Balloons on cars

A bunch of things happened today, to make my observation of early morning more poignant.  As I was driving to work this morning (and keep in mind it was a cold morning for May in Edmonton) I witnessed a couple of guys who work for a car dealership attaching balloons on cars.  I couldn't help but think as I drove past, that this was a pretty pathetic method at trying to increase car sales.  Think about it!  If you were in the market to buy a new car today, would the fact that it had a balloon attached to the windshield wiper make you want it more?  I sincerely doubt it!  While this wasn't a GM dealership, that mentality made me think that maybe it isn't a bad thing after all that 300 dealerships in Canada are going to be shut down.  Seriously, if innovation and cutting edge marketing is reduced to putting a balloon on a car, then we are all doomed.

I spent an hour with a company who does high end events, talking about the Prairie Regional Barista Championships, to see if they might want to help us this year.  At the end of the meeting, it was clear that this wasn't the year, but we left with ideas for 2010, and how we might engage some of the fine folk of Edmonton, into a taste extravaganza which might work next year.  Innovation is more than a balloon on a car!  Innovation is what has me contemplating throwing $2000 on a whirlwind trip for Chad, Josh and Me to fly to LA on Friday to join the party and launch of Intelli's Venice Beach location.  Why would we do this, you might ask?  Not just to join the party, but to acknowledge the "REAL" innovation and passion that Intelli is demonstrating in North America not just in terms of cafe design, but in terms of leadership in the specialty coffee industy.  I am not sure that we will actually go, but I want to.  I want to be part of the wedge, the anti balloons on car movement, which offers radical new ideas in the world of specialty coffee to all who will listen.  So on the eve of a refurbished or fully serviced Synesso at Transcend, and the evening of the day where I witnessed balloons being tied on cars, I want to challenge all in the specialty coffee industry to do more.  Be more, serve more, learn more, grow more, work more, so that those that watch, drink and listen, might be more too.  OK, time for bed.  To Nick, Kyle, Doug, Geoff, and the crew down in LA, if we don't make it, know that we really wanted to be there.