The ING Coffee Bar

The latest ING Direct café has opened in downtown Toronto at 221 Yonge Street, and for those of you who are not familiar with the concept, the bank is hoping you’ll stop in for a cup of coffee, some free WiFi, and maybe discuss the benefits of a fixed or variable mortgage. It’s part of a growing global trend that UK think-tank The Future Laboratory has termed “bleisure” – the mixing of business and leisure. Although this premise may seem like a union of church and state, the ubiquity of electronic devices has done much to blur the boundaries between these two opposing worlds. American Express and Starwood Hotels & Resorts recently launched a joint credit card geared specifically at this phenomenon – targeting travelers looking for ways to maximize their points and build leisure time into their business travel. This mashup moniker is also finding its way into the fashion industry, with menswear shows increasingly being dubbed as “bleisure” collections – as they straddle a happy medium between work and casual style.  Even the seemingly innocuous act of linking your Facebook page to your LinkedIn account signals to all that you’re comfortable blending your work and personal lives. So although this trend may seem like a passing fad – I suspect we’ll see more mashups of what we have traditionally defined as separate pursuits. Latte with your GIC anyone?

peter g