Murano - Imagining a future beyond glass

The tradition of generations of Murano residents learning the craft of glass making is facing an uncertain future, reports the New York Times, as future generations may find themselves learning how to provide guest services at luxury hotels on their home island. I got to visit the island to see them make glass firsthand in a stiflingly hot shop, then gawk in amazement at their finished products in the factory store. The NY Times story describes how Murano failed to recognize trends in the future and adapt to them, but I wonder why and how it would occur to the Muranese to shut down their ovens and build hotels for tourists. Visit this island as soon as you can.

Click here for a slideshow of Murano courtesy of the New York Times.

The grand canal of Murano

International Herald Tribune - 36 Hours in Milan

We are finishing our time here in Venice and preparing for our final destination in Milan. The International Herald Tribune decided to honor our group with a feature article on Milan in its weekend travel section. A link to the IHT article is here.

15-minute lesson in customer (dis)service

Trey Blizzerd shared this picture from the Supermarket across from our hotel in Venice (it's the Cardoro, a supermarket and bus stop). Says Trey, "They had two lines open at a peak purchasing time. It was around a 15 minute wait to get a couple bottles of water. Since I have a concentration in Logistics/Supply Chain Management I’m all about doing things the most efficient way possible. The grocery store should analyze their data to determine their “high traffic” times and schedule more employees at those times so more registers can be open. This is simply just a pain that could be easily fixed." 
Sadly, the attitude is that most businesses don't care because consumers don't have a lot of options and they've been conditioned to expect disengaged service. Plus, many of these businesses have "reward cards" that allow customers to accrue points for their purchases over time - this raises their customers' switching costs, even though the points only get them chump prizes. This is truly a culture-level phenomenon. Until this culture changes the solution can be summed up in two words: Vending machines.

How to turn kababs into gold in Venice

Nearly all of us have discovered the value of the close, fast, and delicious Kabab restaurant around the corner from the beautiful and peaceful Hotel Nuove Mestre. Have you thought about how the owners and managers of this store might run this business profitably? This restaurant is not in the heart (or even the chest cavity) of Venice, yet it draws satisfied customers consistently each day. How much in revenues do you think this place takes in each day? (# of customers X sales per customer / day). E.g., 150 customers X 6 euro = 900 euro. Subtract out wages (100 euro?), cost of goods sold (100 euro?), and fixed costs (rent, utilities, insurance, maybe 50 euro) and you have 650 euro profit. If my average sales per customer goes up by just one euro, then my profit for the day is 800. Just some back-of-the-envelope stuff, but you can quickly do some numbers to see how kebabs can turn into gold. The purpose of the exercise is not to reverse-engineer the numbers to complete accuracy, but to gain an understanding about the moving parts - revenues per customer, number of customers, additional incremental revenues, cost of goods sold, and fixed costs - that make or break a small business.


Thanks to Andrew Slusser for putting down his gyro long enough to take this picture!

Gondola Manufacturing in Venice

Student postcard from Will Bomberg: "On Friday, we took a tour of Roberto’ s gondola workshop. His luxury business requires much skill and attention to detail. Roberto informed our group that it takes around two months to build a gondola, selling for €35,000+ each. His target market only includes wealthy customers or those in the business of providing gondola rides, due to the cost and regular maintenance. In Venice, artisan’s skills are truly valuable! Now, Roberto is “cashing in” on the opportunity to provide thirty minute tours for €120."

Things you might not have thought you could do while in Venice

Everyone knows about the gondolas, Saint Mark's Square, and the Rialto Bridge, but what about other attractions in Venice? Here is a quick and certainly not exhaustive list of some other things to do in Venice.


1. Visit the beach in Lido. You can take a ferry from the Tronchetto port to Lido. From there you can rent a bike for the day or take a cab to the beach on the tip of the island for an afternoon on the Adriatic.

2. Take a guided boat tour of ancient villas along the channel between Venice and Padova. See and experience the grandeur of the villas that the wealthy merchants of Venice lived in during the summers to escape the Venetian heat. More information about the guided tour is available at http://www.battellidelbrenta.it/home.php?setlan=en.

3. Rent a Shuttle-Bike to ride on the channels of Venice. Not long ago I saw someone riding one of these bikes on a side channel in Venice - don't know if it was for a promotion for the product or for a rental outfit in Venice, but it's worth Googling to find out more. Obviously, I didn't find the main site, or I would have posted more information...

Venice and Peggy Guggenheim's Collection

The front door opens to the Grand Canal of Venice. The buildings house all varieties of art, including sculptures, glass, scores of paintings, and the famous Jackson Pollocks. The gardens on the grounds are a joy to spend some time in. Watch everyone take a turn sitting in the stone throne while sipping a cappuccino. I'm not much of a fan of Vorticists, but there is a Vorticism exhibition through mid-May. This is the type of exhibition in which the Guggenheim excels: quirky, charming, a bit obscure, but unforgettable. Link: Guggenheim Collection Venice.

Venice Night Life

Venice night spots don't stay open very late, but there are still some great theaters, bars, pubs, and other venues for having fun. Check out this link for more information on specific locations.