My Experience on The Lego Inside Tour: A Unique Experience

The Lego Inside Tour 2017:

This year I was one of the 35 participants on the first 2017 The Lego Inside Tour. Any Lego-lover’s dream is to go on this tour. A participant will see inside sneak peaks of how LEGO works, exclusive sets, see private offices, meet designers, go into the LEGO employee shop, and be a part of other exclusive events.

The tour was May 3-5 taking place in Billund, Denmark. Each day was quite busy and I’ll guide you through what it was like each day, the activities, where we went, what we learned, and, of course, will provide images of the places I was allowed to take pictures!

Now, let’s begin.

Day 1: May 3

And so the first day of the tour begins, excited participants wait eagerly to begin this “once in a lifetime” experience. It’s traditional not to give away too much information so participants will get to experience all the surprises on their own, so I will not tell you everything! The first activity began with an introduction, of course, followed by a “team building” activity. I won’t go into too much detail about this, but the objective was to build a bridge from a given structure without pieces touching the table. It was really enjoyable and fun to look at the other team’s bridge. If your team won – the team I was on actually did – your team was allowed to choose a small Lego set.

We then went to the LEGO Idea House where we had a guided tour and visited the LEGO Vault, where almost all of the LEGO sets ever produced are kept. In addition, we also saw some original wooden toys that Ole Kirk used to make, one of which is shown below. To learn more information on the beginnings of LEGO click here.

Following the LEGO Idea House tour and visiting the archive, we went to the Innovation House. Here, we met with designers which was really an amazing and extremely unique experience. The designers spoke about what they designed and their love for LEGO. It was inspiring to see how passionate they are about what they do.

Afterwards, we had dinner with designers, yes with, designers. For me, I learned more about what it was like working for LEGO and what to study to design for LEGO. We also spoke about the lifestyle in Denmark and more. This was definitely one of my favorite parts, it was absolutely illuminating and unexplainably inspiring.

The day ended with an activity that really allowed participants to build and show their creative and imaginative side. We were given a building challenge with lots of available bricks and were given almost all night to build.

Day 2: May 4   

Day 2 was filled with more amazing activities. We visited the factory where bricks are molded, went on the warehouse tour, and went to the LEGO employee shop, and had another meal with designers. At the end of the night the designers reviewed the sets we’d done the previous night. Now I’ll go in to further detail about each event.

In the factory we saw the molding machines, of course. Cameras were not permitted in the factory but it was really remarkable to see how the bricks were built and how much care is really put into the quality of the bricks. In addition, they really emphasized the importance of, not only quality in the bricks, but also their way of life. LEGO really emphasized the importance of their care in the future for children, their employees, and the environment. This was extremely heartening to hear and anyone could tell that this care is genuine.

Anyway, to continue! Following the factory tour we had lunch and then continued on our journey! We visited the warehouse, where cameras also weren’t permitted but it was a beautiful building that also seemed very welcoming. Here we were split into two groups. While one group toured the warehouse the other learned about other companies infringing upon LEGO’s rights. It was really interesting and eye-opening.

The warehouse tour was also a lot of fun.  When anyone from anywhere in the world contacts LEGO about needing a replacement piece, this warehouse is where these orders are fulfilled. They have all the pieces made within the last three years which was quite a sight to see.

As well as visiting the warehouse and the factory, we also visited the employee shop. Of course, everyone looked forward to this, as we’d heard that there’d be discounts. All I can say is that it was a lot of fun and definitely worth the visit!

That night we had dinner with designers in LEGOLAND after hours. We ate at a grill in Western Town. This was also a wonderful experience and we spoke, again, about lifestyle, what to study in order to be a part of LEGO, and more. There were a lot of potatoes, we learned that potatoes are very, very, popular in Denmark! One of my favorite foods they brought out was french fries. No, not just normal french fries but LEGO-shaped french fries. They were also delicious.

Ending the day was the designer review. Here they reviewed the sets we had designed and also we got to sit and talk with them again. They even designed  our table decorations, such as a huge brick separator, ice cream, rocket ship, and toothbrush!

During this event, five people were given one-of-a-kind LEGO trophies. I actually won the Designers Award!

The two designers who I got to know well and really liked, presented me with this award and spoke about my design. I’d built a Traveler’s Cottage. Getting this award was so impactful and the way the designers spoke about my cottage was so exciting. After the ceremony we were able to talk with more designers and get pictures with them and even get some stuff signed.

As you can tell, the day was packed with really fun activities.

