I know I'm not exactly communicating the core message of NMS accurately, but having lived in the UK for four years, I wholeheartedly agree with his sentiments on the British style of catering.
- Stop microwaving pastry. Do you not like food?
- Room temperature is not a cold drink. Fix your coke fridge.
- Give me broadband wi-fi or I keep walking, suitcases and all.
Regarding the third point, broadband, this is a universal problem, which a lot of catering-places need to fix. There needs to be a universal connectivity to things. People are used to transparency online and translating that too offline use is something that still needs to happen. For example, imagine checking IMDB in a cinema or at a DVD-store; recipes in a supermarket; or reviews, while sitting in a cafe or restaurant. That just seems like common sense. Not to mention giving people a chance to continue their work at your venue, which leads to more coffee, etc. Incidentally, given that laptop batteries are not perfect, I would also like to add conveniently-placed electric plugs to that request.
All in all transparency is not a bad thing, in fact it is great. First off all, it forces you as a caterer to focus on excellence, and secondly, it generates trust from your visitors, which in turn translates to greater loyalty and perhaps a favourable online review now and then. Imagine not only given people a chance to suck the internet from your venue, but also to transmit their favourable sentiments about their experience to the whole wide world. Now that is viral marketing! NMS makes similar points.
Incidentally, New Music Strategies is a great blog on translating traditional thinking about music to the new age of all-round connectivity. I read it on a weekly basis. The picture is courtesy of SeenyaRita on Flickr and totally my idea of a good breakfast.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The 
