17-10-2022
Promises
For years now, I haven’t want to set any more impossible goals. I have even promised my employees that I really won’t do it anymore after this edition of DDW. This is the first time that I have felt so strongly about it and have therefore said it out loud. I started the speech to my employees by thanking them for filling in the overtime forms with such enthusiasm. And I emphasised that it wasn’t a joke. In recent years, it has taken a lot of creativity to get everyone enthusiastic about working overtime. Last year, when we had to complete the hotel, we all put in an enormous performance and the hotel was fully booked for the first time on the Thursday before DDW.
We live in turbulent times that see us installing solar panels, acquiring another wood gasifier (this is yet to be installed), renovating the restaurant and making eight extra studios. The plan was to have it all finished before DDW, but now only the restaurant and one studio really need to be ready. You have to be a bit flexible when setting goals. Even just completing the restaurant is turning out to be quite a struggle.
Friday evening diner deadline
Because of the problems we’ve had getting catering staff, I thought we could see DDW as a festival, really take a different approach. I called Floris, a friend of my eldest daughter Lieve, who specialises in what you could call “an evening out for dinner should be unforgettable”. I actually hoped that he would organise the whole DDW, but it turned out to be tricky to find so many people for the whole period. So it became only the first Friday; opening night. The evening when we normally eat exclusively with dealers. So, now we’ll all be sitting down in the new restaurant at the long table! Floris will be there with two chefs and a whole team. The reception is in two studios that are not yet finished, so basically on a building site (not sure how that’s going to work out). We’re seeing it as a try-out for the coming years and everyone’s really looking forward to it. It was a happy accident that there were quite a lot of people keen to work for us after the summer holiday, so finding enough staff doesn’t seem to be our biggest headache this year.
But we do have a tough deadline; the restaurant must be ready on Friday 21 October. Floris and his team will make it a fantastic evening and we will be ready to go. If you would like to dine with us, there are still tickets available! Order them online via https://eventix.shop/6beqq74a.
On all fronts
As well as the ongoing construction work, it goes without saying that the showroom must also look like new again. We’re going all-in. We’re painting, we’re woodworking, in the workshop we’re putting the first and final touches to the designs we’re making especially for DDW, and we’re making room for more exhibitors than ever. In the workshop we are currently working hard on three kitchens, a brass bulb lamp, a real Crisis bench and a woolly steel piece of furniture with lounger. It may seem like they’re taking a back seat, but completing normal projects and making things that have to be delivered are still our most important jobs, so that’s what we do!
All in all, we are working hard on our goals, some of which we won’t achieve, with more enthusiasm than ever. And we’re doing more than we think is possible. Now that things are going so well, maybe it’s not such a good idea to get rid of all our impossible goals after all.
This post is also available in: NL
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