 COMMENTARY
DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF SAFETY
Armchair quarterbacking is the easy way to watch and criticize sports or for that matter, a realty television series.
The Chain Saw Ice Sculptors reality show produced by Silver Plume Productions and shown on TLC certainly highlighted our industry and had all the ingredients required to make an interesting program – glamor, well represented by Dominique Collel, the Ice Queen from Images in Ice, Camarillo, CA; some high performance carving by Houston,Texas-based Rolando De La Garza aka Reverend Butter, and his partner Buddy Rasmussen of the DLG Ice Factory, and some technically accurate sculpting by father and son team, Takeo and Shintaro Okomato of the Okamato Studio in New York City.
Great television and anyone I have spoken to agrees, it did our industry proud.
Overall, our art was shown in good light and many of the day-to-day challenges faced by business carvers were covered - tight deadlines, bad weather, hot temperatures, traffic problems, broken sculptures, forgotten tools – all those things that make our industry the fun and challenging business it is.
I understand this program is one of several being planned on our industry – Samantha Brown’s Great Weekend on Travel Channel was another. And there will likely be more.
Then I read Aaron Costic’s recent newsletter in which there was a story about a 73 year old man who was killed when an ice sculpture fell on him at a wedding. Admittedly, this all happened in India where the liability laws are quite a bit different to North America, but even so, real reality set in quickly ! I had enjoyed the reality show several days beforehand, but then I started to think. What if……..?
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BUSINESS
VALUE-BASED SELLING
The common misconception that lower prices sell more products has often prevented sales people focusing on those to whom price is only part of the purchasing equation.
While there will always be those who make their purchasing decisions primarily on price, there are many more who factor in a lot of other things.
One of those things is value. Here’s an example. I have a friend who has never ever made a buying decision on price alone. In fact, he is happy to pay more if he feels he is getting better quality, better service, or a better warranty.
While it often takes him longer to make a purchasing decisions because he does his homework, he is also often more than not, happy with the decisions he makes, and he is twice as likely to buy from the same person or company again. Here’s how you can tap into an area of selling that takes you to a whole new level.
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GENERAL INTEREST
TORCH RUN HYPES WINTER GAMES
- AND KICK-STARTS CARNIVALS
As the Olympic torch crisscrossed Canada on its way to Vancouver for the Winter Olympic Games, many communities made the most of their ’15 minutes of fame’ by using the occasion to lay the foundation for a winter carnival which they hope will become an annual affair.
Local celebrities, dignitaries and sports figures proudly carried the torch through the crowds in their home towns as they promoted the Olympic spirit and gave many photo-opportunities for the local newspapers, radio and television stations.
In most cases, the torch was only in the town for a few hours, but even so, many astute councils saw the occasion as an ideal opportunity to generate winter activity in their community.
Ice sculptures were present in many localities to add flavor to the event. Designs centered around the Olympic theme and sculptures of the Olympic torch and flame, the Olympic rings, different sports activities and the Innukshuk icon were common.
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BUSINESS
TIMELY TIPS
Here’s a little reminder when you are dealing with potential customers face to face or perhaps over the telephone. Just remember customers are profit, staff are overhead. You might care to point that out to people in your shop, as well.
A tidy shop, clean vehicles, courteous and smartly dressed staff – especially those on deliveries contribute to your public relations image. Customers will remember that.
Pay attention to how you speak to people over the telephone. May be customers cannot see you but they can still tell a lot about you from your tone and attitude.
Happy customers are your greatest ally – almost like having another sales person on the road.
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GENERAL INTEREST
ICE LOUNGE IS A FIRST
IN NEW DELHI, INDIA
‘Do it right or don’t do it at all’ – it’s a wonderful creed to live by, but it’s not always easy to fulfill. Business experts agree that success relies on management savvy, marketing ability and financial acumen. And to that mix, add entrepreneurial passion for creating something unique.
Four young entrepreneurs in New Delhi – all under 30 years of age – who have been close friends since school days through university, have pooled resources and opened an ice lounge in a prominent mall complex in the south part of the city.
Each partner is successful in his own right and either is involved with his own business or has a career with an established corporation.
Heading the group is Puneet Tayal, a New Delhi-based Wealth Manager. Of the four partners, Puneet was voted to front the ice lounge project while the others work behind the scenes.
The idea for Ice Lounge New Delhi, as it is known, was conceived after one of the partners visited the ice lounge in London, England, and was so enthused about his ‘ice experience’ he told his friends.
After several months of research and a couple of false starts, the partners settled on a location on the first floor of the MGF Metropolitan Mall which is linked to the Select City Walk and DLF Place shopping malls in New Delhi.
An ice lounge is a big investment but the group were determined to follow their ‘do it right’ policy, from start to finish.
New Delhi is a prime market and with a population of 12 million plus, it was vital that special attention was paid to managing all aspects of the project – from sourcing the appropriate suppliers, developing food and beverage menus and arranging for suitable insulated clothing for visitors.
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GENERAL INTEREST
OUT AND ABOUT
The World Cup of Soccer takes place in South Africa this summer and Ice Art, Cape Town, South Africa was commissioned to produce sculptures for the promotional events leading up to the games.
Ice Zakumi, the mascot was created as an ice portrait for the occasion together with a number of soccer ball sculptures. The iconic Table Mountain was also produced in ice.
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GENERAL INTEREST
WEDDING SHOWS BRING
OUT NEW DESIGNS
Two high-end Wedding Shows in Toronto recently provided the platform for the introduction of new wedding sculptures. The first, staged at the Carlu venue was the launching pad for a new ice shot display and a unique presentation for seating cards.
The ice shot display featured reverse-sculpted candle vases at each corner and a four-sided display of shot glasses arranged on two levels on a pedestal base. A matching base supported the seating card presentation with flowers in assorted ice vases providing effective accessories.
The second venue was the Suhaag Wedding Show at the Congress Centre which was geared specifically to the Indian market. A variation of the seating card presentation was set on a well-designed, solid, 6 ft x 3 ft ice table which attracted a lot of attention in its own right.
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