OfficeSpaces…the Sunshine Suites of Amsterdam

I have to tell you…traveling with Howard Greenstein is a dream. He doesn’t forget or leave behind anything. I, on the other hand, am a total klutz…always forgetting everything…as my wife says “if my head weren’t screwed on I’d probably leave that behind too!” In addition, Howard took better notes, asked better questions and too many more photos that I did (so why the heck did I go?)

As I said, Howard is also somewhat of a photo bug…he had two cameras with him at almost all times and never missed a photo opportunity. Check out his flickr account for photos from our trip:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardgr/sets/72157605842962989/

Anyway among the many places we visited was OfficeSpaces in Amsterdam, similar in many respects to Sunshine Suites, my office in Tribeca (NYC).

According to Martijn Roordink, our gracious host and the brains behind the place, Spaces offers affordable office space and work spots in an inspiring environment. At Spaces you do not just rent square feet, but also the supportive services of your choice, such as telephone answering services, receiving your guests or ordering printing paper. So you can focus on your core business. We are happy to take all other business off your hands, if so desired. Spaces also offers many extensive facilities for meetings, press conferences, workshops or social gatherings, a tasty breakfast or just a cup of coffee in our conservatory. All this in a stately mansion by the Amsterdam canals accompanied by a splendid view and at very competitive rates!In addition, in August, Spaces will be the first of many E.Factor lounges we plan to launch throughout the world including New York, London, New Delhi, San Francisco and Atlanta to name a few.

 

Back to Howard. Howard wrote an interesting write up in his blog the other day which bears repeating here. In addition to this write up on Spaces, I will be adding more stuff from my trip all week…including stuff from my friends at the EFactor including Adrie, Marion and Roeland as well as some of the interesting people I met in our travels…including some footage I shot with the Flip camcorder…which is in Israel at the moment with Adrie who is attending a technicial conference in Tel Aviv.

-Bill

FROM THE HARBROOKE GROUP WEBSITE

Yesterday, I saw the almost-finished construction of OfficeSpaces.nl, a very cool concept in shared office space, leased space for small entrepreneurial companies, and a common area that will be the first lounge for the E.Factor network members.

Martijn Roordink took Bill Sobel, Roeland Reinders, and me around on a tour of the beautiful new space,which is taking final form over the next 6 weeks. The concept combines elements of shared space like Regus clubs (printing, coffee bar, and other services on site) with concepts of co-working (with an entire area for soloists who will share space).

From this new glass top to the building, making the entire inside an open court, to board rooms and common areas designed to get the companies and workers interacting, there’s a lot that’s well-thought out about this place.

Flickr is giving me a hard time about photo uploads this morning, so I will update with more photos later. Additionally Bill Sobel and I took some video and when we upload that later, you’ll get a much better sense of the place, and I’ll expand this entry.

BDI “Green Communications 2008: The Case Studies Conference”

I am honored to again be part of another exciting BDI event coming up in mid July entitled “

Many of our NY:MIEG members have taken advantage of the “member only” discount and have thanked me personally for bring such important and worthwhile events to their attention…and this one on July 15th is just as important, if not moreso!

To received the NY:MIEG member discount ($145 as opposed to $195) use the discount code
NYMIEG

Last Chance for Discounted Rate of $145!

 

 Green Communications 2008: The Case Studies Conference

For more information and to register, please visit www.bdionline.com/greencommunications2008. Use promo code NYMIEG when registering for a discounted rate of $160 before the end of July 1st!

 

Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Place: The Graduate Center/CUNY: 365 Fifth Avenue; New York, NY 10016
Registration Fee: $195
Website: http://www.bdionline.com/greencommunications2008

Green initiatives are more than just a passing trend; they are a part of daily life. Individuals, communities, and companies have embraced this movement and now incorporate it into their lives, products, and business strategies. This half day conference will reveal case studies from companies that have successfully created and implemented green communications campaigns. They will specifically address the questions, issues, and opportunities facing the corporate communicator and marketer.

