“We’re going to Saas-Fee!!!! Right??” Two blue eyes beam at me, certain of victory. “Of course, you’ve finally guessed it!” I reply with my usual wink, which hopefully makes the recipient doubt my answer. These waiting-at-the-coffee-machine interrogations piled up for the anniversary organising team – Daniela T., Leandra, Monika and me – the closer our event to mark Netstream’s 20th birthday came. So, on the day of departure, the excitement as we boarded the two buses was immeasurable.
Having arrived at the beautiful 4* Hotel Eiger Selfness in Grindelwald, we gathered in the hotel’s rustic restaurant, Barry’s, and enjoyed our individually composed Mongolian bowls.
After a short walk, we reached the Eiger+, THE bar in pretty Grindelwald. Today the door read in big letters: “PRIVATE PARTY!” Inside the bar, however, things were anything but private – they were open and warm. The band MAXIN gave it their all, and even colleagues who never dance could no longer be held back. Employees whirled around skilfully in ballroom dances and one colleague impressed everyone with his acrobatic skills! Time flew by and, fortunately, as everyone thought, this was only the beginning…
Saturday morning was ours to plan as we wished, which we used for a good long lie-in, a leisurely breakfast and some morning exercise. After lunch together, 8 members of a film event crew appeared to brief the surprised Netstream team on the afternoon programme. In a nutshell: 3 teams make 3 films, and in the evening there will be an Oscars ceremony. The teams were drawn by lot and gathered separately to agree on their film and divide up the various tasks. And so the intern became Little Red Riding Hood, the quiet developer a lively, green-faced witch, and incompetent cowboys, heavily armed bad boys and a flute-playing blonde were running around everywhere. Filming took place at full speed outdoors, in hotel rooms and even in a church. Against the idyllic mountain backdrop, there were nasty staged brawls, Titanic re-enactments and even murder. Scenes were shot again and again until, towards evening, everything was in the can! Now the hard graft began for the film crew: editing the films.
The rest of us, meanwhile, gathered for dinner dressed in our finest clothes. At Barry’s, we were once again spoilt with fantastic wine, top service and a delicious festive dish. #TeamNetstream fell silent; only now and then could you hear an “Mmmmmmmhhhh!”. We were woken from our culinary dreams by a “Happy Birthday to you!”. Besides Netstream, a long-standing employee was also celebrating his birthday! One more reason to really let our hair down. At the Eiger+, the red carpet had already been rolled out for us, along which the Netstream actors strutted into the bar and took their seats on neatly lined-up bar stools in front of a large screen.
The Oscar night could begin. From the very first minutes, the crowd roared and clapped. Everyone was on the edge of their seats and congratulated one another on great acting performances, astonishing costumes or make-up transformations. We then chose the Oscar winners in the categories best actress, best actor and best film using a decibel meter.
Then things got emotional: the congratulations video for the three founders, secretly recorded by all employees, celebrated its premiere. Alexis, Dom and Reto were visibly moved and surprised. They had no idea, Alexis stressed in his thank-you speech to everyone present! Everyone raised a glass to the three of them to another 20 years, proud to have contributed to Netstream’s success! A perfect starting signal to round off this wonderful day on the dance floor.
Sitting on the bus the next morning, I felt that very special atmosphere that only arises when a really cool group has spent an unforgettable time together. The weekend was a complete success.
A HUGE, HEARTFELT THANK YOU to Netstream’s founders Alexis, Dom and Reto for letting us celebrate such a wonderful and spectacular anniversary weekend with you!
