Happy rebels festival: sign of union.

Happy rebels festival: 2nd edition

Thor Park in Genk was the vibrant setting for the second edition of the Happy Rebels festival for employees of HR services group House of HR, which took place from 6 to 8 September 2024.

This large-scale team-building event, which we had the pleasure of organising together with Sylvester, brought together more than 3,000 team members from across Europe — both to thank them for their daily commitment and to strengthen the company’s employer brand.

The mysterious Happy Rebel.

Sylvester brought the symbol of the festival to life by turning the Happy Rebel into a mysterious mascot in the run-up to the event.

He revealed his identity: Dutch actor, presenter and dancer Jan Kooijman, at the start of the festival and then took on the role of host. This added an extra layer of mystery and excitement for the audience.

Spectacular performances.

The CEOs of the various PowerHouses kicked off the festival with a joint act, which we had the pleasure of directing in full.

This was followed by performances from, among others, 2 Unlimited, Omdat Het Kan & Average Rob, Compact Disk Dummies, Laureen, Claptone, Bizkit Park, Christoff, Joyhauser and De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig. The result was a diverse programme offering something for everyone.

In addition, each PowerHouse presented its own stage act, ranging from karaoke and DJ sets to even a performance featuring rocking Kiss-style guitars.

Working together towards a sustainable Happy Rebels festival.

Both Sylvester and House of HR place great importance on sustainability, so every aspect of the event was carefully considered during the planning process to keep its ecological footprint to a minimum.

This included, for example, the use of reusable cups and ingredients sourced from local farmers.

“Just like major festival organisers, we made a strong commitment, together with the client, to deliver a sustainable event. This ranged from using reusable cups and sorting waste streams to working with local suppliers, caterers and staff. Over the course of the festival days, we employed more than 160 people from the immediate region.”

–Amaury Dewilde, Sylvester, Project Director Events.

Challenges and Solutions.

During the preparation of this large-scale event, we faced a number of challenges. It began already in the pitch phase with an ambitious, multifaceted, and complex briefing from the client: bringing together more than 3,000 employees from over 50 subsidiaries for a single major staff celebration. In addition, an already sophisticated booking system had to be further customised, due to the many possible combinations regarding attendance, accommodation, and transport.

The Happy Rebels Festival 2024 was a tremendous success and fostered the sense of connection that House of HR was aiming for. The participants demonstrated how they put their motto, “work hard, play hard,” into practice.