At COSMO CONSULT’s annual conference for 2017 the focus was on creativity

Last Friday, more than 500 COSMOnauts from 12 countries met at COSMO CONSULT’s annual conference for 2017. The event takes place once a year in Berlin. An exciting program with lots of variety had been prepared for the participants. In the afternoon, dancing skills, creativity and team spirit were called for at the street art center "YAAM". The expressions of creativity included an open-air gallery with graffiti about selected COSMO CONSULT Group locations. The festive evening event took place in the Bridge Studios at the Westhafen port area.

Berlin is something like the secret capital of street corner life. A remarkable part of the culture takes place on the street - in parks, on bridges, at subway stations, in public squares. So the natural thing to do was to show our guests a little bit about this aspect of the local scene. The active part of the annual conference took everyone to "YAAM", one of the most famous centers of Berlin's subculture. It is a location between remnants of the Berlin Wall, old industrial charm and modern office architecture with a view over the river Spree. After checking-in in the morning, there was a multi-stage course to complete, which required participants to give their all in terms of team spirit, fitness and dexterity. It is not that easy to kick the small hacky sacks to each other, or to sink a basketball shot from what feels like 50 meters distance. One activity was especially popular: street dance, which let you see a completely different side of your colleagues personalities. Participants received points for every test they passed. The teams with the best overall ratings were recognized that evening at the awards celebration. It was tough work, but thanks to the brunch, bratwurst and free beer, everyone emerged unscathed.

IT specialists are artists, too

The creative challenge of the day was waiting for the brave COSMOnauts in the form of spray cans. The task: to work as a team to immortalize selected COSMO locations in graffiti on the wall. The result was impressive: original and imaginative, full of color and variety. There were depictions of landmarks that were true to the style of the original, like one the patrician town-house from Münster, playful motifs like the Peruvian sun and abstract interpretations like the one of the Brandenburg Gate. "In a sense, this graffiti is a reflection of our corporate culture. There are different approaches to and solution for every challenge. You just have to have the courage to follow them through. In the end the result can be really great," said Uwe Bergmann during the tour through the open air gallery. He hopes that the participants will take away insights from their team experiences, from the creative tasks and from the sometimes unusual disciplines they competed in and that these insights could lead them to new ideas for their day-to-day work.