THE PRINCIPLE

Sometimes changing where you offer your product changes everything

How would you like to host a dinner party 130 feet up in the air? No, not on a low-flying aeroplane but around a table hoisted by a giant crane. Sounds bizarre, but it’s the premise of a successful business called ‘Dinner in the Sky’.

The brainchild of David Ghysells, a Belgian marketing executive, it allows 22 diners to be strapped into their chairs while being served by waiters and waitresses standing in an aisle in the centre of the table. You can even ask to have an opera singer up there with you to entertain your guests. Or you can hire a second crane to lift a platform holding a band so you can have music while you eat.

The costs vary according to the menu and how long you are in the air, but in Belgium a leisurely session for 22 people runs to around £10,000, while shorter sessions in Las Vegas come with a much lower price tag, at around £4000.

The company has partners in 30 countries and has lifted more than 125,000 people. Clients include corporations wanting to impress customers and well-heeled individuals wanting to host a dinner party unlike any other. The company isn’t stopping at dinners: you can also ask for ‘Marriage in the Sky’, ‘Lounge in the Sky’ and ‘Showbiz in the Sky.’

As crazy as it sounds, the basic concept simply is a (radical) change of location for an otherwise mundane activity. Sometimes that’s all it takes to create something amazing.