If you weren’t there, here’s a taste of what you missed:

So who do you think our next House Guest should be? Let us know in the comments.

See you here.

While Firehouse was responsible for just a portion of the agenda, we took this opportunity to share with our procurement brethren some thoughts about how to make the relationship with their agencies much more productive.

Some key takeaways:

- Understanding the agency’s capabilities is the first step to creating efficiencies.  By truly understanding where your agency is adding irrefutable value, you’ll do a better job at identifying what is truly in their wheelhouse, and where efficiencies might be gained.

- Without a strong partner in Marketing, you may find yourself being viewed as either a policeman or just a negotiator. You can download the mindmap of the “Becoming Your CMO’s Best Friend” talk by clicking here.

- The changing media landscape has impacted the definition of value.  Today’s media plans are focused on creating impact via interactions with the brand, not just the number of impressions delivered.  We also discussed how Paid, Earned and Owned Media tactics combine to create value that is greater than the sum of their parts – and why understanding their roles is key to assessing this value.

- With ongoing involvement, Procurement can more realistically measure program effectiveness and insist on accountability, not just for spending allocation but also for its effectiveness.  There was much discussion about agencies’ willingness to tie a portion of their compensation to agreed-upon metrics, and need for agency priorities to be aligned with those of Marketing.

- If Procurement and Marketing can agree upon objectives and understand the true parameters, your agency can be a creative problem-solving resource, even when that problem is managing costs.  The best example was how we helped Macaroni Grill return to television after a long hiatus by developing a low-cost, but highly effective, approach to producing television spots for the brand.

Overall, this roundtable was a great opportunity for sharing perspectives.  All recognized that the responsibility for improving relationships between Agencies, Procurement and Marketing is a joint one. While there is value in reviewing and discussing best practices, in the end, success is created by facilitating open communication and building trust-based relationships.  And, that responsibility lies with Procurement as well as the other parties involved.

So without further ado, we give you the Stripes 2011 sponsorship posters.

Cue the cups.

On Friday, Firehouse hosted its first ever Firehouse April Foos Tournament for charity. Actually, this foosball tournament is a well-grounded Firehouse tradition, but this was the first year we’ve opened it to the public and used it to make a difference. Firehouse invited clients, media reps, production vendors and other friends to come be a part of a two-on-two foosball tournament, in which all proceeds would benefit Taylor’s Gift, a foundation dedicated to increasing organ donation rates across the country. Three intense hours of food, foos and boos (for some) helped Firehouse generate $2,500 in donations for Taylor’s Gift. Can you say, “Gooooooooooolllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!”? We also had a large number of new sign-ups on the national registry for organ donors (Go to taylorsgift.org to sign up) which will help save many lives. A lot of people think that just because they sign the back of their drivers license they are registered to be a donor, but many states don’t do that anymore and there are often-times a few more hoops to jump through than that.

So a vuvuzuela size shout of gratitude to all who participated and contributed to the donation. Together we made a big difference to the folks at Taylor’s Gift and in turn, are helping to save lives of people across the country.

First off, the keynote and closing speakers were both great picks, delivering unique perspectives that illuminated how to do what creative thinkers do better.

Author, technologist, all-around smart guy Steven Berlin Johnson kicked things off with a talk about the nature of breakthrough ideas – they are rarely a lightning bolt, rather a slow soaking rainstorm, an accumulation. He used the story of John Snow who discovered cholera’s water-born transmission to illustrate the power of “the slow hunch”. You have to give ideas time to grow. Google’s 20% policy, one day a week devoted to free, company- but not job-related thinking, was cited as one example of creating idea breathing room.  Also love the thought of giving staff a reading vacation – work time to read, think, connect ideas (even if what they choose to read is comics or beauty magazines). And like the notion of liquid networks – in short, an unstructured atmosphere for idea sharing (think coffeehouse culture).  Finally:  If you want to innovate, surround yourself with those unlike you instead of you-clones.

Closing speaker Emily Pilloton was downright inspirational. I love this woman. She doesn’t see obstacles, only ways around them.  An architect from San Francisco who moved to relatively impoverished Bertie County, NC, she committed herself to teaching design to high school students in an amazing hands-on way that ultimately helps these kids learn not only skills but self-worth. Implication: All of us have talents that can make a difference if we change our lens on how we apply them.  Emily is the founder and executive director of Project H Design.  Check them out and donate to help fund this important work.  I did.

Breakout sessions I attended focused on The Digital Lives of Multicultural Consumers; The Use of Mobile Tech at Retail; The Relationship of China and the US; The Similarities and Differences Between the US, UK and the rest of Europe; Redefining Aspiration and Aesthetics in a Post-Recession World; and the International Palate and what that may mean for US taste buds. I’ll share only some of the stickier thoughts here:

- Wonder if social media is right for a multicultural target? Was surprised to learn multiculturals pioneered SM in the early ’90s. It’s important is to recognize the motivations that drive engagement for multicultural consumers though. And they’re different.  Think Collectivism, Aspirations, Culture.

