The Global Executive Network (GXN), a networking group for the promotional products industry, held a three-day leadership seminar in Norway last month.

Rather than watching PowerPoint presentations in conference rooms, the seminar was punctuated with unique experiences in nature, from snowshoeing, dog sledding and snowmobiling adventures, according to Michael Freter, a promo industry veteran and event organizing executive who was Counselor Magazine’s 2020 International Person of the Year. A backdrop of the “breathtaking landscapes” of Norway “encouraged openness, perseverance and team spirit” and spurred “in-depth discussions,” according to Freter.

The GXN Leadership Seminar brought global promo leaders to Norway for three days of networking that included snowshoeing expeditions and other outdoor activities.

It was the first time network leaders met in Norway, Freter said.

Freter and other international promo industry leaders – including Steven Baumgärtner, CEO of Cybergroup International, and Jan Breuer, managing director of German promo firm mbw Vertriebsges – shared ideas and experiences during the event. In addition, the seminar presented the new GXN Research Cluster, aggregating existing global market studies for the promo industry and planning the implementation of new studies. “In this way, a central data pool for the promotional products industry is to be established and individual services made possible,” said Freter.

Snowmobile adventures were also a part of the recent GXN Leadership Seminar, held in Norway.

Attendees of the GXN Leadership Seminar were enthusiastic about the experience. “It was an intense few days and conversations,” Breuer noted in a LinkedIn post.

Marcus Sperber, CEO/managing director of Germany-based elasto GmbH & Co. KG (asi/51817), raved that the event was “what real leadership development looks like.”

“Real leadership needs more than PowerPoint and flipcharts,” Sperber wrote on LinkedIn, “and Norway is the perfect place for that.”

The seminar, he added, provided an atmosphere that helped clear the mind and change one’s perspective; plus, the intense nature of the event went beyond “superficial networking” to ensure “an honest exchange” between promo leaders.