UZ Brussel is a university hospital, founded under the umbrella of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The hospital employs nearly 4,200 staff members and, with 721 beds, handles over 360,000 patient consultations annually, both nationally and internationally. UZ Brussel chose Arteel to transform the experience around Christmas gifts for employees and their children into a magical moment.
How can you make Christmas gifts personal in a large organization?
In the past, UZ Brussel organized an afternoon event where all parents and their children aged 0 to 12 were invited to a Christmas show. Every child received a gift.
This created a huge workload for the HR department: selecting, delivering, unboxing, and distributing gifts, as well as managing the venue, catering, invitations, insurance, and much more.
Another reason to look for an alternative was UZ Brussel’s growth to over 4,000 employees. It became difficult to find a venue large enough to safely host everyone.
UZ Brussel then moved the event to a cinema hall at Kinepolis. The youngest children could choose a gift from a toy retailer, while children aged 4 to 12 enjoyed a movie screening. Everyone also received a voucher for popcorn, candy, or a drink.
The downside was that the film screening was limited to a single day with registration required. Those who couldn’t attend were left empty-handed. Even the cinema halls became too small for so many employees and their families.
Then came COVID, and all events were put on hold. Large events became risky, and children’s schedules became harder to coordinate due to more hobbies and blended families.
The concept of an end-of-year party or cinema screening had run its course, and UZ Brussel needed a more suitable solution.
"We found a solution with Arteel that was fully in tune with the times. Giving people the choice themselves was a very good idea." – Jan Van Raes, HR Director at UZ Brussel
Magical moments with LuckyBirds instead of a large event
UZ Brussel’s management chose the LuckyBirds concept. Children receive a gift box at their home address between Sinterklaas and Christmas, personalized with their name.
The box also includes a personal message from CEO Marc Noppen.
"The reactions were very positive, and the fact that the gift is delivered directly to the child’s home makes it really special and adds to the experience." – Carine Vanderkelen, HR Department, UZ Brussel
Arteel collaborated with the HR department to develop the gift boxes (LuckyBirds) and the offering. Children could choose from a variety of gifts from suppliers such as Bol.com, Fnac, AS Adventure, Mediamarkt, Carrefour, and Ticketmaster.
A dedicated website for UZ Brussel with a catalog tailored for children
Arteel’s creative team worked with UZ Brussel’s HR department to create:
- A website with a catalog in the hospital’s corporate identity
- A video message from CEO Marc Noppen
- A code for making a selection via the online catalog
- Home delivery of the gift
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A helpdesk for any questions
"The entire login and follow-up process ran very smoothly, with only 10 questions for 1,200 children — all quickly resolved by Arteel’s helpdesk." – Carine Vanderkelen, HR Department, UZ Brussel
Other employee gift solutions Arteel provides for UZ Brussel
UZ Brussel also works with Arteel for other gift solutions. LuckyBirds makes it easy to apply this approach to other occasions and milestones:
- Service anniversaries (30 and 40 years of service)
- Births
- Referrals (introducing new employees)
- Thanking volunteers or departments for exceptional performance
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Retirements
"You value your employees the most through their children and family. It touches them personally and creates a fun experience for everyone." – Jan Van Raes, HR Director, UZ Brussel
Arteel enables employers to show personalized appreciation with more experience while fully relieving them of logistical tasks.
Previously, UZ Brussel’s HR department spent weeks organizing a Christmas event. Thanks to Arteel, it now only takes two days to collect and verify all address information and follow up on a few questions.
Less work, more experience, and more happy faces — who wouldn’t sign up for that? 😉
Looking to revamp your recognition program too?
Our creative team of recognition experts works with you to find the most suitable solution.
Our platform ensures everything runs smoothly, so everyone receives their gift on time without anyone being forgotten.
We personalize everything in your corporate identity, include a personal message, and manage the entire logistics and customer service in-house — with a smile.
