by Dwayne Kilbourne on October 17, 2011
The first #GodivaGathering had a great turnout, and we all shared fun times, great conversations about technology and business, and lots of delicious Godiva hot chocolates (and desserts too)! The event was a great success, and we look forward to gathering again in the very near future. It is very probable that this TweetUp/MeetUp will be held monthly, nicely snuggled during the week between CobbSM and ChirpWdstck. Also, if you do not live close to the Barnes & Noble at The Avenue West Cobb but still want to attend a similar event, just let me know which of the Barnes & Noble venues (from the Godiva hot chocolate foursquare list) works best for you, and we can get additional Godiva Gathering events planned!
Dwayne and Monica enjoy great conversation at #GodivaGathering
I wanted to take a moment to extend some thanks to some people. First, I thank everybody who took time out of their busy schedules to enjoy some Godiva hot chocolate with me and the rest of the bunch! Second, I must thank the awesome staff at Barnes & Noble West Cobb ~ to Lynn, Chris, Emily, Tyler, and the rest of the team, thank you so much for the great hospitality and awesome service (as always). Third… to Marcia, thanks for going out of your way to listen to the customers in your district; no matter the level of concern, idea, or request, you actively engage the customer and empower your team to service their needs. Without your help and the café division’s assistance at Barnes & Noble Headquarters, Godiva hot chocolate would never have been brought back for customers like me, and, certainly, these types of gatherings and events would have never happened outside of dreams. Thanks for everything!
Matt shows a few videos on iPad2 while Kristina smiles for camera at #GodivaGathering
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by Dwayne Kilbourne on October 14, 2011
I have been down here in Georgia for a little over one year now, and I have seen my share of interesting logic. For starters, the street names change a lot as I cross through an intersection and then later pick up the name again down the road (if at all). Next, I noticed that some people are just sign-crazy; remember my blog about the 14-15 no parking signs that are off the southbound Barrett Parkway (I-75 Exit 269) ramp? Then, it appears that many Georgia drivers either cannot see the solid lines (and striped zones) on the roadways or simply do not care to acknowledge and abide by them. But, now, I have noticed that (sometimes) the people who designed and built these roads lacked a little common sense. Case in point, if you approach the intersection of Due West Rd NW, Acworth Due West Rd NW, Kennesaw Due West Rd NW, and (yes another) Due West Rd NW where Kennesaw and Marietta, Georgia, meet, and you want to turn left into (or out of) either entrance of the Towne Square at Due West plaza (ie to enjoy some Shane’s Rib Shack), you will notice that, according to the law, such turns are technically illegal. To make that left turn (as shown in the Google Map below), you have to cross over the double yellow line as well as the yellow diagonal crosshatch marked island area. Again, this is the case no matter whether you are trying to turn left into the plaza or if you are turning out of the plaza, and this is the case no matter which of the two entrances you select.
Sure, I see people do it all of the time, and I have even been guilty of doing that instead of turning right so I can turn left into CVS and turn around to go back south so I can head over to enjoy some Godiva hot chocolate and some reading at Barnes & Noble at The Avenue West Cobb. While I do not know all of the reasons or motivations for designing this area of the roadway in the fashion that it was designed, I still think this is lacking a bit of common sense from somebody. So, how would you recommend that I go out of this plaza? I’m to the point where I’m trying to get some insight from a police department that has jurisdiction in that area (sure, that is overkill, but I’d rather be proactive than to get a costly ticket one evening). Do you know of any great examples in your part of town? I’d love to hear about them!
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by Dwayne Kilbourne on October 9, 2011
Well, we are just a mere two more evenings until the very first Godiva Gathering! This first event / TweetUp will be held at the Barnes & Noble of West Cobb in Marietta, Georgia. This location is within The Avenue West Cobb shopping center off of Dallas Hwy! If you love chocolate and/or some great conversation, I’d encourage you to check it out. The event will be held on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, from approximately 7pm until 9pm.
If you are able and are planning to make this event, I encourage you to RSVP on the #GodivaGathering Facebook Event Page and/or on the #GodivaGathering TweetUp Event Page so we can make sure that we reserve enough seats for everybody! I must say that Barnes & Noble is really great, and its team is really helpful in setting this gathering up and truly great in listening to and engaging their customers, whether it is helping a customer find a book in the store or understanding the desire of a loyal customer who requests to bring back Godiva Hot Chocolate to the local cafes. Well, I hope to see you there and enjoy some Godiva goodness with you.
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by Dwayne Kilbourne on September 28, 2011
Many of you have read my 2009 blog post about how I first came across Godiva hot chocolate at Barnes & Noble and how I worked with their corporate office’s café division up in New York to get it back at local B&N stores near me. I must say that I am thrilled to know that the district manager over the stores closest to me, Marcia, is super supportive and understanding of my Godiva cravings. Furthermore, she is a super leader when it comes to engaging and servicing her customers. So, I must give her and her staff lots of kudos! Without their attention and action, none of this would have been possible. With that said, I often find myself asking the Barnes & Noble Café employees over at their West Cobb and Perimeter Mall locations about how many people are asking for this secret, non-menu item. Normally, I hear that I am the only one; although, I tend to speak loud enough for nearby café goers to hear my Godiva hot chocolate order, and some will mention how it sounds like a great idea – how they will have to try it next time. Thus, I recently have been promoting this great hot chocolate drink even more. Sure, you could buy a tiny hot chocolate from an official Godiva store for nearly twice the price, but why do that when you can check out a book or two and enjoy a conversation with great friends? Hence, I created a foursquare list of the Barnes & Noble (venue) locations where I know this drink is offered! But, while sitting in the West Cobb Barnes & Noble over the course of a few evenings this past week, I came up with this #GodivaGathering idea! I tell people about this great beverage, but let’s just make it part of the event… let’s have a gathering at the Barnes & Noble, share some Godiva hot chocolate (maybe with espresso for those who prefer that concoction), maybe some dessert (ie Godiva cheesecake or Oreo Stack), and lots of great conversations about books, life, work, technology, business, or anything else that comes to mind. So, after a quick straw poll, it appears that some are already interested in such an idea, and the staff at the West Cobb location is supportive and is highly capable of serving us for such an event.
What do you think? Are you interested?
Of course, we can have other events later and at different locations, but what evenings work best for you? We are currently looking at a Tuesday or Wednesday evening. We plan to make sure that it does not land on the same evening as another great TweetUp like #ChirpWdstck. I’m leaning towards a Tuesday evening in the very near future and would not start the event until at least 6:30 or 7 pm. Does a Tuesday evening sound good? What about a time? 6:30pm? 7:30pm? I only bring up the latter because some might want to eat elsewhere and then come to the Barnes & Noble event for dessert! Comment below with your recommendations, and we will get the first event scheduled accordingly! I hope you are just as excited as I am about this! Trust me – once you have one of these hot chocolates, it will ruin just about any other regular hot chocolate experience you will find at a bookstore or coffee shop!!
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