We love to take in the local culture whenever possible on our business trips, and recently we got to explore the Yu Garden (Yuyuan) in Shanghai. Located in the Old City, this area includes a beautiful garden and a massive, stimulating bazaar. It’s an absolute must when visiting Shanghai, and we want to share nine recommendations for what to do when you visit: 1. Read About the History: Yu Garden was built in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty. 2. Skip the American Franchises: Do yourself a favor and don’t visit the US franchises. They’re on every corner here, but there are more unique places to try. 3. Eat Soup Dumplings: Such a delicious treat —drink it, then eat it! 4. Buy Souvenirs: Everywhere you look, you’ll see all sorts of interesting souvenirs to purchase. 5. Walk the Pond Bridge: It’s crowded, but it’s a cool experience! 6. Visit the City of God Temple: Whether you’re religious or not, this temple is very interesting. Swing by, show respect and take in the sights. 7. See the Black Market: While we value originality, it’s still interesting to see all the fake products for sale here. 8. Drink Tea: There’s so much great tea for sale here, and it’s good for you too! 9. Try All the Food Stand Stands: Tucked between the franchises like McDonald’s and Burger King are the tastiest food stands. Yu Garden can be a stimulus overload, but with this handy guide, you’ll be able to enjoy this exciting area!
If you know us, you know we love to indulge in local cuisine when traveling for work, and one of the best places to do that is in Singapore. This bustling Southeast Asian city-state has fabulous hawker centers, which are essentially food courts or street markets full of food and drink that incorporate flavors from all over Southeast Asia and India. Our CEO and Co-Founder George Stroumboulis recently had a couple hours to kill after a meeting in Singapore before heading back to the airport, so he checked out the Market Street Hawker Centre, a staple in the center of Singapore’s business district. With over 300 vendors to choose from and so many tasty dishes at affordable prices, you can’t go wrong. George tried a little bit from several vendors to try to get a full sampling of the cuisine, and it was all delicious! Singapore has incredible food markets that display the vibrancy of the country’s cuisine, and we highly recommend you check one out if you find yourself in Singapore.
The amazing city-state of Singapore is not only a financial hub and an important market for ideoli’s business; it’s also a foodie’s paradise! This Southeast Asian island may be small in square footage, but it has some of the best food and drink in the world that invigorate us when we travel there for work. With its history as a trading port and British colony and its many cultural influences such as Chinese, Malay and Indian, Singapore has a unique food scene, and you can get amazing meals at its famous hawker markets where small vendors churn out big flavors. Five of our favorite dishes or drinks to indulge in include: 1. Chili Crab:Calling all seafood lovers! You must try Singaporean chili crab, one of the most famous dishes in the country. This dish usually uses mud crabs stir-fried in a sweet, savory and slightly spicy tomato and chili sauce. 2. Hainanese Chicken Rice: Another one of Singapore’s most famous dishes is Hainanese chicken rice, which comes from immigrants from the Hainan province in China. This dish centers around chicken and rice, where the rice is cooked using some of the stock the chicken was poached in, giving it a delicious flavor. The chicken and rice are then served together with a chili and garlic dipping sauce, as well as usually soy sauce and fresh ginger. 3. Bak Kut Teh: If you’re looking for a hearty meal, dive into a bowl of Bak Kut Teh, which translates to meat bone tea. Although there’s no tea in this dish, you’ll enjoy pork ribs cooked in a complex, herb-infused broth. 4. Kopi O: In addition to food, Singapore has many famous drinks, with Kopi O being one of our favorites. It’s a simple drink—just coffee with sugar—but it’s invigorating, and Singapore has a great coffee culture that you don’t want to miss out on. 5. Bandung: As a company that focuses on design, we appreciate beautiful products, and bandung is one of the prettiest drinks you’ll find in Singapore. This beverage, which is also popular in neighboring countries, consists of either evaporated or condensed milk with rose cordial syrup, giving it a beautiful pink color that’s totally Instagram-worthy. Next time you’re in Singapore, try one of these amazing dishes or drinks, and let us know what you think!
