Backstage with Premium Speakers: a sporting team event full of surprises in Ulm

At Premium Speakers Backstage, we normally report on current events, exciting meetings with our speakers or topics that move and shape the world of speakers.

Today you can find out what WE do when we’re not updating or creating speaker profiles, taking customer enquiries or pondering which speaker is suitable for which event, coordinating and organising trips, conducting briefing calls, drawing up contracts or quickly conjuring up a replacement speaker and putting them on stage.

Sometimes, and that’s about two or three times a year, the Premium Speakers, LEADING MINDS and MICE Service Group team meets live and in colour. As we all work remotely, we are networked online and in constant dialogue, but nothing beats a real meeting. There we always combine (a little) work with (a lot of) fun. We’ve already been to Lisbon, the island of Föhr, Berlin, Zurich and several times to Hamburg – we particularly like it there.

Team spirit meets basketball: our Premium Speakers team event in Ulm

Our last meeting took place in historic Ulm. On Thursday, everyone gradually arrived from their home towns. Friday’s agenda included a meeting, Saturday’s visit and training at the Orange Campus of the German Basketball League team Ratiopharm Ulm and a little free time to explore Ulm’s beautiful city centre. But somehow Saturday turned out to be very surprising for all of us. We were ready to shoot a few baskets at the Orange Campus at 10 o’clock sharp. Or so we thought. The ‘training’ turned into a sweaty warm-up for us office heroes. Our coach gave us nothing. And we gave it our all. We owned the hall. We learnt time management when passing, making decisions, coordination, cooperation and concentration when scoring baskets, just like in everyday business. At the end, there was a little match in which who won? Everyone. Because success comes from training and working together. And we also learnt – scoring baskets is not a question of size 😉

Then there was time for Ulm: a visit to the cathedral, the tallest church in the world, a walk along the Danube through the narrow streets of the beautiful fishermen’s quarter with its pretty half-timbered houses, inns and shops, an ice cream at the Italian restaurant around the corner and a photo of the Einstein Fountain. Albert Einstein is a true Ulm native and can also write blogs about Ulm as an event city.

The next surprise came in the evening. We were looking forward to bratwurst, chips and the game between Ratiopharm Ulm and the Würzburg Baskets. Instead, there was a champagne reception and a super-delicious buffet in the business club. Our seats were first class, the atmosphere in the hall was gigantic. Thanks to our morning training, we watched the game like professional fans and felt like them too. Fortunately, the bratwurst arrived at half-time and so the Uuuuuulmer’s victory was twice as nice in the end. With ‘DEFENSE’ in our ears, slight signs of sore muscles and happy memories, we all travelled back home on Sunday.

Thanks again to Oli, Janin and Thorsten Leibenath, the sports director of Ratiopharm Ulm, for this unforgettable team event in Ulm.