When I visit Israel, I like to drink cafe hafuch – upside down coffee. It is a perfect variant on a cafe latte, best consumed with an extra shot of espresso and a small piece of dark chocolate while gazing out on the Mediterranean or overlooking the walls of one of the biblical era old cities.
There are different theories on the origins of the name, but “upside down” is a perfect term for the drink. To properly consume a cafe hafuch, you need to stop and sit and enjoy it.
Israelis live and work and play in a fast paced environment but they pause for coffee. Cafe hafuch is not fast food; you need to devote time to it. So cafe hafuch helps to provide a change-up to the status quo; a break in their otherwise frenetic day.
The cafe provides a venue to meet with friends and colleagues to discuss – often loudly – the political, social or personal issues of the day or contemplate their challenges at work.
That is an environment we try to replicate at The Canadian Telecom Summit. Our espresso bar, this year sponsored by Allstream, is a favoured meeting place over the 3 day event. Each year, it is always interesting to take a glance at the meetings over coffee. You can see strategy sessions among colleagues preparing for a presentation; business deals and pitches between suppliers and clients, competitors negotiating improved interconnection or taking time to understand each other’s perspective.
This is the eleventh year for our annual gathering of the leadership of stakeholders interested in Canada’s communications and information technology sector. From June 4-6, leaders from government, service providers (large and small), suppliers, financial sectors, advisory firms, and very large customers will get together for 3 days of high-octane schmoozing. Thanks to ORION, once again scholarships are available for a number of students to be able to join us.
Each morning, Michael Sone and I kick off the day at the front of the big room. But after that, you are likely to find me at espresso bar with my double-shot latte – the closest facsimile I can find to a proper cafe hafuch. Be sure to stop by.
The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit will take place at the Toronto Congress Centre from June 4-6. Have you registered yet?