Friday, September 21, 2007

What's business chic?

Honestly, I've never heard people using the expression 'Business Chic' in the meetings industry. Until I met Paola Casolari from the newly opened Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel in Paris. Paola is from Italy, from the same town where the late Pavarotti was born. You could read the emotion off her pretty Italian face when she pronounces the name of Modena. But I didn't merely come to Paris to admire Paola's beauty, I also wanted to know who were the 'founders of business chic'. I won't explain you how and what, you just have to look at www.foundersofbusinesschic.com. I just want to tell you that Business Chic is a 'mindset' of how one conducts business. It is about being ‘au courant’, not ‘passé'. During my animated conversation with Paola, I noticed the uniform of the waiter in R'Yves, a comfortable and stylish bar and lounge. That's not how I remember the Marriott Hotels. He was wearing a special black and white jacket with black stylized patterns in the sides. His name tag gave away that he probably spoke Dutch. And indeed, Rik van Baar is a trainee from Hotelschool The Hague, in Holland. His French is shaping up but those cheek muscles can hurt like hell at the end of the day, he told me. From now on, the list of Business Chic examples can include the uniform of the staff. I adore uniforms. 'Designed by Bragard, a stylist who occasionally works for Chanel', told Paola. And I will add Paola and Rik to my own list of ‘business chic’.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bonjour Marcel, à la lecture de votre blog, je me suis bien amusé. Vous y relatez nos souvenirs du congrès ICCA de façon sympatique. Marrant le commentaire au sujet de Rhodes. Moi je dis que le congrès de Victoria en 2008 sera le plus "successful"
Au plaisir de vous lire.

Marie-France Polidori
Montréal