The Royal Norwegian embassy in Kuala Lumpur held its annual Seafood Gala Dinner on the 4th of November at Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
05/11/2008 :: Malaysian and Norwegian friends and business partners were brought together to a spectacular seafood buffet, provided by Norwegian chef Mr Frank Næsheim and his team of professionals. The seafood was flown in directly from Norway for the occasion and was prepared based on both Norwegian and Asian recipes. More than 600 guests attended this year’s gala dinner, making it an all time record. The guest of honour for the evening was YB Tan Sri Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, and in charge of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU).
Chairman of the Malaysian Norwegian Business Council (MNBC), Mr Øyvind Bjørkhaug, presented the Malaysian Norwegian Innovation Award, which this year went to Aker Solutions. Aker Solutions is a leading global provider for engineering and construction services, technology products and integrated solutions for the oil & gas industry and has been present in Malaysia since 1995. The company won the award based on criteria such as excellence in sustainable operation, significant market share, willingness and commitment in technology and knowledge transfer, social responsibility and environmental awareness and action.
The entertainment for the evening was provided by popular stand-up duo Comedy Court. They provided the audience with a hilarious satire of Malaysian lifestyle and politics. The gala dinner also included a ticket for a lucky draw, with revenues (over RM 6000) going to the Ruman Ozanam charity project and to the Living Hope organization: One Egg One Child. The lucky winner won a Stressless chair, produced by the Norwegian company Ekornes and donated by Macy’s home furnishing.
A great Norwegian atmosphere was created for the evening, with images of Norwegian scenery on a big screen on stage and background music of famous Norwegian composer Edward Grieg and Norwegian musicians Secret Garden. With fantastic food, great entertainment and a record number of guests, the annual Norwegian Seafood Gala Dinner was yet again a success!