The following companies and organizations are currently registered for the conference: Alcoa, AMDA, Analog Devices Inc., Aquent, BASF Catalysts, Broadview Networks, BrownFlynn, Carrier Corporation, City College of NY, Corporate Responsibility Institute, Croda Inc, CSRwire, Earth Day Network, Emanate, Entergy, Exel, Forest Laboratories Inc., Futerra Sustainability Communications, Greyhound Lines Inc., Hagan School of Business Iona College, HAI, Hasbro Inc., Horizon Marketing Group Inc., Hullin Metz, i3 Marketing Group, INDUS Corporation, International Flavors and Fragrances, Jack Morton Worldwide, Jennings Public Relations and Advertising, John Wiley and Sons Inc, KAM Public Relations, Kirkland and Ellis LLP, Knowledge Networks, Kyocera Mita America Inc., Laurence Mach Creative Services Inc., LUCITA, Lyon Park Public Relations, Maloney and Fox, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, Marriott Vacation Club International, MetLife, Morgans Hotel Group, National Starch, New Pig Corp, O and J Design Inc, Osprey Publishing, Owens Corning, Phoenix Communications, Pitney Bowes, Porter Novelli, PR Newswire, PSEG Services Corp, Publicis USA, Queens College CUNY, Rabobank, RadTech–UV/EB Assn., RBC Capital Markets, RETHINK LLC, Rogers Corporation, RPR Marketing Communications, Sanna Mattson MacLeod, Shamin Abas Public Relations, SWBNR, Tennessee Valley Authority, The Anderson Group, The Dannon Company Inc., The Huntington Group, The New York Botanical Garden, The PNC Financial Services Group, TOP BUTTON, Tracy Oats Communications, Tyco Electronics, Tyco Flow Control, Tyco International, United States Council for Automotive Research, United States Tennis Association, V V A LLC

Speakers:
Andrew Fox, Senior Manager, Global Communications, AMD
Matthew Greene, Vice President of Marketing Communications, Eaton
Claudia Malley , Vice President, National Geographic
Thomas Mattia, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Public Affairs and Communications, The Coca-Cola Company
Lisa Swann, VP of Communications and Marketing, Earth Day Network
Lisa Witter, Board Member, ClimateCounts.org and COO, FENTON Communications

Topics covered:
- What are specific examples that demonstrate how companies communicate their green initiatives?
- What are the lessons learned from these campaigns?
- How are green campaigns different and/or similar to standard programs?
- How does my company communicate “going green” authentically without being perceived as “jumping on the bandwagon”?
- What resources are available to help me and my company with, plan and execute green campaigns?
- What can my company do differently in future green endeavors to separate the strategies previously implemented in order to grow with the movement?

Sponsors: PR Newswire, LinkedIn, Climate Counts, Earth Day Network, Harris Interactive, CSRwire, GreenBiz.com, GuestPass International, Hispanic Trending, LatinVision, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, MarketersStudio.com, New York Enterprise Report, NY:MIEG, New York University, PR News, SEMPO Institute, SmallBizTechnology.com, Taproot Foundation, theONswitch, Think Green Media, WOMMA

For more information and to register, please visit www.bdionline.com/greencommunications2008. Use promo code NYMIEG when registering for a discounted rate of $145 before the end of July 1st !

Join Our New LinkedIn Group Free of Cost

Stew Leonard Water Safety on NBC Today July 3rd

 have been a friend, customer and fan of Stew Leonard for many years and have been incredibly supportive of the “Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation”. Stew and his wife Kim will appear on the “Today” show this week and I want to help Stew to spread the word.

-Bill

 

On January 1, 1989, a 21-month old toddler lost his life in a drowning accident. This sparked his parents to pledge that they would do everything in their power to prevent this tragedy from striking other families, since drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under five.

In 1990, that toddler’s parents, Kim and Stew Leonard, founded the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation in memory of their son. Since this time, the Foundation has raised more than $1 million dollars to go towards water safety awareness and education, including providing swim scholarships and lifeguard training, along with writing and publishing two children’s books on water safety: Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim and Swimming Lessons with Stewie the Duck. EXPANDING THE MISSION Stew Leonard, Jr. is the president and CEO of Stew Leonard’s food stores in Connecticut and New York. In addition to his work to promote water safety, through his family-owned food stores, he also became aware of the need to encourage healthy eating among children. The number of children who are at risk for being seriously overweight has tripled in the past two decades, and only two percent of children currently meet the recommendations outlined in the dietary guidelines.

