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Viral Activity

I received this e-mail this morning from a hotel and I thought it seemed like an absolutely perfect response to the current situation. It seems like a really good way to give your customers confidence.
We have to keep going and maintain the economy......

Viral Activity

Its a very difficult time for our businesses at the moment, and this is probably not the time for me to voice any opinions on whether Government guidelines are helpful or not.

What I can do is pass on one or two ideas I've heard or thought of. you may already have thought of these but here goes.

Nothing!!When I was a kid, Valentines week was a mixture of excitement, apprehension, dreams and ultimately....disappointment!

Yes, every year, the same outcome. Ages spent making a card, some very creative plans to make sure it landed in the hands of the intended recipient while remaining undetected, and then.......nothing!

The Egyptians and Greeks were using oil lamps around 3-4,000 years ago for ritual purposes, particularly revolving around death and the passage into the afterlife. This all sounds a bit more serious than where many of our candles are used today, in the restaurants and pubs of our sceptred isle, and also the carefully laid tables of the dining classes!

How about starting with a little bit on the history of the oil lamp. We have to go a long way back.
How far back? Romans? Egyptians? Chinese – they invented everything didn’t they? No, further back.
70,000 years ago, the first rudimentary oil candles were made and used by Stone Age man. Incidentally, this coincides with a dramatic reduction in the population of humans on earth. So much so, that we almost became extinct with numbers as low as 2000.

Did anyone watch the harrowing documentary a couple of night ago on the BBC, called ‘Drowning in Plastic?’

Most of it was gruesome and depressing stuff, although there were some moments of inspiration as we met the most ingenious of people, who were devoted to inventing ways to tackle the problem, from giant vacuum cleaners on the top of the sea, to replacing the use of plastic food sachets with ones made from seaweed!! They were also making edible cups and plates from similar products!

For 26 years, I have been designing, making and selling oil candles and nowadays I am mostly responsible for marketing them as well.

Wow!  I’ve been writing e-mails, articles, websites and blogs.  Somebody told me to write a book that would show the world that I was truly an expert in my field. 

And I’m thinking, a book… a book on oil candles…a book on…..a book…..  Yep.  If I drop off thinking about it, who the heck else is going to be interested!

I am interested to know what people in the industry think of the recent closures of many branches of chain restaurants that has been happening in the last few weeks. My own opinion is that it comes down to a simple case of supply and demand.  When the market is saturated with so much of the same kind of thing, its value reduces.