moved to the Kursaal and did not have to be cancelled.
Climate-friendly travel with a step-count guarantee!
Another important aspect of planning for the event was guaranteeing sustainable travel to and from the venue. Bad Hofgastein has excellent public transport network connections – in particular to the Tauern railway line, so most participants were able to travel to the event by public transport. Travel costs were covered by the climate ticket financed by the Sparkasse. Shuttle buses were organised for employees travelling from regions without good public transport link-ups.
According to the organisers, the Salzburger Sparkasse employee event in Bad Hofgastein was a complete success, as Ms Egger explains.
Résumé for national & international events
This case study impressively demonstrates how careful planning and the right venue form the foundations of a truly memorable corporate event. This is a perfect example of how to base an event in Bad Hofgastein on the ‘Rent-a-village’ concept.
This case involved a full-day event with no overnight stays. However, many of our partners and the hotels in Bad Hofgastein are available for larger, international, multi-day events. The fact that Bad Hofgastein has also established itself internationally as an event destination is well known, at least since the annual and successful organisation of the European Health Forum Gastein.
The EHFG took place in the Gastein Valley for the 27th time this year and has developed into an important platform for health policy dialogue since its inception. It brings together over 1500 stakeholders and decision-makers from the public and private sectors, civil society and science every year and takes place over several days (also) at a wide variety of venues in Bad Hofgastein.
Learn more about Bad Hofgastein here.
