We sent Herman on an assignment to meet 2 charismatic French guys in the business of providing people memorable lifestyle experiences in hopes that they will be able to help our writer find his balance and lead a more fulfilling life.
About Christian Hauville, Gregory Imbert and uniQgift
Christian Hauville (Managing Director) and Gregory Imbert (Product Director) manage and run uniQgift together with their friend and partner, Audrey Wong (Business Development Director).
uniQgift is a lifestyle gifting service that aims to provide a new and appealing way to present your friends and family the perfect gift. One can choose from an array of 14 themed gift boxes to share with your loved ones, and recipients get to select from over 10 different lifestyle experiences in each uniQgift box.
Learn more >>
---Start of Interview---
Herman: Hi sir, my name is Herman, I’m a writer at PopConversation and I feel dead and empty inside.
I consulted Dr Mass Media and Marketing and they prescribed branded leather goods and excessive clubbing but their solutions only work for a short while, usually up until a new bag comes out or I sober up.
Why am I not as happy as the people in the commercials and am I turning into a zombie?
Christian: Hi Herman :) This nugget of information might help shed some light on your current situation. There were a few studies on the level of happiness of the people in China- the researchers wanted to find out the effects of China’s rapid economic growth on it’s citizens' morale. The results showed that although the people are richer, they’re not necessarily happier and in some instances, less contented than they were before. The researchers concluded that it’s important for people to learn how to enjoy themselves and that happiness is not solely about having the most money or going on shopping binges. Instead, one should revel in fun and meaningful experiences with friends and loved ones which will make for a more blissful time.
Gregory: Just to add on to what Christian said, the company you’re with is really important. You could be at the nicest place but it wouldn’t be much fun if you were there alone and there was no one to share it with, would it? Also, I think it’s important for one to be open to new experiences and not get stuck in the same cycle and habits of clubbing and shopping. Be curious and adventurous, get out of your comfort zone and make an effort to discover and try new things! You don’t always have to go overseas to do that as there are plenty of interesting things to do in Singapore.
Herman: I understand that you guys run a service that lets people redeem lifestyle experiences like spas and fine dining with vouchers but unlike popular deal buying sites, you don't offer me a 99% off my massage and aroma theraphy session. I'll stick to my budget lifestyle experience thank you.
Gregory: Well, uniQgift is not a deal site because you’re not purchasing a discount coupon :) Our package serves as a much more thoughtful gift option for your friends and family because you’re not buying a lifestyle voucher out of the bargain bin.
Also, upon receiving a UniqueGift, you’ll immediately see the difference in the packaging, it’s not a flimsy piece of paper that you print out of your email inbox, instead you get a really pretty box with a visually rich booklet detailing all the experiences you can choose from and a voucher which looks just as sleek.
Christian: Another difference would be the fact that you have a myriad of different gifts to choose from in each uniQgift voucher. Unlike a deal coupon, which limits you to 1 vendor, we offer the recipient a variety of more than 10 similarly themed experiences in each gift box.
Herman: What are the general differences in lifestyle interest, activities and preference between a French and a Singaporean?
Gregory: I feel that Singaporeans are more adventurous with food. In Singapore, you can find all different kinds of cuisines and you would not have this wide a selection in France. And although it's not always been the case, Singaporeans are also quickly learning to embrace and appreciate art and many other different lifestyle activities.
The Annual Singapore Arts Festival
Christian: I agree with Greg, they’re certainly more gastronomically curious and open to different cuisines, you’d also never see French people taking photographs of the contents in their plate, haha :)
The variety of outdoor activities in Singapore is more limited as compared to France, this is of course due to the fact that Singapore is a small country and there isn’t quite that much space for things like racing cars on the tracks- something that is very popular in France.
Herman: Paris is the capital of France and the city is themed after a strong physiological response to a member of the opposite (most of the times) sex. Bearing aforementioned fact in mind, I'd like to get expert dating advise from 2 handsome french guys.
Christian: Haha, well, I think the ladies would be very appreciative of the effort you put into romancing and treating her right. You could try offering her some flowers, and wining and dining her in a nice restaurant :)
Gregory: You should also think creatively and plan dates outside of the shopping districts and malls; there are a lot of different places in Singapore to explore and it’d be a pity if you just kept to Orchard Road. Try going to the art museums and studios and exploring heritage areas that’s rich in culture. That will make for a much more remarkable experience ;)
Christian Hauville (Managing Director, uniQgift) and Gregory Imbert (Product Director, uniQgift)
---End of Conversation---
Exclusive Promotion for PopConversation Readers!
Dear Readers,
uniQgift will be extending an exlcusive discount of 10% off just for PopConversation readers. Simply email the team at info@popconversation.com for your promotional code to be used with your online purchase on uniQgift's website.
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---Image Credits---
http://www.wayfaring.info/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.sxc.hu/
