The COCO Gathering at Kimnara Space tried to change that, at least for one night. COCO Social Fund’s collaboration space in Cepaka Village turned into a shared gathering spot for employees from across the Coco Development Group family, including the COCO Social Fund team itself.
The photos from the night show an atmosphere far from a stiff office event. Smoke rose from a barbecue grill, colored lights swept across the wall spelling “KIMNARA,” and employees took turns passing around a microphone for karaoke, laughing freely between songs.
Who Showed Up?
The gathering brought together employees from five units under Coco Development Group, each with a distinct character and location.
- COCO Social Fund, the foundation behind the group’s environmental and social programs, and the night’s host through Kimnara Space.
- Azoria Living Suluban Beach Resort, in Uluwatu, known for its cliffside views and hidden beach.
- Aura Wellness Resort, in Lovina, North Bali, far removed from the buzz of the island’s south.
- Coco Hills Resort, located in South Kuta or Uluwatu.
- Amazona Jungle Resort, known for its green, jungle-facing setting.
Bringing staff together from locations this far apart wasn’t simple logistics. Some traveled from the island’s northern tip, others from the southern cliffs, and some were already working daily in Cepaka Village through COCO Social Fund. But that’s exactly where the value of this event shows up. Employees who normally only communicate through chat messages or video calls finally got to sit across from each other and talk, with no screen and no business-unit divide in between.
Kimnara Space as the Meeting Point
Choosing Kimnara Space as the gathering venue makes sense. A room that has already served as a café, a coworking space, and a literacy training venue now shows yet another side: a flexible space that can host a mid-size event with a relaxed atmosphere.
Its setting in the middle of Cepaka Village’s rice fields adds its own value too. Not a five-star hotel ballroom, but an open-air space that let employees from different resorts mingle without feeling overly formal, fitting for a gathering meant to build closer ties rather than serve as just another annual formality.
Read also: Open House Kimnara Space: An Afternoon That Brought Together Rice Fields, Dance, and Free Coffee
Games and Prizes: What Broke the Ice
The night ran through a series of games that loosened everyone up. One that stands out clearly is a digital spinning wheel game, where employees took turns spinning for a shot at a prize, met with laughter and applause from those nearby every time the wheel came to a stop.
Games like this do more than entertain. When employees from different resorts cheer each other on during something as simple as this, the distance that usually forms across different work locations starts to close. The doorprize giveaway at the end of the night became a moment everyone waited for too, giving employees a reason to stick around rather than leave right after dinner wrapped up.
Food and Atmosphere Courtesy of Kimnara Space
As host, Kimnara Space provided food and drinks throughout the event. The photos show a barbecue setup running in one corner, while another table stayed loaded with warm dishes ready for guests.
Details like this seem small, but they shape the overall impression of an event significantly. A gathering that only offers modest snacks feels entirely different from one with a proper spread, complete with the smell of live grilling that builds appetite before the food even gets served.
Companies with multiple business units often face the same challenge: employees at one location feel disconnected from coworkers in another unit, even under the same corporate banner. A sense of belonging to a company usually grows from more than salary or benefits. It also comes from shared, relaxed moments with fellow employees, whether they work at a resort or at a foundation.
The COCO Gathering at Kimnara Space addressed that challenge in a straightforward way: bring everyone to one place, give them a reason to laugh together, and let relationships form naturally instead of forcing them through an overly structured team-building session.
For any company or business group with multiple branches across Bali, this format is worth taking as a reference. Investing in employee togetherness, though modest compared to a CSR program in Bali aimed at the wider community, still carries long-term value for an organization’s own health.
This gathering adds another chapter to how Kimnara Space keeps finding new functions. Built through the partnership between Coco Development and COCO Social Fund, the room showed its flexibility once again, from a relaxed daytime café, to a literacy training venue with YLAI, to a cross-unit employee gathering spot at night.
That kind of dual function is what keeps Kimnara Space feeling alive, never tied to just one type of activity. Every event held there adds another layer of story to the room standing in the middle of Cepaka Village.
Closing Thoughts: Togetherness Built From Something Simple
The COCO Gathering at Kimnara Space proves that strengthening bonds between employees doesn’t always need a lavish event with a huge budget. With the right venue, decent food, games that get people laughing, and a chance for people from different locations to sit at the same table, a working relationship that used to be just a name in a chat group can turn into something more personal.
Four resorts and one foundation, one table, one night. Simple on paper, but the impact can linger well after the event ends, every time employees from different units run into each other again and greet one another like old friends, not just out of formality.
