Listen to the sounds of Paris in Amsterdam
2-7-2015
A billboard with inspiring sounds from other cities. Pedestrians in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam are invited to listen to each other’s original sounds through their headphones at interactive billboards.
Listen to the sound of
The railroad company Thalys uses these 3 billboards to inspire passers-by with a sneak pre-hearing of a new travel experience. They of course want to encourage you to use the train to go and explore nearby cities. The billboards are made in collaboration with French advertising agency Rosapark.
Each billboard represents a city, the billboard of Amsterdam has 1352 sounds to tell the passers-by, Paris 1460 sounds and Brussels 1889. Pedestrians are invited to plug in with their personal headphones and start exploring. Enjoy a sound from Paris while strolling your hometown Amsterdam.
Like Pop-Up City describes, the billboards explore a new way of urban advertising. The focus on hearing is added to the visual impact of billboards. And with most of the people carrying earplugs nowadays, this technique might be used more…..
York & Albany brings the beach to central London
2-7-2015
The sunglasses, flip flops and beach balls thrive well at the city oasis of York & Albany’s Beach Shack in London, where you immediately get the summer vibe.
Be transported from the heart of London to a beach bar at the courtyard of Gordon Ramsay’s York & Albany. The seaweed Martini or Bacardi Rum slush served in a mini bucket with scoops as spoons will definitely get you in the mood, otherwise the alcoholic popsicles with Pimm’s liqueur will do so.
Beach Menu
At the restaurant they serve a selection of tempting bites such as mini fish ‘n’ chips, bite-sized Cumberland sausages and jars’ with pickled seafood. For the big appetite, there is a Beach BBQ menu that includes grilled burgers and vegetarian kebab with salad, fries and potato salad but without the usual sand between your teeth.
Ice cream with caramel popcorn and cotton candy
If baking in the sunshine isn’t enough, a choice of sugary desserts will get you in the sandal-mood. With raspberry custard doughnuts, banana split ice-cream and a do-it-yourself ice cream machine that’s offering soft serve scoops of strawberry cheesecake with candy floss and caramel popcorn. Wow! Now that’s an ice cream cone (referred to as a 99) for the 21st century!
Beach bar arrangement for groups
Londoners don’t have to travel to the coast during these hot days, they can put their feet in the sand at York & Albany’s Beach Hut as well. The selfies made there will give the impression that they originate from the beach in Camden and not from central London. The beach bar is available for exclusive dinners up to 12 guests. For thirty pounds per person, guests can enjoy different savory and sweet snacks and two cocktails.
It’s a wonderful way of enjoying the summer feeling in town, even during less sunny days!
ID&T and Coca-Cola collaborate for recycling at festivals
26-6-2015
Entertainment company ID&T and manufacturer Coca-Cola have been partners in sustainability since 2012. Together they want to encourage visitors of festivals and events to recycle. This summer they are working together for recycling at festivals in The Netherlands.
Recycling at festivals
ID&T and Coca-Cola are working together at three festivals: Defqon.1, Mysteryland and Welcome to the Future. At each festival there will be a couple of facilities available that will give people the chance to recycle. There will be ‘Green Teams’ walking around the terrain that encourage the visitors to throw their garbage in the right bins and they keep the terrain clean as well. There will also be a recycling-booth present where visitors can learn why recycling is important and how they can contribute.
A successful collaboration
Milou Hamelers, Recycling Manager of Coca-Cola Enterprises, says that they are very happy to work together with ID&T because their festivals attract hundreds of thousands of visitors. “This is a wonderful chance to show our involvement in sustainability and recycling.” she says. In an inspiring way ID&T and Coca-Cola would like to show people that a lot of garbage still has value after being thrown away in a bin.
Rooftop concert by Hooghoudt and Kensington
23-6-2015
The Dutch band Kensington and Hooghoudt distillery will end this summer with a bang. They join forces for a rooftop concert somewhere on a roof in the Netherlands.
Rooftop concert
The rooftop concert will be held at the end of the festival season, early September. Consumers can win tickets for this special experience by buying a Hooghoudt bottle or a Hooghoudt Kensington package at one of the Gall & Gall stores in the Netherlands. The Hooghoudt products contain a unique code that could provide access to the concert. The promotion runs from 22 June to 15 August 2015.
