Norway (Oslo) Leadership Meeting

SUMMARY

Our client was a Japanese global tech firm, looking to design a leadership retreat in a location within Europe, where its EMEA directors from 12 different countries could enjoy a 3 day leadership retreat.

The brief for the retreat was to find a good destination, with great flights & transfers, and excellent hotels/restaurants/activities. Importantly, to help the leadership team bond and spend quality time together, our client wanted a destination that had good outdoor activities (for day 2), and an excellent hotel that had a very specific meeting room (for day 3).

APPROACH

Considering our client wanted a 3 day leadership retreat, and the EMEA directors where flying in from 12 different countries, we worked with our client to propose 3 destination options that had great flight & transfer options from the 12 different countries, with outbound flights early Monday morning, and return flights late Wednesday evening.

Our proposal suggested 4 destination options – Oslo (Norway), Florence (Italy), Istanbul (Turkey) and Lisbon (Portugal). We helped our client select Oslo because of Norway’s infrastructure, outdoor experiences, refreshing environment, hotels, restaurants and business facilities/meeting rooms.

After day 1 arrivals, transfers and a social dinner, on day 2 the group enjoyed a refreshing outdoor ‘leadership team-building’ day in Fjords. Working with our client, we carefully designed the day to help the group enjoy themselves as individuals and as a team, whilst catching up in a relaxed and informal environment. Day 2 activities included an adrenaline RIB Boat through the Fjords, guided walks and a private lunch on a floating restaurant terrace (with panoramic views). On the evening of day 2, we also organised a special leadership dinner, at an award winning restaurant in Oslo called ‘Vaaghals’. The 3rd day was a business focused strategy day, using one of the hotels excellent meeting rooms.

RESULTS

From 12 different countries, the group flew to Oslo and took a transfer straight from the airport. After arriving into our chosen hotel – The Thief, the group was welcomed by one of our event producers for a swift check-in and relaxation time before dinner at their leisure.

On day 2, after an early breakfast, the group met in the hotel reception, where our guides welcomed the group. After a short brief about the day, the group took off on an hour RIB boat experience to Håøya and visited the Oscarsborg fortress, which would lead the group to hidden historical war bunkers and secret view points of the Fjords. The group then took an expedition through the secret tunnels to the maritime and arrived at harbor dine for a delicious meal with panoramic views. After a relaxing lunch, the team enjoyed a final tour of the Fjords on the RIB boats before heading back to the hotel. Later on in the day, the team met again in the hotel reception and headed out for dinner for an evening of celebrations.

On day 3, after breakfast, the leadership team where shown to their meeting room for the day. It was important for the client that this room had natural light and a U-shape layout, as well as the appropriate screens, laptops, connectors, pens and pads. The meetings ran swiftly, lunch was arranged at the hotel’s restaurant in a semi-private dining space and everything concluded later on the 3rd day.