We often take for granted the ease of navigating around major cities using apps like Google Maps, but a recent trip to Shanghai reminded us how much we rely on GPS, and the trip gave us a new appreciation for how well these apps tend to work. In China, however, we recommend avoiding Google Maps and using Apple Maps or Baidu Maps instead. Google Maps has only recently been allowed to operate in China, and we encountered a lot of difficulties trying to get around Shanghai using it. Oftentimes the GPS within Google Maps was completely off, which caused us to be late to some meetings in Shanghai. Luckily our clients were understanding. We hate to keep clients waiting though, so this tardiness is definitely something that we don’t want to repeat in Shanghai or anywhere else. Next time, we’re in China, we definitely plan on using Apple Maps or Baidu Maps from the get go. If you find yourself there, we suggest you do the same!
Normally when we travel, we like to get a taste of the local culture. But when Ideoli’s CEO and Co-Founder George Stroumboulis came across China’s first Tim Horton’s coffee shop, he couldn’t resist trying it. As a Canadian citizen himself, George has a soft spot for Tims; if you have ever been to Canada and know anything about coffee and donuts, you’ll know that Tim Horton’s is an institution in the Great North. With more than 4,800 locations in Canada and around the globe, Tim Horton’s is makingits mark on the world, and by the looks of it, that now includes China! Their first store in China, located in Shanghai, is a beautifully designed space meant to elevate the experience of visiting Canada’s favorite coffee shop. The store’s entrance includes a hockey-stick shaped door handle in homage to Canada’s culture, and the interior includes a space that highlights red plaid maple leaf artwork. Next time you are in Shanghai, you have toexperience this transported slice of Canada for yourself!
The beautiful country of Mexico has been an important manufacturing market for Ideoli, and we’re thrilled to now expand our footprint in the country and broader region on the client side. Recently, our team traveled to Mexico to meet with key developers there in retail and commercial spaces, where we’re planning to invigorate spaces with some of our high-tech LED lighting fixtures. In addition to putting our products in more spaces in Mexico, we see a strong opportunity to expand our distribution throughout Latin America. “Mexico is the gateway” to Latin America, says George Stroumboulis, Ideoli’s CEO and Co-Founder. Growing our presence in Mexico, he says, will help us get our foot in the door in the region so we can expand even more. Ideoli is motivated to take its business to the next level and establish a larger footprint throughout Latin America.
The ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China has seen a number of rounds of tariffs imposed by both countries. For example, in May 2019, the U.S. started imposing a 25% tax on imported goods from China on items such as furniture and lighting products. New tariffs could take effect in the coming months, but the situation has been very fluid and unclear. For our industry, tariffs have had an impact, “but we can’t do anything right now,” says George Stroumboulis, Ideoli’s CEO and Co-Founder. “We’ve got to let everything settle.” George notes that for now, Ideoli is absorbing a lot of the additional costs that come from paying tariffs on imported items for our clients, and we’re not alone in this regard. Many companies have global supply chains with important items coming from China, and even some local, U.S-based manufacturers have to deal with these tariffs because they import certain components to aid their overall production. However, because the situation keeps evolving rapidly, we don’t want to make knee-jerk decisions like changing our pricing or supply chain practices. Instead, says George, “We just need to sit back, let things happen and from there we’ll re-evaluate and discuss with our partners and clients.” We’ll provide more updates as this situation progresses. Stay tuned!
In our view, being a successful global business doesn’t just mean invigorating spaces so we can please clients and grow our revenues; it also means doing our share to give back to the communities that contribute to our business and help shape our company. As such, Ideoli gets involved with a number of charitable causes through our “Invigorate Your Community” initiative. One of those causes recently involved preparing lunch for the homeless at a church in downtown Manhattan. “At Ideoli we really want to venture out into the community; we want to have a community footprint the same way we have an international footprint,” says Chris Hartswick, Ideoli’s Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer. “Getting out there, especially as a team, bonding as a team and giving back, there’s nothing better than that.” In addition to this initiative in New York, we’ve gotten involved in a number of other great causes and projects over the years, such as giving back to schools in Mexico. We are also actively working on some projects where our products will help invigorate local communities. We look forward to giving back in more ways!