Taking a cue from the success of the foundation’s water safety educational efforts, in 2006 the Leonard’s broadened the focus to “promoting safe and responsible growth and development in kids through nutritional awareness and water safety.” The foundation changed its name to the Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities to reflect this new mission.

FOR MORE INFO ON THE FOUNDATION CLICK HERE

Philips Ambient Experience

As I am packing my bags to head back to New York following a great week here in Amsterdam, I am still in awe over this hotel, CitizenM that we have been staying in all week.

One of the many aspects is the fact that one of the partners in the venture is Philips Electronic. According to Yahoo Business, Royal Philips Electronics has its royal fingers in lots of different pies. It makes consumer electronics, including TVs, VCRs, DVD players, and fax machines. But it also makes light bulbs (#1 worldwide), electric shavers (#1) and other personal care appliances, picture tubes, medical systems, and silicon systems solutions. Consumer electronics account for the largest portion of the company’s sales. Philips has been dumping noncore businesses — such as its stake in music giant PolyGram, mobile phones operations, and its chip unit — while acquiring and forming joint ventures in its primary lines of business, including medical equipment financing, thin film LCD panels, and digital rights management.

What makes this especially interesting is that this hotel is one of the first to us Philips Ambient Experience, an interactive, people focused environment that uses design and technology to create a more comfortable experience for hotel guests and staff, improve workflow and increase operational effectiveness.

-Bill

First commercial rollout Ambient Experience with citizenM hotels pioneers new direction for hospitality industry
WEBWIRE – Friday, June 27, 2008
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Philips has today announced the first commercial rollout of its integrated Ambient Experience for hospitality with the launch of the citizenM hotel chain in Amsterdam. Combining Philips’ strengths across a unique combination of products and broad portfolio of solutions the Ambient Experience, which was originally debuted at the London Simplicity Event in 2007, provides players in the hospitality sector with complete, custom-made and integrated solutions across ambience, infotainment, personal care and design value spaces.

Using our bespoke solutions, hotel partners are able to build a unique intimacy with their guests and remove the traditional feeling of anonymity from the hotel experience. As consumer choices are increasingly driven by emotional factors - beyond merely the functionality of a product - the Ambient Experience offers them immersive experiences that go ‘beyond the product’ and engage all the senses.

“The commercial rollout of our Ambient Experience for the hospitality sector is a further validation of the success of our simplicity vision and customer-centric approach,” according to Geert van Kuyck, Chief Marketing Officer at Philips. “By leveraging our unique combination of solutions we are leading the way in creating innovative, people-centric solutions and designs, thereby creating a more meaningful, personal and desirable proposition”.

In an increasingly competitive market, the hospitality sector is looking for new solutions to help them differentiate themselves and achieve global consistency in branding and experience. “With the Ambient Experience for hospitality we are able to put the consumer at the heart of the hotel experience,” Arnold Stokking, Senior Vice President Business Group Hospitality. “Our partnership with citizenM not only illustrates the direction that the hospitality industry is going in, but it also indicates the way forward for creating unique experiences for hotel guests”.

To further capitalize on its strong position in the hospitality sector Philips is leveraging its business synergies to create more innovative, customer-centric solutions based on complete value propositions. Earlier this month Philips also announced that is would build a customized Ambient Experience room with NH Hoteles to conduct an intensive two-year study into the optimization of well-being amongst hotel guests.

EXPLORER : GORILLA MURDERS TUESDAY @ 10 on NGC

 just got an email from my friend Jaime Bernanke about a new show he wrote and post produced for The National Geographic Channel.

-Bill

I just finished writing and post-producing this hour for National Geographic. I thought you might enjoy hearing about it. It’s a beautiful, powerful, and revealing film about war and corruption, desperate refugees, and heroic park rangers who are struggling to save an endangered species.

Best,

Jaime

 

Jaime Bernanke

DoraLou Productions

155 Riverside Drive, #11-B

New York, NY 10024

tel: 212-724-3930 - cell: 917-405-0819

E-mail: bernanke@bestweb.net

Robin & Sarah talk about the CitizenM Hotel

I have been spending the week here in Amsterdam at one of the most incredible hotels…the CitizenM. I sat down earlier this week with company co-founder Robin Chadha and one of his colleagues, Sarah Zimmerman to talk about it.

