A fun family day at Burger Zoo

At BPM Company, we value “gezelligheid”. The family day is therefore a fixed item on our annual schedule. Last year, the family day took place at Duinoord Recreation Park, where an afternoon of games and activities awaited us. This year we went to Burger Zoo for a fun day with partners, children, and colleagues. In this blog, Vincent and Iris will tell you all about the fun-filled family day.

Warm welcome

The start of the day set the tone for the rest of the day. We were warmly greeted by our colleague Megan at the main entrance. Here everyone received the entrance tickets, parking pass, and a goodie bag.

Vincent: “Upon arrival, there was an immediate surprise: my daughter received a small stuffed elephant. She immediately had a new best friend. Thankfully, they didn’t forget us. The goodie bag contained everything we needed for the day, including a number of vouchers. As such, we were able to start the day with a much-needed cappuccino and had a nice lunch in the afternoon. The day itself was wonderful.”

Iris: “I was immediately excited when I received the invitation in my mailbox. I did have some doubts about whether the day would also be for me, since I don’t have a partner or children. Luckily, this turned out to not be a problem, as there were several colleagues with the same situation who also attended. After I got my entrance ticket and goodie bag, I had a chat with some colleagues and met their partners and children. It was very nice to finally match some names and faces. After briefly chatting, I joined a colleague and her partner. Our first destination? The elephants!”

Joint lunch

Many colleagues explored the park together in small groups. Even though we occasionally ran into each other at enclosures, the communal lunch was the time to get together for a while. A richly stocked picnic table with sandwiches, drinks, and candy awaited the children. The candy bins were conspicuously empty at the end of the lunch. Next to the patio was a large playground. Parents could therefore enjoy their well-earned rest while the children were playing.

Vincent: “The lunch for the children was well organized, there was something for everyone. Although I have to admit that my little one is a big fan of chocolate spread. So, as far as she is concerned, the jar of Nutella was enough. The big playground nest to the restaurant also had to be explored right away: climbing, scrambling, and of course the slide. So of course it was a difficult decision whether she would rather go down the slide one more time or see the elephants.”

For the adults, a large buffet was waiting in the Park Restaurant. Here they could use one of the vouchers from the goodie bag to get something to eat and drink for themselves.

Iris: “I myself enjoyed a fresh bowl of fries and a croquette, which I ate while chatting with colleagues. My group was one of the last to enter the park, so many colleagues had already seen quite a bit of the zoo. Lunch was therefore a great time to gather tips for our next stop.”

Mission accomplished

Iris: “The best thing about the family day was that you get to know your colleagues differently. I now know which colleague can watch the meerkats for hours without getting bored, which colleague would rather walk straight to the aquarium, and which colleague thought the manatees were the highlight of the day. For myself, a visit to the zoo would not have been complete without seeing the small-clawed otter. It took carefully watching their enclosure, but eventually, we managed to spot them. Mission accomplished!”

The last stop of the day for many colleagues was the gift shop. For the children a great opportunity to get a fun souvenir.

Vincent: “We still had money left on our coupons. So, before we went home, we stopped at the gift shop. The little one loves bags, just like her mother, so it was a quick visit. The car ride home was quiet, as within no time my daughter was napping. We had a wonderful day. Great job BPM! And that bag? It’s been lugged everywhere these past weeks.”

Successful BPM Company family day

We look back on a fun family day at Burger Zoo. It gave us the opportunity to get to know each other better and create lasting memories. A successful day that leaves us wanting more!

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