planemos Team Event 2024 – Following in robinson crusoe’s footsteps in the analog stone age
What happens at the team event stays at the team event. Not really.
This year’s planemos team event was truly something else and will likely stay with all of us for a long time to come. A wild mix of survival camp and plenty of outdoor action. With no idea what was in store for us, Team planemos set off early in the morning on a sunny July day for our annual team event at Störmthaler Lake near Leipzig. The destination: the training camp of Team-Aktiv-Events with outdoor expert Hannes Bretschneider and his family. Once we arrived, we naturally started by raising a toast and laid the foundation for a successful performance with a hearty snack, homemade cake, and muffins. Afterward, we turned to Hannes, who enthusiastically prepared us for the first challenge.
Mission 01: Team biking
The steering part was a bit of a challenge at first. But after a quick tutorial from Hannes, we quickly got the hang of it. Everyone pedals, while one person steers and brakes. What was actually planned to last an hour turned into an impromptu race. After 20 minutes, the first bike had reached the lookout point on the mountain; two teams needed a little extra push, but luckily nobody noticed :-). On the way back downhill, everything went a bit more smoothly.
Mission 02: Build a survival camp with a raft
After a quick snack, Hannes was waiting for us on the shore of Lake Störmthal for the ultimate challenge in our swimwear: building a raft. For a brief moment—and with a beer or two—we felt stranded in the truest sense of the word. Our three teams were given everything we needed as semi-professional raft builders. Each raft was different, and our teams really had to work well together. Then came the big Robinson Crusoe moment: after passing inspection, we were finally allowed to set sail. And of course, we started with a welcome water fight, complete with all the trimmings. Along the way, we kept pulling up to the beach to stock up on drinks—and completely unintentionally left one or two “pirates” behind.
After that, everything was expertly taken apart again, and, completely exhausted, we rode back to the event grounds on our team bikes.
”Our rafts were definitely seaworthy. One of them even made it all the way to the other side of the lake.
Katja Müller-Häusinger
Mission 03: Watching the European Championship without electricity
After a quick refreshment break, we were treated to a well-deserved barbecue prepared by the host himself. It was absolutely delicious and just what we needed after a day filled with beach hut charm and our next mission: stadium atmosphere. Of course, a few of our sports enthusiasts had to watch the European Championship game that evening. Since we knew in advance that there wouldn’t be any electricity on site, we came prepared and brought our own generator, along with a laptop and TV. Watching the game on beach chairs with beer pong sessions and your favorite coworkers—is there anything better?
We’d also like to take this opportunity to once again say a big thank you to Team-Aktiv-Events and Hannes Bretschneider for an outstanding event. You truly lived up to your name, and we felt very comfortable with you.
Mission accomplished!
For the grand finale, we headed to the only bar in the village, not far from our lodging. With a group of 20 automation specialists showing up all at once, we certainly stood out, and even the poor bartender seemed a bit overwhelmed by our order at first. Around 1 a.m., we all finally hit the sack and shut down our servers.
”There are team events. And then there are team events. A ton of fun—and the realization that automation engineers can go back to the Stone Age, too. We’re already looking forward to next year!