- There are a host of tag technologies – from Microsoft tags to Jag Tags to QR codes and several others – beginning to pop up in the retail environment. Don’t worry about learning the differences; natural selection will narrow the field. Instead, think about how to linking to content can provide real value to consumers…that’s the nut most brands seemingly can’t crack.

- The relationship between China and the US will be the one history books focus on in describing our time. We are set on a course I would best describe as symbiotic rivalry.  The Tiger Mom debate interestingly encapsulates so much of the culture clash baked into this relationship. Read “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” and watch the education documentary “Race to Nowhere.”

- The cultural differences between people of various nations really can be linked back to values. And values would tell you some stereotypes are true.  Americans are fat; the only fatter country is Saudi Arabia.  Germans are anal, okay practical. Brits are really not over-sexed; a real Austin Powers just might bee-have. And, finally, perhaps the French are actually more insecure than arrogant. (Try boosting their esteem to win their elusive affections.)

- Some brands and properties are playing well to post-recession aspirations and aesthetics:  Anthropologie, Pinterest, Ace Hotel, and Club Monaco.  It’s about how they relate to Individuality, Heritage, Simplicity.

- Iconoculture has introduced a new macrotrend (not something they do often) called Mindful Matters™. It’s about people mindfully re-prioritizing what they buy, who they do business with and even how they live. Less can be more if it’s the right less.  Keep an eye out for how that’s manifesting in your world.

- Finally, the Brazilian Cherry or pitanga may be the next passion fruit; fish sauce an increasingly familiar way to achieve Unami.  And, FYI, I don’t recommend salmon jerky.

These are some sound bites. Find me and I’ll be happy to share more. All in all, some stuff you and I already knew, some I was happy to learn, and some I was inspired to hear. Such is the nature of conferences – at least the good ones.

Versus last year, this Iconosphere was more heavily attended by brand people versus agencies.  Guessing the economic climate may be driving some of that. That’s too bad. Lots to learn for those ready to listen.

The topics ranged from collecting local art (heyshari.com), to everything you wanted to know about redheads (@valerielm), to why you should own a dog (@dmburrows), to a compelling prison entrepreneurship program (@mikeorren), to the confessions of a Widespread Panic addict (@kacewrangler).

It made you think. It made you laugh. It was never boring. And it proved a great opportunity to connect with some interesting new people right here in our hometown.

We look forward to the next one coming this summer. Check back here or keep an eye on our tweets (@firehouseagency) for details.

The occasion was staged in the basement level of the Aloft Hotel downtown, a venue where complete lightless dark was easily achieved. Our server, like all working that evening, was legally blind – and the perfect hostess for helping us navigate a four-course, nearly two hour and utterly sightless meal.

There was some initial trepidation to be sure. More on Kim’s part, but probably the most disconcerting part for both of us though was the total trust you had to place in people (and food) you could not see.

As you might expect, your olfactory senses and taste buds work overtime when unaided by vision. Less predictable was how hard your eyes strained for light during those first ten minutes, how quickly you adapted to the darkness after that, and how you relaxed into the whole thing. Trusting the food, your server, and that your wine glass would be just to the northeast of your plate when you reached for it again.

To say it gave us an appreciation of what it would be like to be blind diminishes the immense challenges that must entail. It did provide a tiny taste though. It also gave us a new way to connect over a meal. And it awakened us to how sleepy your taste buds get when each flavor is forecast by sight.

Upon leaving, we were given a card that said: Dark is never black; just a deep, deep shade of red. The thought felt right – for Valentine’s Day and as summation of the whole experience. It was dark indeed, but we’re happy we took the chance to see things a little differently.

First of all, the Super Bowl has become somewhat of a sports institution, eclipsing many of our national holidays as the time to get together with friends and enjoy food and beverages. And, maybe it’s because I now have school-age kids who don’t want to miss a minute of the game. Or, because I’m a bit distracted on Sunday evenings, thinking about the week to come.

But, here are some of the other reasons to consider the move to Saturday, some economical and some social:

- Kids could stay up later than they could on a school night
- Super Bowl parties could be even bigger events and would encourage more families (even non-sports fans) to get together. These bigger events would require even more food and beverage purchases – benefiting retail more
- Restaurant and bar traffic would likely increase as well
- No doubt, networks would enjoy a rise in viewership
- International fans could more easily stay up late to watch – on-strategy for the NFL’s globalization strategy
- Less workplace absenteeism come Monday morning
- One person even suggested that the Pro Bowl could be played on Sunday in the same stadium for those worried that the host city’s revenue would be negatively impacted

Now, the NFL has made its position known: the Super Bowl on a Sunday has worked well for 44 years and they don’t anticipate moving it. See SI.com article. But, with NFL games already being played on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, it doesn’t seem like such a stretch.

And there’s a growing movement of “Move the Super Bowl to Saturday” petitions on Facebook and a number of writers calling for a national holiday on Monday. If you want to join others in petitioning the NFL to move the Super Bowl to Saturday, you can even do that online here.

Besides, we’d have even more time to discuss the Super Bowl ads. So, who’s on-board?