With cutting-edge architecture and miles of waterfront, Copenhagen is crammed with innovative venues for inspiring meetings. Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker reports.
Black diamond
Soren Kierkegaards Plads 1; tel +45 3347 4747; kb.dk
Opened in 1999, this sleek slab of glass and black granite houses the latest extension to Copenhagen’s Royal Library and is one of the city’s most striking pieces of contemporary architecture.
The interior is equally impresssive, with a central atrium soaring the height of the building and flooded with light from the glass façade. From here, escalators lead down to the exhibition halls and up to the library, where a bridge leads through to the original 1904 building. As you walk across, savour the change from new to old, as steel gives way to carved wood, and the musty smell of old books rises through ventilation grilles from eight floors of shelves.
All the meeting rooms are in the Black Diamond itself and include the Queen’s Hall, a beautiful black and wood auditorium with seating for up to 600, fabulous acoustics and ultra-modern audio-visual equipment. On the first floor are three smaller rooms, all low, light and white, with views over the water from narrow, angled windows.
Buffet lunches can be served in the atrium, while for more formal occasions there is the waterfront Soren K restaurant. The library also has its own landing stage where delegates can arrive by boat, for a truly watery Copenhagen experience.
Danish Architecture Centre
Strandgade 27B; tel +45 3257 1930; dac.dk
Founded to celebrate and promote Danish architecture, this centre is also a beautiful venue in its own right.
Housed in a 19th-century warehouse in Christianhaven, it has eight meeting rooms with capacity for up to 100 delegates. All are bright, white and relaxing, with wooden beams, design chairs, and small windows framing views across the water.
A cultural co-ordinator can organise activities such as a treasure hunt through the building or an architectural tour of Copenhagen, or arrange for a local architect to explain the thinking behind the latest developments in the field and how to use architectural methods to solve managerial problems.
During breaks, delegates have access to all exhibitions, and also to the bookshop on the ground floor, which contains a fascinating selection of volumes on Danish architecture (many in English).
In five years’ time, the DAC will move to a new Cubist home across the water in the Bryghusgrunden district, so visit this unique venue while you can.
NIMB
Bernstorffsgade 5; tel +45 8870 0000; nimb.dk
Tivoli Gardens, with its funfair rides and rather twee decorations, is a strange place to find one of the most elegant and original boutique hotels in Scandinavia.
But Nimb is much more than just a hotel – in fact, there are ten businesses under one extravagantly decorated roof. This is because the project is the brainchild of the six Gronlykke siblings, who between them run some of Denmark’s most famous hospitality ventures, all of which are represented here.
Thus the 19th-century building, which for the past 100 years served as a restaurant and banqueting hall, now houses the hotel, a fine-dining restaurant, brasserie, bar, conference facilities and Vinotek. In addition, there is a chocolate factory, dairy and delicatessen, all supplying produce for the restaurants, and even a gourmet hot-dog stand.
The 13 rooms of the hotel itself, all equipped with antiques and Italian beds, are on the first floor, along with the bar and the three meeting venues.
The smallest of these is Kuplen (pictured right), with seating for 20, a black laquer boardroom table and views over Tivoli Gardens, while on the other side of the building, the elegant semi-circular Rotunden (holding up to 80) leads into the beautiful Winter Garden area, with wooden floors, huge windows and Oriental wall-paintings.
Danish Design Centre
27, H C Andersens Boulevard; tel +45 3369 3369; ddc.dk
For an inside look at the wonders of Danish design, this is the place to come. The building itself is beautifully minimalist throughout, with unusual lights and ubiquitous design chairs, and the rotating exhibitions are fascinating.
Meeting rooms are scattered throughout the building, with the largest, Bellavista, on the first floor. This flexible space can hold up to 240 delegates, has views over Tivoli Gardens, and can be divided into two smaller rooms.
There is another large space on the second floor, with long windows looking out over the rooftops at the back of the building, while the top two floors have a bewildering array of smaller rooms, many featuring wonderfully whacky design touches such as whiteboards in gilt frames or lampshades made of clipped-on notepaper.
The centre also has its own restaurant, which can seat up to 200 and serves cutting-edge Nordic cuisine.
Royal Danish Playhouse
Sankt Annae Plads 36; tel +45 3369 6933; kglteater.dk
The newest addition to Copenhagen’s waterfront is this beautiful low-rise structure, which opened in May at the northern end of the old harbour area of Nyhavn.
Designed by Danish architects Lungaard and Tranberg, it is the final phase in the expansion of the Royal Theatre, following the opening of the stunningly elegant Opera House across the water in 2005. The Playhouse is now the venue for plays and modern ballet, while the original 18th-century theatre in Indre By stages baroque opera and plays, and the Opera House hosts the big opera and ballet productions.
For meetings, the Playhouse has two long, low rooms on the south side of the main building, both with narrow windows framing views across the water. The first floor space is sombre but serene, with dark red walls, boardroom table and chairs, while the second floor room is more creative, with yellow and purple walls and art installations.
For an added creative touch, the theatre can arrange for members of its ballet, drama and opera companies to help with role plays and training.
Carlsberg
Gamle Carlsberg Vej 11; tel +45 3327 1282; visitcarlsberg.dk
Probably the best venue in the world? Perhaps not, but for beer-lovers it must come pretty close.
Carlsberg has moved its main brewing operation to Jutland, but its historic home in the centre of Copenhagen still houses an extensive visitor centre and the Jacobsen microbrewery, which is available for evening events.
The main bar area can hold up to 250 for a standing buffet, with beers matched to the menu, and the brewmaster can be booked to talk guests through the intricacies of Jacobsen’s 30 specialist brews.
For more information on Copenhagen venues go to visitdenmark.com
GETTING THERE
From London, BA and SAS fly to Copenhagen from Heathrow. SAS also flies from London City, while Easyjet offers departures from Stansted and will start services from Gatwick in January. Direct flights are also available from Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Birmingham, Glasgow and Leeds.
