Spacified: the marketplace for pop-up stores
1-4-2014
Online platform Spacified.com makes a match between temporary vacant spaces and designers, retailers and startups in Belgium and the Netherlands. The vacancy rate in retail spaces and offices increase and this brought founder Patrice Fleurquin the idea to develop a matchmaking service to bring both parties in contact. Spacified.com doesn’t only support starters, but also stimulates the creativity to set up an office, retail or event location. Recently Spacified.com and Voka ‘Chamber of Commerce Antwerp- Waasland, launched the POP-UP Guide. This guide gives visitors an overview of the newest, hottest pop-up stores in Belgium and the Netherlands. Currently, the guide only focuses on consumers, but can also provide cities and local authorities with information about the pop-up stores on longer-term. Spacified.com started a crowd funding project to extend the POP-UP Guide for five cities outside Belgium and the Netherlands.
Cupcake ATM in NYC
26-3-2014
Leonie van Spronsen spotted the first cupcake ATM in New York by Sprinkles. The company already had cupcake ATM’s in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Dallas and grew to a respectable chain of shops since 2012.
Sustainable fish of FISH TALES
24-3-2014
In cooperation with fourteen fishing communities around the world, fish expert Bart van Olphen launches FISH TALES on 25 March. FISH TALES is a unique line of sustainable seafood with fresh fish, smoked fish, canned fish and frozen fish, all with a plain origin. The fishermen are printed on the packaging with their name and photo, with recipes and tips & tricks Bart van Olphen want to motivate consumers to cook with sustainable seafood. Through the social network of FISH TALES and the website fishermen tell their story. In the ‘shortest cooking show in the world‘ (a movie of 15 seconds) Bart van Olphen prepares various fish dishes. He will also introduce his cookbook ‘Cooking with Canned Fish’ with more than 60 recipes in June.
Warm up in the Surf Sauna
21-3-2014
The Surf Sauna is specially designed for surfers who want to surf during snow and cold weather. Surfers can acclimatize in the Surf Sauna after their cold plunge. The mobile sauna is available in various sizes from 2 up to 8 persons and is weatherproof. There are special constructions for the surfboard on the outside of the sauna. The Surf Sauna is designed by a group of surfers in Portsmouth. Perhaps wintersporter goers can warm up in the sauna after a day of skiing.
Bacon scent app
18-3-2014
The Oscar Mayer Institute for Advancement of Bacon developed a bacon scent iPhone device for die-hard bacon lovers. The scent maker can be activated as alarm clock together with a sizzling baking sound. In 2011 we saw another bacon alarm clock.
Nocospray at Van der Valk Arnhem
11-3-2014
Van der Valk Hotel Arnhem is the first hotel in the Netherlands that cleans rooms with the ‘Nocospray “, this device removes all micro-pollutants biologically. The hotel works together with Dutch Smart Solutions for the pilot and it takes about half an hour to complete the cleaning with the Nocospray. During the pilot period, the hotel provides the cleaning as an extra service.
How do we order a pizza in the future?
6-3-2014
How will we order our pizza in the future? Perhaps by creating your own pizza through a touchscreen table. The Pizza Hut collaborated with Chaotic Moon Studios and they launched a movie about an interactive concept table that could be the future of the Pizza Hut ordering and dining process.
A note for the pizza delivery companies
6-3-2014
Scott Wiener, a NYC-based pizza aficionado, has judged the VENTiT, a different pizza box as the world’s best. He is the Guinness World Record holder in collecting pizza boxes, so he should know. With VENTiT, Vinay Mehta created a revolutionary new box, that puts a stop to steam getting trapped within the pizza box, creating a soggy mess. The video explains it all. Vinay Mehta has a patent on the box an is planning to produce and distribute the VENTiY boxes with international partners.
Computer system combines ingredients for a recipe
3-3-2014
IBM collaborated with the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) to cook up dishes based on recipes created by the computer, the project is called ‘cognitive cooking’. The IT company IBM has been working for several years to develop a computer that thinks like a human, and recently they came up with a system that compiles recipes. The cook can add an ingredient in the computer system, the system analyzes what might go with a key ingredient identified by the chef and gives a combination that is probably never made before. The food pairing is based on research and scientific theories on the pairings of ingredients. Some examples of unique combinations are Baltic apple pie and an Austrian chocolate burrito. The chefs will serve the special dishes paired by the computer via the IBM Food Truck. Via the website consumers are kept informed about the route of the food truck.
Gigantic Pinterest board
27-2-2014
Caribou Coffee launched an interesting marketing campaign in collaboration with agency Colle + McVoy to promote the newest coffee blend. In the shopping mall ‘Mall of America’ in Minnesota a huge Pinterest board was set up with pictures of the coffee process. Passersby could take photos of the gigantic Pinterest board (with attributes) with their smartphone. The passerby could upload the photos with the hashtag #caribouinspires on Twitter and Instagram.
