It was indeed another very busy week where we achieved several milestones and learned tons of new things.
Part 1:
Collaboration with Costa Coffee Qatar
A few exchange of messages from Memac Ogilvy and things started to roll-out faster than I imagine. With only few days prior to the launch of Costa Coffee’s newest roast – the Old Paradise Street No.19, it gave me no opportunity to waste in order to come up with a plan. It’s really a good thing that I was given a free hand on how I want to do it… it was freedom that everyone needs in order to encourage a release of creative juices.
The Old Paradise Street No.19 roast is a name of the actual street in London where Costa Coffee’s first roaster was established. For this unique purpose, they especially created a limited edition fragrance to be given away to their social media followers… and that of Best Life Qatar. It was received with both excitement and curiosity if it actually smells like coffee or will it be available in the market.
Throughout the contest, our followers grew over the last few days expanding our reach to wider audiences (not only Filipinos). It was really an opportunity for me to improve on my content since more people are already following our posts on a daily basis – as some would also wait and see who the winners will be. I also grabbed this as a chance to see if I have a knack for product photography… and that’s shown in the different visual experiments that I made with the limited edition fragrance.
The winners were raffled off in front of the guests at a birthday party I’m hosting.
Part 2:
Ezdan Hotel’s New Banquet Halls and Italian Dinner
With some friends as witnesses, winners were drawn prior to the Birthday Party of my friend’s daughter. They happen to be working at Ezdan Hotel and it was great to see their newly renovated banquet halls which would be perfect for birthdays and other special occasions.
There are several halls and meeting rooms that are available at Ezdan Hotel and the banquet officer said that they are willing to work out on good packages for their guests.
Subsequently, an unexpected dinner invitation came following the birthday party and this time, to try out their Italian Buffet at Ezdan’s Al Thouraya Restaurant. The buffet is available all Thursdays of March and offers a range of Italian cuisines and a dining experience accompanied by live music.
It was so filling you wanted to sip something hot afterwards… if you’re not a wine drinker, a tea or coffee maybe?
Part 3:
Costa Coffee Masterclass featuring Old Paradise Limited Edition Roast No.19
And one of the best ways to know more about coffee is to attend a Coffee Master Class. Last weekend, I got an exclusive invitation to attend a masterclass hosted by one of the top barista of Costa Coffee – Mr. Arjem Prado (the one holding the chart). He is Costa Barista of the Year and MENA Regional Champion which made us super excited to learn new things first hand from a coffee expert himself.
During the masterclass, I’ve learn so many things about coffee. I have to admit that my digestive systems can only tolerate a right amount of caffeine and so it’s good to know that the new roast was well within my acceptable level. It’s relatively light and has that nutty, fruity, caramel taste so it fits perfectly with my taste.
Some guests from the media who were there at the event were even suggesting more sessions to be made available for those who want to be a Costa Coffee connoisseur since it doesn’t only teach you how to prepare coffee (and what it is made of), but it also helps us appreciate the passion and love that a barista puts in to every cup of our favorite coffee.
It’s like spreading happiness through its aroma… and spreading a message of kindness and love.
Part 4:
Spreading Kindness + Earth Hour 2017
This was the very idea behind the event organized worldwide by Instagram to spread the message of Kindness through Worldwide InstaMeet 15.
Instagram co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom wrote in a blog post:
I’m excited to announce that the theme of Worldwide InstaMeet 15 is kindness. Every day, one of the largest and most diverse communities in the world comes together on Instagram. By enabling people to share who they truly are in an inclusive, welcoming environment, I believe that Instagram can be the most supportive global community. On the weekend of March 25 and 26, join tens of thousands of people around the world to share, explore and celebrate while spreading kindness. Our features like Instagram Stories and Live Stories offer even more opportunities to organize creatively and get more people involved near you.
In Doha-Qatar, the idea was to spread out the message of kindness by distributing K-cards (kindness cards) to every one we will pass by the corniche area. But due to bad weather which prompted organizers to change venues several time, (from City Center then later on to Souq Waqif), some of the participants, including me, were not able to attend. I ended up missing this event which I truly regret.
But to compensate for it, I have to enjoin my family for yet another worldwide event with the purpose of creating awareness for Environmental Protection and Climate Change – the EARTH HOUR. On that same day, I initially thought of using social media to give idea to people that joining these kind of events at the comfort of their home or work place can also be fun.
The best thing is that we don’t really focus on the amount of energy that is saved by turning our lights off but by making everyone aware on the importance of protecting the nature. It’s the culture of kindness and becoming a responsible earth-dwellers that we want to instill especially to the kids of this generation.
Next Week’s Preview:
Brace yourself for more culinary events coming up this week (March 27-April 5, 2017):
- Vietnamese Food Week with Iron Chef Michael Bao hosted by City Centre Rotana Doha from March 27 – April 2
- The 8th Annual Qatar International Food Festival on March 29 – April 8 at the Hotel Park – in front of the Sheraton Grand Doha.
- FoodEx Qatar is a 3 day event to be held from 2nd April to 4th April 2017 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) in Doha, Qatar
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