Now Marholmen is taking another step towards putting the small island in Roslagen on the map. "Together we will make Marholmen the most obvious year-round destination in Sweden", says Patrik Johansson, who has taken over as the new hotel manager.

Marholmen is located in the Roslagen archipelago, just outside Norrtälje and offers a wide range of activities all year round. The 34-hectare island houses a hotel, cottages, historic villas, glamping, conference, spa, restaurant, pitches, party rooms, hot tubs, saunas and piers.

"I am incredibly happy that I have been entrusted with this position and look forward to driving the development of Marholmen forward together with all employees and a management team with solid experience in the industry," says Patrik Johansson, hotel manager at Marholmen.

Throughout history, people have come to Marholmen for relaxation and recreation. In 1913, Nils and Hanna Berg donated part of Marholmen to the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) to give working wives and workers the opportunity to rest. Today, Marholmen is owned and developed by the Swedish Municipal Workers' Union.

Already as a child in Finland, Patrik dreamed of becoming a hotel manager and after several years in the restaurant industry he started studying Hotel Management at Frans Schartaus Handelsinstitut in Stockholm. Since then Patrik has worked as Front Office Manager at Grand Hotel Saltsjöbaden where he was also responsible for Revenue Management.

"Given all the unique things that Marholmen has to offer its guests, I didn't hesitate for a second when I was invited to join this exciting journey. Kitchen and cooking will always be close to my heart, but the hotel is where I belong. Now it's like getting the best of both worlds", Patrik concludes.

After the holidays, it's high season for kick-offs. And with the right planning, it can become a lifelong memory for your participants. Here, our marketing manager Bibi Rydbacken offers her best tips on how to organize a successful kickoff in Stockholm.

1. Have a clear purpose and objectives.
What should the end result be? Communicate it clearly to the participants so that everyone knows what is involved.

2. Choose the location, environment and setting carefully.
The location of the kick-off is important as it sets the tone and atmosphere of the kick-off. A change of scenery promotes creativity and getting away from the office allows you to relax, focus on the present and not have to think about what to cook for dinner.

3. Keep the meeting at a high level.
Involve the participants at an early stage. One-way communication in the form of a long powerpoint presentation by the manager does not make anyone happy. Engage the participants instead, for example by giving them a small task to prepare for the kick-off, such as a short oral presentation of something related to the purpose of the kick-off.

4. Choose activities carefully.
Choose activities that reflect the purpose and goals of the kickoff. If the purpose is for a group of employees to get to know each other, the activity should be some kind of teamwork exercise, such as Marholmen's Champions, or Boat Orientation. If the group is already close-knit, the activity can be more challenging, such as a problem-solving exercise like Escape Box.

Note! Keep in mind that all participants should be able to take part in the activity. So don't organize a half-day of rock climbing or rodeo riding if there are people in the group who have physical limitations or disabilities. Do not choose a quiz on Swedish pop songs as dinner entertainment if one of the employees did not grow up in Sweden.

5. Plan plenty of time in the agenda.
The intention is good, but often the agenda is quite tight at a kickoff or multi-day conference. Plan time in the agenda for participants to exercise, go to the spa, have a family get-together or just recharge their batteries alone or with colleagues for a while between the day's activities and dinner.

6. Follow up!
Finally, it is important to follow up on the kick-off to see if the purpose and goal of the kick-off was fulfilled. What can we do even better next year?

We hope these tips will help you plan a kickoff that will be a memory for life for your participants.
Contact us and we will help you plan your next kickoff here at Marholmen!

Marholmen is now taking the next step towards putting the small island in Roslagen on the map as Sweden's next major year-round destination. "I am really looking forward to further developing Marholmen to its full potential together with our employees and owners," says Fredrik Utheim, who took over as the new CEO after the turn of the year.

Marholmen is located in the Roslagen archipelago, just outside Norrtälje. The 93-hectare island includes hotels, cottages, villas, glamping, conference, spa, restaurant, pitches, party rooms, hot tubs, sauna, piers and its own sandy beach. Year-round activities for both private and conference guests include adventure golf, a multisport course, 10-a-side, walking gym, forest baths, cold baths, barbecue areas, an agility course and playgrounds.

- "I see a huge potential to really put Marholmen on the map as a unique and sustainable destination for visitors all year round," says Fredrik Utheim. "All the conditions are already in place and when the offer came, I couldn't turn down the challenge of leading the continued development.

Throughout history, people have come to Marholmen for relaxation and recreation. In 1913, Nils and Hanna Berg donated part of Marholmen to the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) to give working wives and workers the opportunity to rest. This is a tradition that is still maintained today by the owner, the Swedish Municipal Workers' Union.

Marholmen's Chairman of the Board, Johan Hessius, comments on the further investment: "The owner and the Board see great potential in Kommunal's continued ownership in Marholmen. We wish Fredrik and his team the best of luck and look forward to following the journey closely.

- We will now manage the opportunity that the previous management team created. The vision is clear. Within five years, we will be Sweden's next major year-round destination," concludes Fredrik.

About Fredrik Utheim

Fredrik has a solid experience from the hotel industry and comes most recently from Annordia where he worked with hotel property development. Previously, he has been Head of Sweden and CEO of the former Rica Hotels, CEO of Stockholm Meeting Selection, General Manager of the Radisson BLU hotels at Arlanda. Fredrik also has international experience from the USA, Spain and Norway and training in Hospitality Management from Miami, Florida.

If you want to get in touch with Fredrik, email him at fredrik.utheim@marholmen.se.