May 5:

The final day on the tour has come. It has all gone by so fast. May 5 we visited the LEGO House! It will be open to the public September 28, 2017! It was beautiful and all of the models were absolutely breathtaking!

It is, as you can see, not yet finished. You can see what the finished product will look like here. It was not only a huge building filled with LEGO models, but also gave off a really happy LEGO-like vibe. I don’t want to give away too much of what it looks like inside because it’s such an amazing place to see in person but I will provide a few images.

The models were extremely detailed, the buildings, the land, everything. In addition to the attention in detail, there were also hidden “easter eggs” within the scenes. As you can see above, the Scooby Doo crew is arriving at and investigating a scene!

In addition to the beautiful detail in the houses, this image of a Fabuland theme park really shows the amount of detail in the models. This is just a portion of the city. Once again, I really have to say how breathtaking and outstanding the city was to see.

The land is so colorful and fun, detailed, and lively. In this image, you can see that the Banana Guy from Series 16 decided to show up!

Furthermore, there were also many more fun activities and models that will be in the LEGO House on opening day! One of them being the LEGO® House, Tree of Creativity. This was a huge, huge, model that is just over 50 feet tall, with 6,316,611 pieces, weighing just about 24,367 pounds, and taking about 24,350 hours to build – that’s 1,014 days! The work put into it definitely shows.

It really does look like a real tree at first glance, yet it’s made out of millions of LEGO bricks! Many hidden features are within the tree. For example the woodpecker is carving in a “T” for the next generation owner, Thomas Kirk! In addition to that, one will find a wooden duck carved in the tree, a fire truck, and much more! As you can see below, some iconic sets and scenes have been placed among the leaves of the tree. 

Although this was the last day of the tour, it was quite exciting. Every moment was wonderful and everything we did was an educational and fun experience. At the final farewell meeting, we were each given an exclusive LEGO set which I will not reveal, but it is amazing and something I will cherish forever.

Overall, the tour was way beyond my expectations – and I did have some pretty high ones, too! I’m so grateful for this opportunity and it was a blast!

I really wanted to mention how much LEGO showed how much they cared once again. Throughout the tour every staff member we met was extremely kind, encouraging, and welcoming. They really followed the factors shown in LEGO’s values. I also mentioned before how much LEGO cares about quality. The quality in the pieces, sets, packaging, the consumers, the future for children and following generations, the environment, their employees, their business partners, everyone, especially valuing family.

Now I want to let you know about the food, the room (and the amazing view), and my visit to the LEGO store in Leicester Square – the world’s largest LEGO store!

What it Was Like Staying in The Legoland Hotel in Billund:

My stay at the hotel was a lot of fun. From my room I had a perfect view of Legoland! Plus, it was a very comfortable room! There were even LEGO pieces provided in the room!

I definitely want to show some pictures I took while I walked through Mini Land so here are some of them!

I have visited other Legolands yet this one (specifically the mini land) was stunning and much larger than any other I’ve been to. Those are some of the pictures I took when walking through Mini Land.

I will be making a video of my journey on the tour which will have more pictures in it, along with video footage from other events!

The Food:

The food served by the hotel was pretty good. The breakfast buffet had eggs, yogurt, potatoes, pancakes, and more. The drinks included juices, milk, and very tasty smoothies! For dinner, there were a lot of meat options. I found that they did not have chicken but had other meat such as salmon, lamb, veal, and more. They also had salad and, of course, potatoes in a variety of styles. There was also a kid’s buffet which had kid-friendly food such as chicken nuggets, beef patties and French fries.

Exclusive Sets in Billund:

In addition to the exclusive LEGO set given to us on the Inside Tour, we also got two special edition boxes available in Billund.

The Billund Airport is available at Billund Airport and I saw the Lego House available in town and at the Legoland Hotel.

LEICESTER SQUARE LEGO STORE (May 6)

On my way back home, I had a layover in London and decided to visit the LEGO store in my free time. Here I finished purchasing Series 17 Collectible Minifigures (which I will review soon)! The store was definitely larger than others but I did not notice too much of a difference.

Although it did not seem too much bigger, it did have a lot of unique LEGO models. As shown above, the entrance reads a Lego-built “Leicester Square” sign. 

It was a very unique store with a lot of different models. I really enjoyed going there and would definitely recommend visiting if you’re ever nearby!

Overall, it was really an amazing trip and if you have any questions or comments please leave them below! I will be making a video showing what the trip was like. I’m not sure what day I’m going to release it but keep checking because I will let you know!

Again, feel free to leave any comments below about the trip, my Traveler’s Cottage, the Leicester Square LEGO store, and anything else! Come back soon to check for more updates!