Just a short (but mildly humourous) post this week as I have happily found myself with a couple of interesting projects on my plate plus with school holidays underway my son and I are escaping for a few days to the (rainy, damnit!) north. So time is at somewhat of a premium.

When I first stumbled across Dinner in the Sky I thought it must surely be an April Fool’s prank. But as far as I can tell it really is a legitimate business. For an obscene amount of money it seems you can treat your friends to a dinner party suspended by a crane 50m above the ground. Not for those of nervous disposition, but what a buzz!

Up to 22 guests can be seated on a giant platform which is then raised by a crane. A small group of waiters and cooks stand in the middle of the platform and serve the aerial diners as the crane slowly rotates. Two Belgian entrepreneurs dreamed up the concept and have run events in Brussels, Paris, London and Dubai. They even have video clips on their website to prove it. What they don’t explain is what happens if somebody needs to heed the call of nature during the dinner party. Presumably, heavy drinking is discouraged.

Rumour has it that a franchisee from New Zealand has approached the company for rights to operate the business. That got me thinking about all the possibilities. Perhaps we could set up the operation in front of the NZX building on the Wellington waterfront and allow listed companies to hold airborne board meetings? Shareholders could be charged a small fee to sit and manipulate the crane controls, reflecting their approval or otherwise of board decisions. Better yet, government Cabinet meetings could be held aloft. That would certainly focus Ministers’ attention.

It all sounds rather like a Bransonian promotional gimmick, but it shows there is no end to entrepreneurial creativity. Dinner in the Sky contains elements of performance and reminds us once again that the arts and business are not as separate as we sometimes might think.

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Exporting to Germany Workshop – Tues May 6th

Speaking of entrepreneurial Europeans – my mate Oliver Heringhaus from Triple-E is running an exporting workshop in Wellington on May 6th, in conjunction with NZ Trade & Enterprise, for those looking at Germany as an export destination. Germany is a market of over 82 million affluent consumers. Oliver’s e-marketing background and native understanding of his homeland market make him an ideal speaker.