The second and the third week have flown! I was busy with activities both inside and outside the tea shop. The 19th of October was held the eighth edition of the Franchising Forum sponsored by the Greater Lyon Chamber of Commerce, during which I participated in several conferences that have touched on various topics of my interest, from the discussion of the key steps for creating an enterprise to the tips of experts in the real estate and commercial sector for knowing which characteristics the shop location should have to be more successful. The Forum was useful both to understand the French perspective and to reflect on the elements in common with the Italian and, in general, the European approach.
On the 21st October I was in Vaulx-en Velin, (just outside of Lyon) to participate in a workshop on packaging and one on window dressing held by a Parisian trainer (proud of her Italian origins!) during which I learned some easy techniques to prepare original packaging and elements of visual marketing needed for dressing a window that attracts the attention of potential customers. On my return to the tea shop I looked at the windows with new eyes: I recognized the key elements listed by the trainer and at the same time had the confirmation that my host Anne is very good also in this. I suggested her to put on the tea shop website the album with the photos of her windows: it’s not only a way to promote the products but also to show her ability. We discussed what I learned during the workshops and in the following days she taught me her packaging techniques that I started applying.
The month ended with the vernissage of Jonathan Chantre’s exhibition, an amateur photographer who took his pictures in Tokyo during a business trip. If any of you have plans to come to Lyon, know that the exhibition runs in the tea shop “En Aparthé” until the 19th November!
