Latest posts by Martin Moodie (see all)
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It’s daybreak in Discovery Bay on the 89th day of the year. I know it’s the 89th day because yesterday was World Piano Day, which always falls on the 88th day. Why? Because there are 88 keys on a piano, of course.
I mention the fact only because my beloved QWERTY keyboard sits just an office chair swivel away from its peer of the musical variety. Whereas any of the letters on my Microsoft keyboard are now indecipherable due to excessive use, my Yamaha keys (all 61 of them) are in pristine condition, probably because I keep hitting the wrong ones.
Anyway, I rather like the rationale for Piano Day as described on, well you guessed it, PianoDay.org (shouldn’t that be PianoDay.organ?)
“Why does the world need a Piano Day? For many reasons. But mostly, because it doesn’t hurt to celebrate the piano and everything around it: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and most important, the listener.” Those are the words of Nils Frahm, a Berlin-based musician, composer, and record producer based, known according to Wikipedia for combining classical and electronic music and for an unconventional approach to the piano in which he mixes a grand piano, upright piano, Roland Juno-60, Rhodes piano, drum machines, and Moog Taurus.
Wow. I’ve got a way to go before I graduate from my 61-key Yamaha to a Moog Taurus (at which point I may launch a new title called The Moogie Report), described as a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music.
Foot operated!!!!!!!!!!!! So that’s what I’m getting wrong with my piano practice. Who needs hands? My feet used to twinkle like the night sky in Peter Pan during my rugby days and I doubt they’ve lost any of their sparkle. Heck, pretty soon I should be able to simultaneously write a lead story with my fingertips while playing Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata with my tippy toes.
Anyway, I digress. My intended point is that I not only like Piano Day but the whole concept of world ‘days’.
A few years back I suggested to my sales team that we should create homepage ‘makeovers’ on our website to honour particular days. They looked at me as if I was mad. Correct in their assumption they nonetheless set to work and pretty soon a gorgeously green World Cucumber Day full and fruity Hendrick’s gin tapestry dazzled readers, who could have been forgiven for not knowing whether to drink us or read us.
Ever since, our homepage has been the subject of some spectacular and memorable makeovers and the concept has become a Moodie Davitt hallmark.
These have ranged from the serious – Breast Cancer Awareness (The Estée Lauder Companies), International Women’s Day (ARI) – to the exuberant (St. Patricks Day with Bushmills and World Happiness Day with Mars); to the quirky (World Nutella Day with Ferrero, World Teddy Day with Tous and World Handbag Day with Michael Kors). I particularly loved the Amarula-backed World Elephant Day.
In 2018 we even created World Airports Day (can you believe there wasn’t one?) with a special homepage makeover on 17 December, honouring the day in 1903 when Wilbur and Orville Wright made their inaugural flight at Kitty Hawk in the USA.
Where’s all this leading me? You probably guessed it. Given the trauma that the travel retail sector has been through over the past 27 months and the increasingly promising signs of recovery, perhaps we, too, should slip into celebratory mood(ie) with a World Airport Shopping Day?
A day where our business community not only collectively celebrates and showcases its considerable attractions to travellers but (this year at least) also marks having come through the most tumultuous storm in its history in reaching the ripe young age of 75 years (the first airport shop was opened by Aer Rianta at Shannon Airport in May 1947).
How about it then? World Airport Shopping Day. May 2022. I’ll even compose a celebratory song. And play it with my feet.
[What do you think? Let me know via the Comment box below or on my LinkedIn post, which has already generated some great reaction.]
