How Smart Eventi brought ABB to life with a drum circle – Julia Piotrowska speaks

Milanese event specialists Smart Eventi organised a drum circle team-building session for ABB personnel, energising participants and fostering immediate engagement. In an interview, Julia Piotrowska, Human Resources representative at ABB, highlights the elements that made the event particularly successful and memorable.

Smart Eventi’s role in corporate team building

ABB asked Smart Eventi to organise a team-building event for 50 professionals, and the idea of a drum circle quickly emerged as both promising and inventive, combining rhythm with social interaction far from the routines of the office. The event took place at an agriturismo just outside Bergamo, selected for its relaxed atmosphere and its capacity to host activities that break the patterns of daily corporate life.

The drum circle experience and its impact

A drum circle is not your typical corporate session. Imagine 50 colleagues standing in a circle with percussion instruments in their hands, tentative at first, unsure of what comes next. Then, gradually, a rhythm builds, voices rise, and patterns of sound emerge that resemble something akin to a company orchestra. This, Piotrowska recalls, was the unexpected magic of the exercise — a spontaneous unity that defied the initial unfamiliarity among participants.

Client impressions: support and professionalism

Piotrowska emphasised that, beyond the activity itself, what truly stood out was Smart Eventi’s approach to client support and operational flexibility. This combination of strategic foresight and logistical precision evident across the entire event—from the drum circle setup to the selection of the dinner venue—reflected a high level of professionalism that the HR representative was eager to underline.

Addressing participation concerns

One of Piotrowska’s chief concerns before the event was whether such a diverse group — people who had not previously met or worked closely together — would actually connect in a meaningful way. Experience shows that team building activities vary widely in their impact; not all are equally effective at forging bonds.

In this case, however, once instruments began to be played and rhythm took hold, barriers seemed to dissolve as participants engaged wholeheartedly. Participants often joined in song, creating a palpable sense of unity that lingered beyond the activity itself. This is a dynamic we have frequently observed, both in similar experiential formats and when organising musical or theatrical team-building activities.

Beyond the drum circle: logistical collaboration

Piotrowska’s recommendation was unequivocal: the agency’s meticulous care for every detail and its professional responsiveness were key factors in the event’s success. “I highly recommend working with Smart Eventi for their professionalism and the care with which they handle every detail,” the client reiterates, pleased to have placed their trust in the right partner.