“It might look new here, but the fact is we’ve been doing this for 20 years,” says Erik Hansen enthusiastically.
He is the conference manager at Thon Hotel Arena, a large conference hotel in Lillestrøm that has hosted events of all sizes and types since its opening in 2002. Since then, the hotel has undergone extensive renovations, resulting in a building that is now even more attractive. According to the conference manager, exceptionally good design choices were made when the hotel was built.
“It’s spacious and comfortable here, while the flexible layout means you have everything close together,” Hansen explains.
Guests from around the world
Thon Hotel Arena is one of the largest hotels in the Thon chain. It has 355 hotel rooms, meeting rooms of all sizes, as well as conference facilities for up to 1,000 persons. The location in Lillestrøm - which is only a short train ride from Oslo Airport in one direction and an equally short train ride to the Oslo city centre in the other - makes the hotel a hub for both national and international events.
“The location is definitely one of the reasons why we are so popular,” says Erik Hansen.
"It’s easy to transport a lot of people in a sustainable and comfortable way because it takes only 12 minutes by train from Gardermoen or the Oslo central railway station, and then it's only a few minutes’ walk from the station to the hotel."
And lots of people have visited over the years. This has resulted in a staff of expert organisers who can host any type of event - whether it’s a full-day meeting for a small group from the municipality or a large international conference that lasts over several days. After all, as the conference manager says, it's “a building that can handle almost anything.”
In 2019, Thon Hotel Arena was chosen by a NATO supplier to organise a large conference with international guests, lots of requirements and high expectations. The hotel organised the event so successfully that it even received a medal from the company’s secretary-general. And in June 2022, Eccomas, a major international conference with mathematicians from around the world, was held here.
“It’s great to see that we can successfully host such large events,” says Hansen, who believes the key to a successful event lies in having a detailed and thorough process.
It’s not difficult to see how it takes good preparation to handle 1,400 lunch guests at once.
"This logistical puzzle is one of the things we have become very good at solving."
Food that sparks rumours
In addition to its convenient location and utter professionalism, Thon Hotel Arena also boasts comfortable hotel rooms in bright colours, a gym and wellness centre with a small pool, jacuzzi and sauna.
But the food is perhaps the highlight.
"We have an amazing breakfast and a very popular lunch buffet. We have homemade scones that we serve with jam and cream at the breakfast buffet, which are extremely popular. Someone recently stopped by while on a viewing and asked, “Do you still have scones?” laughs the conference manager, reassuring them that they have no plans to stop baking them.
"No matter how interesting or exciting your programme is, if the food is no good, that's usually what people remember. That’s why we are highly committed to always serving quality food here."
3 good reasons to hold a course or conference at Thon Hotel Arena:
- Convenient location
- Excellent quality food and drink
- Years of experience with events of all sizes Here you can trust that the staff will be available, committed and helpful.