Oprah’ Edible Chocolate TV Studio

Oprah Winfrey is well-known around the world for giving expensive gifts to the audience members.

Last year,  the 53-year-old television talk show host, has captivated her audience with her edible chocolate TV studio. The entire set of her talk show was edible – and made of chocolate. Chocolate seats, chocolate tables, a chocolate chess set, a chocolate grandfather clock, chocolate wall coverings, chocolate flowers in a chocolate vase … on and on.

To construct Oprah’s chocolate set, a chocolate company shipped 800 boxes filled with 52 different kinds of chocolate halfway across the country to Harpo Studios in Chicago.

According to oprah.com , “Masterful set designers Larry Abel and Raymond McCallister worked with dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate, ganache and truffles. More than 15,000 pieces of chocolate were used to assemble walls, tables, chairs and more while Oprah’s signature is one of the only set pieces not made of edible chocolate.”

A one-of-a-kind chess set hand carved out of white, milk and dark chocolate was put on an edible table! The studio also featured a chocolate bar with an ‘ice bucket filled with truffles, drink glasses and bottles filled with sweet things await chocoholics.’

The set even included a chocolate fireplace.  To create logs for the fireplace, “designers filled mailing tubes with milk chocolate. Then, once it hardened, they peeled the mailing tube away and carved the chocolate tube into a piece of wood.”

There was even a chandelier made from 1,500 pieces of chocolate. How long would it take you to eat it all?

For any occasion – team building, staff functions or any group get-together – spoil your guests with Thorntons’ chocolate. Their chocolatiers have created a variety of personalised business gifts to make the perfect corporate gift for you to surprise and delight your loyal customers.

Pairing Chocolate and Wine

Everybody loves the idea of pairing chocolate and wine. But the flavours of chocolate and wine aren’t always that compatible because of chocolate’s very intense flavours – often simultaneously sweet, bitter, acidic and fruity.

When done correctly, wine and chocolate pairing can be a very rewarding experience. Of course, taste is a very subjective thing.

Chocolate is very easy to pair with wine when it’s an ingredient in a dish. When it comes to superrich, chocolate desserts don’t try to pair them with a table wine. They’re much too sweet; instead, try picking one that has a single, strong-note aroma, like a port or a dessert wine.

If you like a nice drop of red, go for a fruity one to complement a dark chocolate. Or, for a milkier treat, pick a cabernet – they often have a hint of cocoa. Be careful not to choose a red that’s too oaky – they can get in the way of your chocolate’s flavour. We wouldn’t want that!

Dark chocolates, and ones with centres that aren’t too sweet, are also good with cognacs or armagnacs. If you’ve got a smooth praline or ganache centre (made with chocolate and cream) go for a good Jamaican rum.

Remember, when you want to make a lasting impression, send a Champagne & Truffles Gift Basket. Nothing says ‘Celebration’ like a Champagne & Truffles Gift Basket! There’s a reason that champagne and truffles are so often served together…they are the perfect pair!

If you’re looking for special corporate business gifts or employee rewards, wine gift boxes are popular gifts for business. The good thing about corporate wine gifts is that they are exclusive and designed to meet your needs as well as impressing the recipient.

 

Belgians – The Happiest Workers in Europe

Belgian employees (77%) are most satisfied and motivated in the workplace, followed closely by German (74%) and UK (63%) staff, according to research by Edenred.

The research called Wellbeing at work and employee motivation, covered Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

According to the sixth edition of the Edenred – Ipsos Barometer, “Only 20% of Germans and 25% of Belgians reported a reduction in their motivation at work. In contrast to this contentment, the economic situation and growing unemployment levels in Southern Europe are a source of major concern for employees. The “primary professional concern” of most employees in this region is “staying employed”: 39% of Italians and 55% of Spaniards stated this as their chief concern, compared with 29% and 37% in 2008. Consequently, for 40% of Spaniards and 35% of Italians, work mainly implies “security”.

There are a lot of employee motivation programs that a company can use in order to have its employees contribute to the company’s efficiency and growth.

Treat people fairly and with respect. All employees should be treated equally regardless of their position, sex, race, religion or disability.

