Phew - my journalism is nearing an end, the Serenata review is done and i've typed up the interview with TBS, and all that remains is to tell you my personal thoughts and findings from the trip.

Firstly, i was immensely proud to be able to represent such a great and knowledgable bunch of people - but i admit to personally feeling a bit out of my depth amongst the worlds leading tech journalists. Here was little old me from BeoWorld - a site that used to be an old thorn in the side of B&O, who wasn't sure if he was invited to Berlin because hunting season had started, and he was first on the menul!

How wrong i was!  Every single person from Bang & Olufsen was absolutely thrilled to meet someone from BeoWorld. They all freely admitted to frequently visiting the site, especially for our thoughts and views on new products, and reassured me our comments were all extremely well balanced, sensible and above all valuable. They really do take what we say seriously, and just to back that up - Lars Flyvholm, the Senior Manager for Global Products & Business Management actually asked to be introduced to me so he could go on-record as saying that we were a true asset to Bang & Olufsen. How touching that a Senior member of B&O management wanted to thank us personally!

I was treated wonderfully whilst i was there, and both Jette, who organised the launch at the Grand Hyatt, and Lotte were so kind to me - making sure i was looked after completely.

Every single person that i met from B&O seemed to be loving their job too, which is rare these days. They were all proud to work for the company, and although they work very hard it was as exciting for them launching a new product as it was us receiving it. It comes from the top too, as Torben never stops smiling!  His employees and colleagues have a genuine affection for him, and he was always fussing and asking if they were ok. Lovely to see, and a kind of a Jose Mourinho vibe ensued!

I won't bore you all by going on, but safe to say that we are now building some extremely strong and long-lasting relationships with Bang & Olufsen - and more important they no longer see us as 'the enemy'.  It is the start of a dialogue and relationship that can only lead to positive things happening, both for Bang & Olufsen and BeoWorld - and i am very excited about the future.  There are some very good people joining B&O and also climbing up the career ladder who really value and respect the passion we have for the brand, and the loyalty and support we show to the company they are so dedicated to themselves.

Finally - Torben Ballegaard Sorensen stopped by at the bar after the whole launch had ended, and we had yet another little chat!  I asked him if, being on the board at Electrolux, there was any chance of the fabled Bang & Olufsen Toaster ever making it into production? I explained about the mocked up one we did for ebay, and also the barrage of interest but he just laughed and said "no"..

I take it that it was either a great idea he's going to claim credit for, or it's not quite the route he chooses for B&O..

Anyway - the last thing i am going to post is an image of TBS and myself, with him saying "Cheers" (well, "Skol" actually) to BeoWorld. All this in such a short space of time, and all of it down to the moderating team and the members that make BeoWorld. As i have mentioned - i was proud to represent us all, and i would like to thank each and every one of you for making the site what it is today - the best.

Lee

 

 

 

Well thanks Lee! But i think what is really needed to say is:

WELL DONE LEE AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH!  

 

 

So, if you ever happen to visit switzerland, you are warmly invited to visit us and have some   or  

Here Here Daniel.

Well done Lee, and bit thank you to all to all the administrators at BeoWorld. And also to all those who contribute to this wonderful and passionate community.

jazz

Great picture Lee!
Whose teeth did you borrow in the end?

Seriuosly though, I am proud to be a founder member of a great site that is now, obviously, respected by Bang and Olufsen.
Long may it last!

Andy T.

Congratulations Lee! I think you are the best man BeoWorld could ever send to this happening. I love my B&O more and more every day and I think I can claim BeoWorld for that, including the trip to Struer;) Thank you Lee and all other that supports this site.

Steinar

Again fantastic Lee - great to see the relationship growing and becoming stronger!!

B&O as an employer must be great! similar to google, people actually enjoy what they do and look forward to thier job on a daily basis which is as you say very rare and unusual these days. 

Wonder what the future will bring?!  

 

jandyt:

Great picture Lee!
Whose teeth did you borrow in the end?

Seriuosly though, I am proud to be a founder member of a great site that is now, obviously, respected by Bang and Olufsen.
Long may it last!

Andy T.

BRILLIANT, Well done Lee and all beoworlder's. I think we are all proud of you!!!

Great job!  I enjoyed reading both the review of the Serenata (have to say I started feeling Jealous that we won't see it in the USA) and the interview with Herr Sorensen.  Glad you enjoyed your trip; sounds fantastic.  Keep it up!

Lee if your smile had been any bigger you would have had to seek medical attention!

 

Well done you! There is me being a little absent from the forum and what do you do? Get us Star treatment at B&O.  I wish I was only 10% as productive as you and the moderator team.

 I am very very glad to see that your belief and hard work is being so handsomely rewarded!!

 

Right must go and read the report now.
 

Fantastic Lee, well done.  I've spent the last hour reading your posts and have enjoyed every second.  You should be really proud of what the moderating team, members and yourself have created. 

Greg

Let me add my congratulations Lee --  I think you did a fantasic job for BeoWorld

You say "Well done to Everybody" but if you and others had not taken the steps you did, there would be no Beoworld.

So, thanks again Lee for all you work..

Well done,

I am very surprised the CEO opened up so much, I was expecting some very "corporate" answers, and he has revealed quite a lot about himself and future products as well, which is very rare.

I saw that several bloggers had been invited to the Serenata launch in Berlin, there are plenty of reviews on the net, so it looks like B&O has realised the power of Internet, and wants to use it.

For a brand like B&O, having a nice official web site is one thing, but now with web 2.0 (content created by users, and use of new technology like Ajax and RSS, like Beoworld), a lot of information (true or false, good or bad) circulates very quickly on the net.

Unhappy people tend to do a lot more noise than happy people, so it is essential for a company to get us on their side, to create some good positive noise as well. And we are not going to complain!!!

p.

Fantastic job Lee. You are a true ambassador for BeoWorld!

cheers...

It's wonderful and immensely exciting to have read this and very very heart warming. A dream come true for both parties so it would seem.

I for-see the reasonably young relationship between B&O and BeoWorld, fail safe and particularly profitable, guaranteed to only get better as time goes on.

Raise your glasses, cheers!

 

Great interview Lee, thanks for that !!!

Congrats Lee! Makes me want to visit Struer even more!

jandyt:

 

Seriuosly though, I am proud to be a founder member of a great site that is now, obviously, respected by Bang and Olufsen.
Long may it last!

Andy T.

Well said Andy - I think Lee deserves a big Well Done.   And I agree about your comments about it being nice to be a founder member.  King Street was, I think, the first ( only ? )  UK retail shop to publicly "come out" as a BeoWorld Forum user, when we revamped the place in April,  and at the time I was a bit wary ( particularly when we opened the doors to a motley selection of Beowolrds finest northern members ), but I feel that decision is now vindicated by no lesser person than Torben himself.

That said, some of the initial trepidation B&O ( dealers & the main company ) felt towards the earlier Beoworld site, and others, was not without foundation, and it has taken a while for that feeling to pass.  However, the changes Lee and his team have made are a major reason why Torben and his team now accept Beoworld for what it is, so thats another Well Done heading off to the south coast.