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A Journey to Denmark, the Land of Lego
September 28, 2008
As I write this, I am sitting in a hotel room in Copenhagen. I have been invited to Denmark to speak at a conference. The subject I have been asked to talk about is the future of the toy industry.
The first thing I noticed after arriving is the silence. There is no noise. In New York, buildings are either on their way up or down. There is constant construction. Here in the heart of Copenhagen, all is quiet. All of these beautiful buildings have been here for hundreds of years.
I have just come from a place, New York, where time moves at bullet speed. Today is just tomorrow's yesterday. Here in Copenhagen, time seems to move at a horse's pace, today is yesterday's tomorrow.*
Denmark has managed to spawn both the world’s oldest surviving monarchy and Lego. Think of Lego and, well, you think of Lego. It changes yet it really never changes. It's a classic.
In short, I have come to a place where time seems to have a whole different meaning. So as much as I am thinking about what I have to say to them about shifting demographics, plunging birth rates and technological developments I am thinking about what I will learn from them. It should be an interesting time. I’ll let you know what I find out.
*September 30 addendum - A couple of days after I wrote the above I saw this ad for First Hotels on a sign in Copenhagen: "Stay at tomorrow's hotel at yesterday's rates."
Posted by Richard Gottlieb on September 28, 2008 | Comments (0)
