Discover How Happiness Camp Transforms Workplaces

I couldn’t have put it better myself. This is how Happiness Camp have built every element of their conference and we have never seen anything quite like it before, certainly not in the UK.

Oxytocin and Happiness supports staff health and wellbeing.

MUMPOD ON TOUR

This was MumPod® team’s first trip abroad to spread the news of how we can bring happiness to the best workplaces in Europe and beyond. By enabling the happiness hormone oxytocin to flow for those stressed employees who have just had a baby and need somewhere to pump their breastmilk.

I found muscles in places I didn’t know they existed. The MumPod team of two had to lug 60kg of event equipment, including a 3 x 3 x 4 m Inflatable Expo MumPod lactation space onto a shuttle bus, across the airport, onto the self-checking scales and finally the luggage belt. All following 4 hours sleep and a near death experience the night before driving to the hotel!!!

As we came into land we could see wildfires across the region’s mountains, a truly shocking sight not realising how close to Porto this was.

ALFÂNDEGA NO ORDINARY CONFERENCE CENTRE

We arrived in Porto a UNESCO World Heritage Site, driving along the river passing epic bridges and quirky tile covered buildings lining the streets. Our cab pulled up outside Alfândega Conference Centre a stunning, enormous old, building that was the city’s Customs House, where merchants over the centuries have traded on the banks of the Douro River. The building has been fully restored and is the most beautiful venue for Happiness Camp, encouraging oxytocin, and as we know oxytocin and happiness supports staff health and wellbeing. We could already feel the ‘Happiness Vibe’. Everyone was so lovely, with a team of volunteers showing us the way to our space inside what would be the Smile Hub, offering to help with the bags, getting us water and a much need espresso.

ROOM WITH A VIEW:

Rather than a hotel the MumPod team prefer an apartment, and boy did I choose well. From the outside the Oporto Apartments didn’t seem particularly special but were a clean new build that surprisingly looked good amongst the street of traditional Porto architecture, with their twee wrought iron balconies and tiled walls. When inside the true style of this place revealed itself like a polished concrete, green oasis, Grand Designs would have loved it!

As we sat on the roof terrace looking out onto the river, the beautiful Alfândega Conference Centre and the pretty buildings we noticed the dull yellow hue to everything. The clouds were not in fact clouds but smoke billowing down from the wildfires which were now whipping up in the wind.

ROMANTIC PORTO

We ventured out though, as we had this one afternoon where we could experience Porto in all its beauty. We sat outside watching Porto life unfold as we had some beautiful wine and food at the Galleria do Argo and listened to some very talented buskers. Such a romantic setting and as much as I love my business partner I think this is on my bucket list of places to come with my husband.

OXYTOCIN BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS

7am to 10pm is a full-on day but one we will never forget. I have never seen so many happy people in one place – 10,000 to be precise, despite the airport and road closures. I don’t know how the organisers; António Pedro PintoAntónio Pedro Pinto (He/Him) • 1st (He/Him) • 1stFounder of Happiness CampFounder of Happiness Camp and Cristina Araújo Neiva pulled it off but every element of the Happiness Camp had a contagious effect on everyone. Oxytocin was literally bouncing off the walls. I cannot count the number of times our MumPod® lactation space visitors said, “I don’t think we have this in Portugal”, that sentence shows why we were their and the power of our message. That this needs to be a ‘thing’ in the hospitals, universities and workplaces of Portugal and beyond.

THAT’S A WRAP

Breakdown had to happen at 7pm and the incentive for two exhausted women to do this as quick as possible was the Evening Summit began. A night of light shows, world renowned DJ and where I was able to say thank you to the team of medics who helped me when my arm was bleeding from the exuberant way I was packing away. Sadly all good things come to an and Sarah and I dragged our bags through the Alfândega’s stunning halls to return to our apartment. But there was one more moment to come; Sarah had to return her power bank so there I was waiting in the main hallway and through my tired eyes I saw a beautiful man coming towards me saying he was so pleased he finally got to catch up with me, it was none other than the organiser Antonio , the person who Linked In messaged asking if MumPod would like to come the Happiness Camp (not a sell, an invite!). I did my usual hugs and over the top exclamations of how much I loved it and him and then next thing you know I am surrounded by a gaggle of ultra cool people including one of the speakers Stefanie Sword-Williams founder of “Fuck Being Humble” . As Sarah returned she was presented with the sight of me “holding court with a group of people all holding our infamous “Stress Boobs” (shout out to breast pump company Ardo Medical) and me shouting “that’s my business partner Sarah” then all turning to wave and shouting “Hello Sarah”. Her reaction was not one of surprise but a thought of “of course this is happening with Ros at the centre of it all!!”

THE FUTURE IS HAPPINESS

THE FUTURE IS MUMPOD®

We left Porto with true Happiness in our hearts, spreading the message that oxytocin and happiness supports staff health and wellbeing to multiple new connections and our aim achieved of getting the message out there that MumPod’s lactation pods are a “thing” and a thing that can support the happiness of workforces across, Portugal, Europe and the World by enabling the Oxytocin to flow for pregnant parents and breastfeeding parents.

Supporting the Health and Wellbeing of Our Future Generations One Pod at a Time.