Take some time to talk to them perhaps by joining them for lunch, asking open-ended questions, and listening carefully to what they have to say. Know what motivates each employee to do excellent work and you can gain from this knowledge.

Since any manager wants to retain the quality workers, corporate business gifts can be a way to show employees appreciation for their hard work and determination. Find corporate gift ideas for the most hard-to-replace employees. Hampers can be an affordable way to show your employees that you care.

Incentivise Your Employees

Companies know that to retain top talent – even in an unstable economy – they will need to incentivize and reward.

To help people in the office choose thoughtful gifts for one another, some companies keep an automated card file of employees’ wish lists and hobbies. Other businesses appreciate employees by rewarding them for commitment and service at quarterly breakfast clubs.

In addition to being recognised during anniversaries within the office, employees are honoured via employee events such as competitions in billiard, bowling, lunches and dinner cruises.  Corporations also promote flexible work solutions, providing associates with opportunities to work remotely, telecommute or adjust their work schedules to avoid peak traffic. Self-scheduling is also a great benefit, providing associates with the ability to work around their family and school schedules.

Small business owners provide their employees with free coffee as there is an easy, cheap way to keep them happy. Sixty-five percent of workers drink coffee on the job, an average of three cups a day. Coffee improves performance.

Taking coffee breaks with colleagues is an easy way to get to know them better. A coffee maker can also facilitate teamwork. Forty percent of surveyed employees said they’ve had productive work conversations over coffee.

But a combination of coffee and chocolate is always a hit among employees.

Create an incentive program with business gifts that are sure to inspire employee motivation. Some business gifts are guaranteed to leave a lasting impression and a tasty chocolate gift is no exception. Over the years, personalised chocolates have become so popular that they make spectacular gifts for employees for any occasion.

The Chocolate Business Cards

Creating a business card is the first marketing strategy that we think about when we get a business up and running. It is often the most effective way for people to remember us after we are done networking at an event. If you have a good marketing message to go with the right card you should see success when handing them out.

Business cards should be a conversation starter – something to be kept and acted on. A business card is an entrepreneur’s best friend, his most valuable marketing tool and an essential element to becoming unforgettable. Unfortunately, too many people have business cards that simply blend into the multitude of office papers. Don’t let your cards let you down when it’s so easy to make something great!

We’ve seen a lot of clever and creative examples of business cards before, but this one is a treat. Literally! The Chocolate business cards are innovative personalised mouth-watering hand-crafted chocolates. You can add your own message, logo or photograph.

They store perfectly at room temperature without refrigeration for up to a year and will not melt. To maintain the high image quality without any minor fading of artwork or designs,  they should be useed within 6 months.

From promotional business gifts and valued customer gifts, to wedding bomboniere and special occasion treats, the chocolate business cards will melt in your clients’ mouths.

Browse around the Internet to see a variety of personalised chocolates ideas and discover how the tempting allure of chocolate can benefit you, your friends and family, or your business.

Variety of corporate gifting solutions

It is quite tough for employers to choose the best gift for an individual employee as they do not know their interests. Because of this companies prefer to give generic cards and chocolates to employees as gifts.

Nowadays, employers are turning to corporate promotional gifts to present to employees. By doing this the employee is likely to improve his work because of the positive recognition. The corporate promotional gifts have become an effective advertising tool. The dedicated companies like to distribute merchandise like key rings, watches, calendars with their logos on, contact details and services embossed on them.

Apart from promotional giveaways that are quite affordable, companies like to present to employees corporate wine gifts like champagne which is often considered a source of extravagance. The gifts are exclusively for executives to convey the message of recognition and appreciation for the contributions that they have made to the company. Only employees such as management, receive luxurious gifts like these. The corporate gifts have, thus, become the best business gifts. These business gifts are available online and can be purchased any time by placing an order.

Resolving Issues with Gifts

In life, mistakes and conflict are unavoidable.  They key is learning from mistakes, making sure that conflicts are resolved and that relationships are not only restored but improved.   The best way to make amends and to start  fresh is with gift-giving.  The same principle is followed by the corporate world.  Choosing the right kind of corporate gifts is as hard as how easy giving it is.  Gifts have a direct impact on people’s thoughts and feelings.  Extra care therefore is needed when choosing gifts. Corporate gifts such as hampers or baskets can be made even more personal by attaching a sincere and reassuring note that keeps conflicts at bay.