Cocktail Maker
It’s also possible to win tickets through the online cocktail maker tool of Gall & Gall. The practical website guides you to the perfect cocktail recipe and looks a bit like the Gastronomixs tool. After choosing a cocktail recipe people can submit suggestions for ingredients. Anyone that sends in suggestions for ingredients via the website, can win a Fever-Tree cocktail workshop as well.
Smaakmakers
Hooghoudt started the collaboration with the band Kensington to attract a broader audience. Check out the road movie from Hooghoudt about these talents from Utrecht. Besides working with Kensington, Hooghoudt works together with young and enthusiastic professionals since January 2015. They call them their ‘Seasonings’ and award-winning bartender Lennart Deddens is one of them. With the ‘Seasonings’ they want to inspire and give everyone access to special mixes and exciting recipes. “But inspiration is more than just good taste, it’s also acquired by shared experiences, such as a unique rooftop concert” says Niels Grootenboer, marketing manager at Hooghoudt.
Fever-Tree tonic
17-6-2015
Recently gin and tonic mixes are extremely popular. There was a Gin & Tonic festival, there are special restaurants and (pop-up) bars, there is a GINformatiecentrum and at every fancy food festivals you can get yourself a gin and tonic mix.
Quality of tonic
Usually the focus at the mix drinks is on the gin and the quality of the tonic if often neglected. This while a mix drink like a gin-tonic consists for ¾ out of a tonic and is thus crucial for the flavour. In recent decades the soft drink market is largely dominated by a few multinational companies that more focus on profit rather than quality. This changes now, more and more producers approach the market differently with more unique and qualitative products. Fever-Tree is one of them and since November 2014 the company is privately held and competing with the big boys at the London AIM stock market.
Quinine in the tonic
In 2004 Charles Rolls and Tim Warrillow decided tonic and mixers for cocktails in general could use a quality upgrade. One of the major components of tonic is quinine, that’s where the bitterness comes from. After months of research they discovered that there is a Fever Tree plantation that produces the purest quinine in the world and it’s located in Congo. They travelled to the rough Democratic Republic of Congo and visited this plantation. The ingredients for the rest of the tonic are collected in the same manner. Research, travel and conversations with ‘plant hunters’ a part of the development of new products. Fever-Tree tonic contains high-quality ingredients and natural cane sugar.
Ginger Beer and Ginger Ale
For Fever-Tree’s Ginger Beer and Ginger Ale three kinds of ginger are used, each from a different area. It’s fresh green ginger from Ivory Coast for the freshness, ginger from Nigeria for depth and intensity of the flavor and ginger from Cochin for an earthy, chocolate-like flavor.
Mediterranean tonic
The Mediterranean Tonic is our favorite. It contains citrus oil and herbs from the coastal areas around the Mediterranean. Lemon Thyme and rosemary are two of the ingredients that come from Provence and give the unique flower-like character to the tonic, which makes it an ideal mixer for vodka and lights gins.
Sample platter for Friska’s …
11-6-2015
Recently we spotted the sample platter at Friska. Their healthy, responsible roles with fresh ingredients are served at the Amsterdam Food Halls.
Sample platter created for your product
Often the small details in new concepts catch our eye. At Friska, designed by van Ommeren Architects, we think the wooden trays amplify the concept. These are specially designed platters to serve Friska’s from. You don’t often see architects design such a platter especially for one product.
About the Friska’s
Friska’s in their own words: “Part-time sushi, part-time wrap, fulltime Friska. Healthy, organic and 100% gluten free. Friska’s are healthy rolls with fresh ingredients. Easy, ready to eat and easy to eat with one hand. They have a lot of standard choices in Friska’s but you can also create your own roll. Choose your favorite wrap, create your own stuffing with different grains and fresh vegetables and your Friska is ready.
Maastricht pampers guests
10-6-2015
Several visitors of Maastricht were, totally unexpected, pampered last weekend.