 

Robin & Sarah talk about the CitizenM Hotel

Vote for the E.Factor on KillerStartups.com

I just got word this afternoon that the E.Factor has been added to the website killerstartups.com and they are asking for you to vote and show your support of the E.Factor.

FYI: KillerStartups.com is a user driven internet startups community. Entrepreneurs, investors, and bloggers are staying informed on up-and-coming internet startups using our blog platform, where internet entrepreneurs submit their startup to see what others think about it. Their vision: “Tapping the wisdom of crowds to find the next internet big thing.”
We deeply believe in the power of crowds, and we want to put it to good use by detecting in an early stage what’s going to be big.

That said, click on the link below…read a bit about E.Factor (if you don’t what it’s all about) and if you like it vote!

http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/efactor-com-joining-investors-and-entrepreneurs/

See you in the E.Factor!

-Bill

BlogTalkRadio Chats About New Financing and New Plans

Many of you know my good friend, John Havens, V/Business Development at BlogTalkRadio. Among other things, John is a blog expert, co-founder of PodCampNYC and is a podcasting and blogging consultant to NY:MIEG and moderated an event for us last year that was incredible. John emailed me the other day to give me an update about some exciting news from BlogTalkRadio he thought you all might find of interest. -Bill

June 25, 2008, 8:02 am
BlogTalkRadio Chats About New Financing and New Plans
Bits in The New York Times
By Brad Stone

The pirates of radio are losing their eye patches and going legit.

In the old creaky-wheel analog days, people who didn’t have the face, voice or political views for traditional radio turned to the slightly romantic practice of broadcasting illegally over unlicensed radio frequencies.

But today there is the more legitimate and egalitarian medium of podcasts, and a host of companies are eager to get people up and running and to make their broadcasts available on the Web.

One of those companies, BlogTalkRadio, has drawn attention of late by making it easy for the talkers to start talking with nothing more than a computer and a telephone. The New Jersey company said it just closed an initial $4.6 million round of financing led by The Kraft Group, the owners of the New England Patriots, and some ambitious plans for expansion.

BlogTalkRadio was founded in 2006 by a former telecom executive, Alan Levy, who demonstrated a knack for good timing in the 1990s by starting and selling his company before the walls caved in on the industry. After the bust, Mr. Levy began buying distressed telecom assets and ultimately turned some of that excess capacity into BlogTalkRadio.

FOR THE COMPLETE STORY FROM THE NYTIMES CLICK HERE

In Amsterdam from June 22 - 28th

Here it is Tuesday afternoon June 24th at at the moment I am on a LIRR train from Bethpage to Penn Station (NYC) where I will pick up the Airport Shuttle to Newark Airport (EWR) to Schiphol Airport Amsterdam for a conference sponsored by my colleagues at the E.Factor along with my buddy Howard Greenstein.

I have very mixed emotions about this trip…first and formost because Sheryl will be unable to join me as Sarah is leaving for camp tomorrow (Wednesday). I also just got back from a tough few days in Southern California including a mediation session on a lawsuit that I have been dealing with for almost two years. At the same time, I love to EFactor people (Adrie, Marion and Roeland in Holland and Stephanie here in NYC) and at the same time I have never been to Holland so this will be a great opportunity to see a city that most people say is one of the best in Europe.

I will have my camera with me so I will try to send some stills and videos over the next few days.

On that note…next stop “Next Stop Penn Station, New York…  please look out for the gap as you leave the train”

-Bill

Andrea Syrtash “On Dating” Now on TivoCast

Congratulations to our good friend Andrea Syrtash. Her award winning “On Dating” series on OnNetworks has just been added to TivoCast. TiVoCast is an exciting feature from TiVo that lets you easily download TV programming to your TiVo box via your broadband Internet connection.  -Bill

 

 Andrea Syrtash Host of “ON Dating” now available on TivoCast

ON Dating (launched 5/21) from On Networks is another one under Lifestyle: “Online dating is the fastest growing social phenomenon on the Internet, and something celebrity dating coach Andrea Syrtash knows all about.” Every Monday.

For more info about Andrea click here

WAY TO GO ANDREA!

-Bill

Next Page »