We’re not perfect, but we’re pretty damn close. And when we do run into roadblocks, we use our passion, determination and creativity to come up with solutions. For example, for a recent order, when a client requested a vital component be added after the order left our factory, we had to think quick. So when we received the shipment, we decided to make the adjustments to the hundreds of custom furniture units on site at the client’s warehouse, even though it meant hunkering down indoors and missing out on the California sunshine. With our superhero team on hand, we were in and out within a couple days. Making sure the client had what they needed was our top priority, and thanks to a quick repsonse they were able to proceed with their operations. Whatever it takes to please clients, we find a way to get it done!
At Ideoli, we are passionate about all aspects of the brand we are building and what it stands for, which includes a commitment to quality, beautiful design and world-class service. While we have the ability to move quickly when needed, the products we make can take several months to go from concept to market, because we want to be sure we get every detail right. And the packaging we place these products in often takes just as long to develop, because we want to ensure that the first look at our products speaks to our values. But our packaging is not superficial and our marketing is not a gimmick: they’re what we use to express who we are and what we make so well. We are extremely proud of what we are bringing to market, and our packaging represents our products accordingly. While we could save time and money by placing our products in plain, standard packages, our clients deserve more. We want to make it clear exactly what they’re getting, which includes not just great physical products but also the top-notch service that comes from working with Ideoli.
In just a few years, Ideoli has become a global company with clients, partners and associates in every imaginable part of this planet, and we owe much of our success to having such an amazing team full of creative, dedicated, fun professionals. And we want to keep that momentum going by adding more great team members! We have associates working with us around the world, from the US to Vietnam, Argentina to Greece, Ireland to Mexico…and everywhere in between. So no matter where you’re located, if you’re looking to join a progressive team full of energetic, passionate professionals, then get in contact with us to discuss. We look forward to working together!
Being an international company, the Ideoli team is always on the go: flying to different countries around the world to meet with our clients and partners. With our frequent trips, we’ve learned a lot about the items you should bring with you when flying.These include: 1. Echinacea: Being in close proximity to so many people in a confined space, many of whom are coughing or sneezing, can cause anyone to worry about getting sick while traveling. So having echinacea on hand to take as needed helps us feel a little bit better about the strength of our immune systems. 2. Hand sanitizer: Similar to why we pack echinacea, we recommend traveling with hand sanitizer too. Whether you’re worried about spreading germs or touching something icky on a plane, hand sanitizer can get you out of a jam. 3. Magazines: It’s always good to have your own entertainment on hand in case your TV isn’t working on the plane or if you just want a break from screen time. Bringing your own magazines on board helps ensure you’ll have something you enjoy to get you through the flight. 4. Your own beverage: It’s important to stay hydrated when flying, so it’s good to bring your own water on board. And if you want to indulge in a treat like a soda, you can bring that onboard too. Either way, having your own beverage on a plane can make your flight more comfortable, because you don’t have to wait for the beverage cart and you have more control over your drink options. 5. A pack of gum: Gum is a classic airplane essential for a reason. If your ears tend to get uncomfortable when flying, try chewing gum, especially during takeoff and landing. 6. Headphones: Don’t rely on the airline passing out headphones. The quality might not be very good and you might have to pay extra for them. Instead, bring your own pair so you know you’ll have good audio quality whether you’re listening to music or watching TV or movies during the flight. 7. Your electronic devices: It’s often smart to have some combination of your phone, tablet or computer easily accessible if you want to take advantage of the time on the plane to catch up on work. These can also serve as a backup entertainment option in case your plane doesn’t have screens in the seatback. What a list! Think of us on your next flight and pack your bags accordingly. Have any travel tips of your own? We’d love to hear from you on social!