100 channel partners have returned safely back in the UK after venturing across five European countries over three days, competing in an array of weird and wonderful challenges for this year’s Gamma Ball Rally. Gamma has announced that they raised over £100,000 for Gamma’s chosen charities Action Through Enterprise and SpecialEffect – taking the total amount raised in rally history to more than £600,000.
Day one
Kicking proceedings off in Lille, France, ralliers gathered at Golf du Sart golf club for the Best Dressed competition sponsored by Oracle. The teams did not let the spirit of the rally down with clearly a lot of effort going into the car decoration and costumes. Top themes included Toy Story, Baywatch and the army themed Septic Tanks completed with two “guns” attached to the top of their van.
Once the teams were briefed, it was on the road to Belgium for the Gamma Ball Go Kart Challenge sponsored by Polycom. The sun was shining as the team’s went head to head in their second challenge of the day, but it was The Shoemakers who claimed victory, with the Septic Tanks in second place and the Tweed Demons coming in third.
The ralliers then wrapped up their afternoon of excitement, jumped back in the bangers and headed off for night one in Luxembourg.
Day two
It was an early start in Luxembourg for the ralliers, who were back in their cars and on their way to the medieval town of Riquewihr situated in the Alsace region of France. After a lovely lunch in some local spots, the team competed in the Treasure Hunt, sponsored by Nuvias, many still in their fancy dress befriending many locals and tourists for the selfie challenge and scavenger hunt.
After a wonderful afternoon, it was then back in the car and off to Zurich, where the Ralliers were treated to an evening BBQ and drinks at the Atlantis Hotel.
Day three
Scores were tight and there were plenty of points up for grabs going into Day 3. The Ralliers were off to Bavaria, to compete in the Andechs Monastery Team Challenge sponsored by Cisco. The challenge featured a number of German inspired activities including mug lifting, blind walk and cross boule.
The Gamma Ball Rally gala dinner and charity auction was this year held in Munich. Tying in with the Octoberfest theme the evening was hosted at Der Pschorr, a Bavarian restaurant in the centre of Munich. Kicking the evening off with the competition scores and much-anticipated announcement of the Gamma Ball Rally 2019 winners:
- 3rd place: The Dancing Dads (Mtech)
- 2nd place: The Shoemakers (Silver Lining)
- 1st place: Septic Tanks (Charterhouse Voice and Data)
- Spirit of the Rally: Son of a Beach (Max Telecom)
The auction was then hosted by celebrity comedian Hal Cruttenden, who did an excellent job keeping the bids high, whilst having the crowd in fits of laughter with some quite pointed commentary. The auction raised more than £50,000 for the charities, with Gamma’s channel partners generously donating prizes and bidding on a variety of auction items.
Once all the winners were announced and the auction bids tallied up, it was time for everyone to let their hair down and enjoy the final evening in Munich.
Daryl Pile, Managing Director – Channel at Gamma comments:
“The success of the Gamma Ball Rally is a testament to the strength of the channel community to come together and do something special for two incredibly deserving charities. The generosity of our partner base has been instrumental in raising over £100,000. I’d like to thank everyone who made this possible including our sponsors; Cisco, Polycom, Nuvias and Oracle. I’m blown away every year by the amount of money raised from the rally and it’s extremely humbling having the charities share with us the amazing work that is being done with the funds raised.”
James Banks, Technical Director at Charterhouse Voice and Data (Winners of the 2019 Rally) comments:
“The Gamma team have once again put on a brilliant rally. As regular competitors it has been another amazing experience for us to be part of and a privilege to have helped raise much needed funds for two exceptionally worthy causes. As always, we’ve had a great amount of fun taking part in the challenges, meeting the Gamma team and spending time with our peers.”