Business promotional gifts, an alternative to corporate gifts, may also be given to convey congratulations and appreciation for completed work.  They are a token of thanks from the company to employees that have brought it success.

Gifts can also be given for no particular reason.  Corporate gift ideas are such gifts.  Corporate gift ideas must still be chosen carefully to reflect the recipient’s taste and stature.  These gifts range from simple to pricey, such as key chains to gold pendants. Gifts are infinitely more eloquent than words. Hence, utmost care is needed so that the gift faithfully captures the message.

Employee Wellness Ideas

An employee wellness program is an useful method to encourage health and wellness amongst the members of your staff.  Programs will encourage consciousness of health related issues, improve morale, and often reduce cost of healthcare.

An employee wellness program improves general health and well-being, productivity, the sense of being a team, morale and attitude; decreases absenteeism and injuries; reduces turnover rate.

It is important for an employee wellness program to take into consideration the specific needs of the staff members within the company.  Determining topics of interest and concern may occur by conducting a survey among the employees. It is important to find out what aspects of the program the employees are most interested in.  Is it on site healthcare, first aid courses, healthy snacking program, health resources?

Any company can invite a chef, skilled at preparing healthy and fulfilling meals, into the office for a cooking demonstration and luncheon, as a gift for employees. Have the chef come up with easy-to-prepare recipes the employees can enjoy during the luncheon and make at home.

There are specialized companies who offer Employee Wellness Program that provides the education and motivation for employees to take care of their health and nutrition. The entertaining cooking classes can inspire employees to live a healthier lifestyle.

Employee wellness programs are efficient tools that reward both the employee and employer within a company.  Implementing these programs properly will bring about significant positive change within any corporation.

An employee wellness program can also offer group grocery store tours. This is a fun way to learn the many healthy food options that can fit into every lifestyle. Corporate gift baskets can be an affordable way to show your employees that you care. You can purchase hampers for your staff filled with fruits, cheeses or dark chocolate.

Personalised corporate business gifts

Giving gifts is always considered as a tough task no matter who the receiver is. A good gift is considered the one which has originality in its concept and  suits the occasion on which it is being presented. It is very tough to choose business gifts as it requires utmost care when choosing. A business gift should always be the one which suits the stature of the executive or the person who it is being presented to. It should be sophisticated and most important it should convey the message about the occasion on which it is being presented. Generally luxury business gifts are considered as the best choice while picking out a gift for a person of executive class, as executives are the extra ordinary people holding the important offices and post in the  company. Hence, these gifts completely convey the message about their achievements towards the company and can be treated as souvenirs by them.

Today every person likes to be surprised and wishes to have a gift which they desire. A  new trend of personalised gifts has started in business houses. A personalised corporate gift is more effective as it impresses a person when he receives. A person can also give an alternative of these gifts that is promotional business gifts to its clients and customers as it helps in building a relationship and publicity at the same time.

Corporate gifting solutions for very special people

It is quite difficult for companies to find a suitable gift for their employees as they are unaware of  the employee preferences. Generally cards and chocolates become the last option available as gifts to the employees. In order to remove dilemma, various businesses have decided to buy corporate promotional gifts that can be a  building stone in setting up a good relationship between employees and  their boss. These gifts are not only for strengthening relationships but also to create a sense of achievement and working ability among employees. Thus, it becomes necessary to select a gift that is suitable to the occasion and achievement of an employee. The gifts commonly selected for promotion could be a  diary, key chain, watch, calendar or pen stand.

The gifts are also helpful in boosting confidence and self respect of an employee which directly or indirectly affects the efficiency and productivity of an employee. The gift must be chosen carefully and should meet the standards in every respect whether its price, look or class. For this reason, the corporate wine gifts and champagne are considered to be the best corporate executive gifts. Both champagne and wine denote regality. These gifts send a personal message to employees who are considered to the best and deserve more than others.