How to organise a corporate training event in Portugal: the case of the Worten Training Campus

Organising a training event for hundreds of employees is no simple task. It is an operation that involves complex logistics, multiple suppliers running in parallel and enormous pressure for everything to run smoothly, because when the event is annual and has nearly two decades of history behind it, expectations are high and the margin for error is minimal.

In October 2024, Venuesin supported the 17th edition of the Worten Training Campus, one of the most consistent and ambitious internal training events in the Portuguese market. The venue chosen was the Centro de Congressos do Estoril, and the theme of the edition was «We Go Together». This case illustrates exactly what is at stake when a company decides to organise a training event of this scale, and what is required to execute it successfully.

What the Worten Training Campus is

The Training Campus is Worten’s largest internal training event in Portugal, a leading brand in consumer electronics retail. Held annually, it brings together employees from across the country in a single space for two intensive days that combine training sessions, motivational moments and a celebration of company culture. After 17 editions, the event has its own identity, established rituals and a level of ambition that grows with each passing year.

The pieces that have to fit together

An event of this scale cannot be organised with a supplier list and a spreadsheet. It requires managing several operational dimensions in parallel that, if not properly aligned, undermine the entire experience.

Partner management is perhaps the most invisible dimension for participants and the most critical behind the scenes. Every supplier, from audiovisuals to catering, decoration to transport, has its own deadlines, constraints and points of contact. Coordinating all of them around a single event timeline requires constant communication, detailed briefings and the ability to resolve unexpected issues without the client ever needing to know they occurred.

Speaker and guest management requires a production effort that begins weeks before the event: confirming attendance, coordinating content and presentations, arranging travel logistics, managing stage timings and addressing specific technical requirements. In an event with multiple sessions and different moments across two days, this level of control must be rigorous.

Audiovisuals: the difference between an event that impresses and one that disappoints

Audiovisual production is probably the single component with the greatest impact on participants’ perception of the event, and at the same time the one most frequently underestimated during planning. A presentation with excellent content loses its force if the sound fails, if the image does not reach the back of the room with clarity, or if the stage lighting does not do justice to the moment. Conversely, when the technical production matches the quality of the content, the event takes on an entirely different dimension.

In the main plenary session, where the central message of the event is delivered and where all participants are gathered simultaneously, technical choices are decisive. Projection needs to be sized according to the depth and width of the room, with large-format screens or high-resolution LED systems that guarantee perfect readability from any point in the space. For rooms with strong natural light or large dimensions, conventional projectors fall short and LED panels become the right choice to ensure visual impact without compromising the legibility of content.

Stage lighting is another element that makes all the difference in a main presentation. A good lighting rig includes front light to ensure speakers are well lit and captured clearly by cameras, profile spots to create depth and separate the speaker from the background, and dynamic lighting elements that follow the higher-energy moments of the programme, such as stage entrances, impact videos or celebration moments. Colour temperature also matters: warm light creates engagement and intimacy, while cooler light conveys focus and precision, and the intentional combination of both throughout the programme helps guide the emotional state of the room.

The choice of microphones is a technical decision with direct consequences for the quality of communication. For a speaker moving around the stage, a wireless lapel microphone is the natural choice, as it frees movement and guarantees consistent pickup regardless of which direction the speaker turns. For panel discussions or debates with several participants, fixed gooseneck microphones on the table are more appropriate. For audience interaction moments, a handheld wireless microphone or an audience microphone system allows questions and comments to be captured without breaking the event’s dynamism. In an event with multiple simultaneous sessions in different rooms, managing the radio frequencies of wireless systems is a critical technical detail that, if not addressed in advance, causes interference and audio failures at the worst possible moment.

Stage furniture contributes significantly to the visual identity of the event and to the comfort of speakers. The choice between a fixed lectern, a panel table, armchairs for a conversation format or a completely clear stage for a speaker in motion defines the visual and communicative register of each programme moment. The briefing with speakers ahead of the event is fundamental to understanding each person’s presentation style and ensuring that the stage setup serves their way of communicating rather than constraining it.

In the parallel training rooms, audiovisual production has its own specific requirements. The objective here is not the visual impact of a plenary, but the functionality and clarity that allow participants to focus on the content without technical distractions. A projection system properly sized for the room, a sound system that guarantees speech intelligibility without excessive volume, and a lighting setup that allows note-taking without glare while keeping the room bright enough for the projection are the basic elements of a well-prepared training room. A technical check of each room before the start of each training block, confirming that equipment is operational and that facilitators know how to use it, is a simple task that prevents unnecessary delays and disruptions.

Catering: far more than making sure there is enough food

Catering at large-scale events is one of the most significant operational challenges in the entire production. Serving meals to hundreds of people involves far more than ensuring sufficient quantities. It starts with the advance collection of dietary requirements from participants, whether intolerances, allergies, vegetarian or vegan preferences or religious restrictions, and with the creation of a distribution plan that ensures each person receives exactly what they need, without confusion or awkwardness at the point of service. To this is added the management of meal sittings: in an event with hundreds of participants and a programme of parallel sessions, it is not possible to seat everyone at the same time. The coordination of meal sittings must be integrated into the overall event timeline, so that transitions between sessions and catering moments do not conflict, and so that the quality of service is consistent from the first sitting to the last. The active presence of a production coordinator throughout the service is essential to ensure that timings are met and that any special requirement is handled with discretion and efficiency.

Graphic production, room management and accommodation

The graphic production for an event of this scale goes far beyond a banner. It encompasses all directional signage throughout the venue, materials to support training sessions, menus, stage elements, lanyards and participant kits. Every piece needs to be produced and in the right place at the right time, which means managing production deadlines well in advance and maintaining rigorous control over deliveries.

Room management in a congress venue with multiple spaces in simultaneous use demands constant coordination: configuring each room for the type of session planned, checking audiovisuals before each programme block, managing transitions between spaces and ensuring that participants always know where they need to be.

Accommodation completes the logistical picture. Bringing together employees from different parts of the country means managing a rooming list that is rarely finalised until the final week, coordinating group check-ins, ensuring rooms are available at the right times and handling the inevitable last-minute changes.

What makes the difference between a good event and a memorable one

The 17th edition of the Worten Training Campus was, in the words of the employees themselves, the most impactful edition ever. That did not happen by chance. It happened because the entire logistical operation was entrusted to a production team with experience in events of this kind, which allowed Worten’s internal team to focus on what truly mattered: the content, the people and the message they wanted to convey.

When a company tries to organise an event of this complexity internally, the most common outcome is an overloaded team, decisions made under pressure and details that slip through the cracks. When the production is handed to specialists, the company gains time, gains quality of execution and, almost always, gains an event that participants remember.

Planning a training event for your team?

If your company organises annual or one-off training events and wants to ensure the next edition runs without surprises, Venuesin has the experience and the right partners to make it happen, from venue selection to settling accounts the day after. Request your proposal.