December 25, 2014
Year-end festive fete – 2014.
As per tradition, we recently had our New Year/Christmas blowout – the kind of party other, duller companies tend to call their ‘corporate do’. That hardly describes what we have though – and more and more so every year…
Last Friday some 1700 KLers and scores of guests from around the world all gathered in Moscow’s massive Olympic Stadium for our mega-bash. We ate, drank and were merry; we danced, bantered and awarded each other prizes; we took part in – or watched – the sublime ice spectacle and KL-stage show (in which around 110 employees took part); then danced some more, then some more again… all to wind up the year as is only right and proper – and usher in the next and even better 12 months.
Though 2014 has been tough in some respects, at KL, as you’ll have gathered, we tend to remain forever positive. And this was manifest at this year’s banquet more than ever: we looked to the past with nostalgia, and to the future with optimism! And I don’t just mean optimism of the rose-tinted specs type. We really do have a lot to be optimistic about: ever increasing business stability – for more than 15 years! And the increasing extravagance of our year-end parties matches that continual improvement perfectly.
No. He’s looking at the monitor
Candy girls/ice queens
This year for starters was a figure skating show; main course: a grandiose ice show on the stage performed by KLers; and for desert: heavy metal band Kipelov. I hardly need say it: the shindig was a resounding success!
The show on the skating rink was called ‘No Sleep’, a concept many of us are intimately acquainted with. Then the KL actors on the stage proceeded to troll each other and the audience – kinda departments and against departments. Like, someone contacting technical support… in the show they were calling the ‘Nightmare Department’, for that’s what Tech-Support does – soothes users’ nightmares. The ‘Erotic Dreams Department’, of course, was the Content Filtration Lab, the ‘Strange Dreams Department’ – Marketing and Sales, ‘Prophetic Dreams Department’ – Analytics. Can you guess which departments were those of ‘Hypnotic’, ‘Romantic’ and ‘Heroic’ dreams?
In both business and pleasure, we prefer to do everything ourselves at KL. So both on the ice and on the stage we simply couldn’t just leave it to the professionals to do it all themselves – we had to get involved too. The result was just right: it’s always more fun when you know personally who’s performing, while having the pros on hand helps things run more smoothly and, well, yes, professionally. Perfect.
That’s one of our top experts. KLers – always versatile
Three months of rehearsals, four to six times a week – and in their own time. Now that’s dedication – suffering for one’s art! Some suffered more than was quite necessary: A.B. at the final rehearsal the day before the gig broke his arm! Now, I mentioned dedication, right? Get this: A.B. didn’t go off to the hospital straight away. No, he took part in the performance the following day and only after it did he go and get bandaged and plaster-casted up!
For more of the actual performances, check out #KLNY15 on FB, Instagram and Twitter, btw.
As you can see, it was mega-impressive. Just seems such a shame – all that work put in for just one show. We should go on the road – a world tour, no less!
No expense is ever spared for our biannual bashes. For KLers, it’s a good way of appreciating the scale of the business (and also the level of responsibility in the matter of saving the world from cyber-vermin), to feel part of a big and dynamic international collective, and to maybe get one’s fill of crazy partying to last half a year – until the next birthday of the company in summer.
Just been having a look back at recent years’ bashes. Got quite emotional…
Every year after each such Christmas/New Year show our event organizers get all depressed. Yes, because of the anticlimax, but also because they need to think up something else even cooler and crazier for next time :).
In summary, the blowout was just mega. I can’t imagine what’s gonna be next time. First we’ll need to find an even bigger venue – which leaves just Wembley-like arenas. Then we’ll need a new script. So, thinking caps on you creative folKLs… Just rest assured the budget will be there – as much as you like! It’ll be worth it :).
Massive Xmas party at @kaspersky: worth a read and a watch!Tweet
All the photos are here.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Cin cin!
