Energy Workers’ Day with TAURON at Folwark Zalesie
A communist-era themed corporate event for 400 people · Folwark Zalesie, Grajów pod Wieliczką
The TAURON Dystrybucja corporate event for Energy Workers’ Day 2026: about 400 people, one hall and a communist-era theme worked out down to the last poster. It took place on 25 September at Folwark Zalesie in Grajów near Wieliczka. The brief was simple: coverage from the guests’ arrival to the end of the event, plus group photos, also on request.
Folwark Zalesie: the Maneż hall and a garden for breaks
The estate sits on a hill about 25 kilometres from Kraków’s Main Square, on thirty hectares of greenery. The event was held in the Maneż hall, the largest on the estate: according to the Folwark Zalesie hall list it seats 620 guests at round tables, so four hundred people still had plenty of room on the dance floor. The hall has a mezzanine and a large stage, and for this event hundreds of colourful ribbons hung from the ceiling. A hall like this makes a photographer’s job easier: from the mezzanine you can see the whole dance floor, and the light walls bounce the light.
Some guests spent time in the garden, playing chess with child-sized pieces or sitting in armchairs on the lawn. At a corporate event, places like these give the most relaxed photos, because people talk instead of posing.
Communist-era style from the door
The theme was visible from the first moment. Registration at a table with a checked tablecloth, an organising committee notice and a “PKS Retro '76” timetable with return buses to Kraków on the boards, and above the stage the slogan “Remember! Your workplace is your second home”. With decor like this, the details are a story of their own: I photograph them before the hall fills up.
Soda water from a saturator
The biggest smiles went to the man in a white coat and flat cap at the soda water cart. A saturator like the ones on 1970s streets, glasses and a queue of guests in costumes. It is an attraction that makes its own photos: you just need to stand so that the cart, the lettering and the face of the person getting a glass are all in the frame. The cart and its staff came from Saturator, who restore soda water carts from the 1960s and 1970s and bring them to weddings and corporate events.
A host and DJs from one team
Everything on stage came from one team, Wodzireje z Krakowa. Host Andrzej Wilk ran the programme and got the room dancing, while DJs Rafał Więckowski and Robert Kulma played from a booth set up like a living room from years ago (a reel-to-reel tape recorder, old lamps and a traffic light). Jacek Szewczyk looked after the light and sound. By a stage with coloured lighting I work without flash, so as not to kill the atmosphere, and freeze movement with a short shutter speed.
Contests, awards and the dance floor
The programme mixed performances, contests and awards on stage. During an award I position myself so that the winner and the presenter face the room rather than turning their backs to it. Then the dance floor: period costumes, afro wigs, hippie outfits and a circle dance for hundreds of people. Next to it stood a photo booth with a gold backdrop, so the guests also had their own photos to take home.
A group photo of four hundred people
The most important photo of the day was taken on the dance floor. With four hundred people two things matter: the front rows sit or crouch, and the photographer stands higher so the faces at the back are visible. I made two versions: a calm one for company materials, and a second one with raised hands that better captures the mood of the evening.
The organiser received an online gallery with 588 photos: from guest registration, through the stage programme, to the last dances. If you are planning a similar event, see how I work at company events and on the page for companies from outside Kraków.
