Lots of folks at The Mambo are obsessed with all things green. When we outgrew our office on the east side of Austin and knew we were going to be renovating a new building for us to move into, we were certain of one thing - we were going to make the new building as green as we possibly could.
After looking for almost 6 months for a new property, we ended up purchasing a metal building that was used as a drum factory. Tommy, the previous owner, had built a few rooms on the inside of the building but the existing layout wouldn’t work for our needs. We knew we had to do a major renovation and we wanted to be sure to do it in a way that had as little impact on the environment as possible.
We spoke with a couple of contractors and builders and decided to go with Zaman over at Z-Works Design Build for the project. Zaman has been working in the green building arena for many years. One of the things I like most about him is his strong belief that green building can and should be affordable.
In the next few posts, I’ll share with you the various ways Zaman made the building green - and how we did it on a budget.
But first, I’ll get started with the big reveal and a before and after shot of the building. Fear not, in a couple of months those great Burr Oak trees will be back in full foliage.
Before:
After:
Those of you that have been to the Mambo office know that we’re dog-friendly folks. On most days you’ll find Lexie in her bed by Stephanie’s desk and Gizzy in his bed near Becky’s feet.
When Gizzy can’t come to the office due to crazy travel schedules, he stays with his good friends Sue and Allan who own VerySuperCool, a greeting card company that features portraits of dogs printed on 100% post consumer waste paper..
VerySuperCool just released some new holiday cards and Gizmo, the most handsome mutt in the world, is featured on one of them.
Continue reading ‘Our CBO (Chief Barking Officer) has Made the Big Time!’
Juan Castillo wrote a series of articles for the Austin American-Statesman about the culture clash between acculturated and unacculturated Hispanics living in the U.S. that are worth a read:
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When it comes to events, it’s all about the people. As part of our business, I go to any and every event, retailtainment or otherwise, that I can. I’ve been to events that cost almost nothing to put on and I’ve been to events that cost millions to put on. Through all the smoke and mirrors, what always makes or breaks an event, or a company’s presence at an event, is the staff.
At the end of the day, all events are about connections and making a positive impact on the audience. When you’re a brand and you’re using an event as a marketing effort, this connection is crucial.
A positive interaction with a brand ambassador can create a long term loyalty. Alternately, a negative interaction is difficult to overcome. Statistically, one negative brand interaction takes 5 positive interactions to counter it.
The million dollar question becomes, how do you ensure the positive interactions only? The answer, you have to hire for it and you have to train for it. There really are no shortcuts.
Here are a couple of tips to hiring great people to work your events:
- Look for personality first. People that love to talk to people, more often than not, make great Brand Ambassadors.
- Balance the personality with a drive to share information. You don’t need folks that will just talk to people, you need folks that will share the benefits of your brand.
If you get the right people to be your Brand Ambassadors and you provide them with the right tools and information to do their job, your event will be a success.
