Vienna Teambuilding Review

Published: 08.10.09

by Karina Hovden Stava

Those who thought that Austria was a country best visited in wintertime have now been proven wrong. The last big teambuilding of 2009 is over and done with, and the verdict is unanimous – it was a very successful trip!

Photo gallery from the Vienna trip

Friday, August 28

A bit chilly after leaving a cold and wet Norway, we were surprised by a balmy 30+ degrees when the airplane doors opened upon arrival in Austria. Since we all arrived Vienna at different times, our first assembly was not before 19:00 at the hotel. After a refreshing welcome drink we all received our name badges, and our trip organiser Aslaug walked us through the weekend schedule.

Our first excursion went to the Restaurant Piaristenkeller. The Piaristenkeller is a typical Austrian restaurant, located in a 300 year old monastery basement. We soon found that dinner was not the only thing included in our night at the restaurant. The entire Omega group got to try out more or less beautiful hats from the times when they were considered indispensable fashion accessories. The amusing results can be seen in the photo gallery from the trip. Not only did we get to try on hats, we also enjoyed samples from their wine cellar. The Piaristenkeller even had their own inhouse musicians playing classical music as we were dining, another nice touch.

Saturday, August 29

No teambuilding is complete without a guided trip through the city, and come Saturday morning we were all ready to go. Two buses took the Omega tourists around to a wide selection of famous Austrian sights. Among other things, we visited the Spanish Riding School, world famous for its Lipizzaner horses and their fascinating and precise tricks.

Done with the bussing around, both groups met in the Donauturm (a rotating tower with a restaurant on the top floor!) for lunch. Donauturm offers bungee jumping from the tower in the level below the restaurant, but unfortunately (for some) our trip organiser had not scheduled breakneck stunts at lunchtime, so we had to settle for just watching this time around.

As soon as lunch was done, it was time to go shopping! On my personal to-do list for Austria I had Apfelstrudel near the top, so I was rather disappointed that Apfelstrudel indeed wasn't an Austrian apple-flavoured drink, but rather an apple pie...

The disappointment was soon healed as we once again saw Vienna at its best later that evening. After a wonderful dinner at the Restaurant Residenz at the Schönbrunn Castle (where we also celebrated our fellow teambuilder Marianne Andersen's birthday), we were escorted to the Orangerie Schönbrunn.

At the Orangerie we were entertained for an hour and a half by the “Schönbrunner Schlossorchester”, that performed a number of selected pieces from Austrians Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart og Johan Strauss. Some of the teambuilders may have recognized the hall we were in, and rightly so; it is the venue for the dancing during the annual New Year Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sunday, August 30

After a pretty late night for many of us, Sunday was the day for the planned extra activities that many had signed up for. One of the groups went for an extensive tour of the Schönbrunn Palace, while others enjoyed the sunny day touring the city in a Fiaker carriage.

The last meal together was consumed “An der Schönen, Blauen Donau”, and even if Donau wasn't as blue as the song indicates, the weather was great and our trip very enjoyable nonetheless. Many of us had their first river cruise experience, and we all agreed that it was a great way to see new places in a comfortable and relaxing way.

Our dinner was, like other days in Vienna, the traditional Wiener Schnitzel. For dessert, however, we finally got to try another Austrian specialty; the Sachertorte. Many things can be said of the Austrians, but their food is certainly excellent.

Having finished all of our Torte, it was time to say goodbye to Vienna and all the Omega teambuilders. Unfortunately, none of the participants chose to fly home wearing “Lederhosen”, but Mozartkugeln will be awarded to those who show up to a Christmas Party wearing one…

Thanks for a great trip, everybody!