When Life Gives You a COVID-19, Make an Online Team Building

CSoft's tradition of May outdoor team building has more than 20 years of history. Until March 13th, the preparations for this year's event went according to plan, but the spread of COVID-19 surprised us unpleasantly. The declaration of a state of emergency and the epidemiological situation made it impossible to hold the event in its usual format. Triggered by these "exceptional circumstances", we united around the spontaneous idea of organizing our first online team building. In a very short time, we managed to choose suitable games, form teams, develop a new scenario and specify all the technical details related to its implementation. On 15.05. (Friday), at 3 pm, the host Svetla Kaneva officially announced the beginning of the event. The three participating teams with thematic names - Leukocytes, Triple Toupee and K2, were represented by their captains in a special video call in the Teams application and the competition began. Interacting entirely online, the teams had to translate emoji proverbs; to do challenges posed by their competitors; to solve riddles. While the participants were discussing the tasks, there were quizzes for the audience, fun themed videos and musical performances. In addition to the answers and actions of the participants, the host (skillfully switching between applications and web pages) was able to visualize on screen every detail of the competition: draw, chronometer, results, voting, current ranking. The graphic solution of the event was designed by Tsvetelina Antonova, and the technical team, presented by Antonia Zarifova and Nikolay Gorchev, coped perfectly with all the "risks of live broadcast".

The last task, which was set in advance, tested the creativity and artistry of the participants. Within 3-7 minutes, the teams had to present their vision for the COVID-19 phenomenon through a presentation/video/dance/song/sketch. Once again we were impressed by the imagination and passion that our colleagues put into everything they do - we heard original songs, learned how their day goes, witnessed a press conference at Headquarters… Everyone had "seen" the virus and its influence on our lives responsibly, positively and with a fresh sense of humor.

Although contested, the competition was marked by exceptional fair play. Leukocytes grabbed the victory, but there were prizes for all participants - quality, highly concentrated disinfectant. We made the most of the loosening of anti-epidemic measures and finalized the event with a cocktail (with the necessary social distance) on the spacious balcony in our central office. Colleagues who wished to see each other in person, were pleased to raise a toast to the good work and the success in the competition - "COVID-19 and social distancing against the team and corporate traditions of CSoft."