How did WWF Colombia turn a networking cocktail into a real conversation between partners?

The room stopped trading business cards and started talking.

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At Climate Week, three leaders from the environmental and development sectors shared what went wrong.

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On September 29, 2026, at the Medellín Botanical Garden, WWF Colombia brought together about 40 partners from the private, public, and development cooperation sectors. The event, called "Nature Restores Us," took place during Climate Week.

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They wanted more than an inspiring keynote and a results presentation. They wanted a space where three leaders admitted, in front of their partners, a decision they would make differently today. That is how WWF Colombia moved from project-and-agreement relationships to a conversation built on trust.

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‍A partner cocktail that didn't want to be just another cocktail

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WWF had clear goals. Keep current partners engaged. Start conversations with companies that didn't have an alliance yet. Connect attendees with each other. And position itself as a connector, not just a recipient of funding.

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It's the list any partnerships, sustainability, or culture leader writes before an event. And the usual formats rarely deliver: a panel, an impact keynote, a drink in hand.

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The reason is simple. When everyone shows their best version, nobody really talks.

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Three failures, three sectors, one room

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Aureliano Duran, from Industria Licorera de Caldas, told the story of his 2015 mistake. As sustainability lead, he filed a document with the Government arguing that, since liquor stays inside the human body, his company had no responsibility for the bottles. A year later, in a technical meeting, he was told that whoever buys and sells that packaging shares responsibility under Extended Producer Responsibility. His legal defense cost him a year of isolation from recyclers and communities.

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Enrique Maruri, Colombia Director at Swisscontact talked about what happened when he bet everything on a job at an international organization in Madrid. He sold the furniture, shipped the house in a container, and moved with his family. He spent two years without finding his place. Then the pandemic hit. And on a walk, he and his wife said out loud: let's go back.

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Juliana Perdomo, Fundraising and Partnerships Director at WWF Colombia, told the story of a clothing collection for Panda Market. A brilliant consultant, a recommended supplier, and yellow flags the team chose not to see: fabrics with no confirmed composition, delayed dates, numbers that didn't add up. Only 30% of the production arrived, and it was poor-quality fabric. They lost two months and the December campaign.

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None of them told a success story. All three told the story of a decision they would make differently today.

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When the host is exposed too, the conversation goes off script

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One detail changed the tone of the night: WWF didn't put only guests on stage. It put its own Fundraising Director up there.

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“We connect more through vulnerability than through the perfection we sometimes try to project.”

- Juliana Perdomo, Fundraising and Partnerships Director, WWF Colombia

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From inside the team, the read was similar. “The conversation went a bit off script,” wrote WWF Colombia's Public Partnerships and Multi-stakeholder Mechanisms Officer. They spoke about closeness, honesty, and sharing what they're doing well and what they're not.

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Why does this matter for HR, culture and partnerships?‍

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If you lead People, culture, or partnerships, you've probably already run planning offsites and team-building activities that didn't change anything in the long run. This night was different. Each story points to a problem you're already trying to solve in your organization:

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Silos. Aureliano dug into his legal defense and ended up cut off from his own value chain. The same thing happens inside companies, between teams and with partners.

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Mental health and retention. Enrique was clear: if people aren't okay, you don't have solid relationships or networks. And he learned that listening is a skill you train, especially after years of being the boss.

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Psychological safety. Psychological safety depends on leaders setting the example. Juliana did it in public, and that gave the room permission.

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How many real conversations does a generic panel produce? We do it differently. See how Barilla and Brinsa experienced it in their leadership workshop.

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If you want your partners, your leaders, or your team to talk like this, the format can come to your company. Find out how Fuckup Nights At Work works, or write to us and we'll design it with you.

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