Welcoming Maastricht
Last weekend some lucky visitors of Maastricht were unexpectedly surprised by two waiters. They placed a bistro set on various places in the bustling city and invited some visitors to enjoy a cup of coffee with the famous pie from this region and a musical performance. Watch the video impression here.
What you want?
With the “What you want?” campaign the city demonstrates that a visit or experience of the city doesn’t only depends on the hospitable services in hotels, restaurants and retail. The atmosphere and what you can experience are also very important. From arrival to departure, from cultural visitor to shopping lover, the city has to leave a lasting impression to everyone from young to old.
You don’t visit Maastricht, you experience Maastricht
John Aarts, alderman of economy from the city: “Maastricht has no clichés. Boring is a word that doesn’t exist here. Around every corner awaits a new impression, behind every façade a surprise. Although the city is small, it’s unique character is made by the atmosphere displayed throughout the city. You don’t visit Maastricht, you experience Maastricht.”
Wild Dining
9-6-2015
Recently, a small collective started organizing luxury dinners at extraordinary locations. By the name of Wilddineren (‘Wild Dining’) a train compartment, the attic of the Beurs van Berlage (Amsterdam) and the red toilets of the Patronaat in Haarlem were used for surprising dinners.
Unique Wild Dining
Each dinner has a unique location, unique chefs and a unique dining concept. At the Beurs van Berlage guests were eating between the old boilers at the attic, but everyday locations like a train and a toilet can be transformed into an unusual dinner location as well. Earlier, the guys from Gastrovan, Masterchef cook Elise Calkoen, Seats2Meet, ‘Catering aan huis’ and Patronaat participated in Wild Dining.
Contrasting experiences
In addition to culinary delights, there are presentations, interesting guests, table roulette and live music during the dinners. The organization finds it addictive to surprise guests and bystanders. They want to amaze people and to confront them with activities outside their own paradigm. The organization indicates that the dinners are a reaction to the current overload of parties in old warehouses, food truck festivals and pop-up initiatives of shops and restaurants. The focus is primarily on creating contrasting experiences. With these dinners they aim to compete with theater, cinema’s and concerts, rather than to compete with regular restaurants.
There are a number of dinners scheduled, but the specific time and place will be revealed on the day itself.
Ecocapsule: the hiker’s cabin of the future?
29-5-2015
Ecocapsule: a micro-shelter that operates off-grid and promises impressive sustainable technology including solar power, rainwater collection and filtration, and wind power.
Bratislava’s Nice Architects has unveiled a prototype of the Ecocapsule at the Pioneers festival in Vienna on 28 May. The ecocapsule comprises a total usable floorspace of 8 sq m (86 sq ft), and includes a kitchenette, toilet, shower, work and dining area, folding bed and internal and externally-accessed storage. Access to the home is gained through one door and it has two windows. The micro-home can be easily transported by trailer and the architects indicate that it can serve as a tiny house, additional bedroom or even office. And we think it would serve great as hiker’s cabin!
The sustainable hiker’s cabin
A lot of sustainable technology is built in this ecocapsule, like a 2.6 sq m (28 sq ft) solar array on the roof and integrated battery system. Ecocapsule also has a silent 750 W wind turbine that’s set on a retractable pole. The bathroom includes a composting toilet and a shower, and a rainwater collection and filtration system offers clean drinking water.
Nice Architects hopes to be ready for sale by the end of 2015 and promises a competitive price.
Digital illuminated billboard addressing women
29-5-2015
The beer brand Astra’s digital billboard is able to target its messages only to women, using gender-detection software.
Agency Philipp und Keuntje created the first digital illuminated billboard advertisement for the German beer brand Astra (from Hamburg). The billboard was installed outside the ‘Zum Silbersack’ pub in Hamburg. Philipp und Keuntje shot around seventy short videos with the comedian and journalist Uke Bosse in the leading role, all with the aim of inspiring more females to try the beer.
The digital illuminated billboard in action
At the billboard, the comedian addresses passersby and specifically women with the aim to encourage them to sample an Astra beer. The billboard has been equipped with a camera and the latest gender-detection software, allowing to detect the gender and the age of the individual. Check the video for great examples of the video messages the billboard uses to ‘sell’ Astra to the passing women.
