Copenhagen Teambuilding Review

Published: 02.12.11

A Copenhagen in holiday spirit welcomed Omega teambuilders for a weekend of Danish cuisine and Christmas shopping from 18 – 20 November.

Copenhagen was grey and chilly, but festivally lit, for the Christmas season when 113 Omega teambuilders arrived on Friday morning. The teambuilding was one of Omega's two trips this year offered instead of traditional Christmas parties. Participants checked into the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Copenhagen, located right next to Tivoli amusement park and only a short walk away from the shopping district, Strøget.

A trip around town

The hotel was located right next to Tivoli Amusement Park, which the participants had the chance to visit Saturday.

Most participants chose to use Friday afternoon looking around the city on their own, while another busload of teambuilders had signed up for an organized tour of the city visiting some of Copenhagen’s most famous attractions.

"The sightseeing had a tight three-hour schedule and took us to all the attractions one should see when in Copenhagen, including the National Museum, Christianborg Palace, Amalienborg Palace, The Little Mermaid statue and the Carlsberg brewery," says teambuilder Lars Gunnar Økland.

The rest of the weekend’s organized activities were concentrated around lunch and dinner, so the team got to explore the menus of some of the city’s best restaurants.

Fasionable Friday

On Friday night, the group was transported out of town for dinner at the fashionable Ocean Club where they were welcomed by a red carpet. Three small seafood dished, elegantly presented on one plate, kicked off the feast. The main course was veal cooked in red wine sauce and served with rosemary-potato fondant, followed by another plate of “dessert tapas”. During the evening, Ocean Club’s very own saxophonist showed up to set the musical mood for the evening. After dinner, he and the DJ invited the Omega team to the dance floor, before the buses headed back to the hotel.

"Ocean Club was a very cool place with incredible food. We had to go out of the city centre to get there, so this was a restaurant we probably wouldn't have gotten to vist if not with Omega," says Økland, one of the many teambuilder who headed for the shopping streets early the next morning.

"We spent the morning in the shopping district to avoid the Saturday rush and we got more than our dose of Christmas shopping," he says, laughing.

Russian Christmans

Other teambuilders chose to explore the city without shopping, and had plenty of time to look around.

"The program for the weekend was very relaxed and I got to spend the days the way I like; strolling around, reaxing and enjoying the city. I actually don't think i bought anything that i didn't eat or drink right then and there," says Jostein Lilland, who along with the rest of the group took a break from touring and shopping to have lunch at Restaurant Hercegovina.

The restaurant’s Christmas buffet with Danish, Herzegovina and Croatian dishes welcomed the teambuilders into its comfortable restaurant venues in Tivoli. The restaurant’s musicians set the right atmosphere during the meal, and were assisted by a belly dancer at the end of lunch.

All participants received tickets to Tivoli amusement park where "Russian Christmas" was this season’s park theme. The Christmas market was opened in Tivoli’s small streets and the many booths were filled with candy and Christmas decorations for everyone in holiday spirit. The carousels in the other part of the park welcomed those who wanted something more action filled than Christmas shopping.

Show night at Wallmans

The entertainment moved around the room and a male quartet delivered their version of Lady Gaga's hits to the audience.

A dressy Omega team collectively took the five-minute walk from the hotel to Wallmans Friday night, ready for dinner, a show and dancing. The Wallmans concept offers an evening with a four-course dinner, combined with grand shows on stage, including acrobatics, dancing, singing and comedy. It was a night Omega team members and the 700 other guests at Wallmans won’t forget.

Here guests were entertained by circus acrobatics with their starters, and movie tunes and Beatles songs with their cauliflower soup. The main course was grilled duck breast, with Christmas songs and grunge classics from Pearl Jam and Nirvana, before the Crème brulee was served with a solid portion of Lady Gaga hits, followed by hits from the 80s.

"This was the first time I got to visit Wallmanns and it was quite an experience. I was really impressed with how professionally everything was organised. The artists built the atmosphere just right, taking the show up a notch between every meal. It was perfect timing, both on stage and at the tables. I think most of the teambuilders agreed that this was the highlight of the weekend," Lilland concludes.

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