They say that there is nothing new under the sun and coming up with new business ideas that have never been tried before can certainly seem like an impossible task at times.
Yet, by taking a closer look at some recent success stories from the business world, we can see that fusing together two existing ideas into something new can often be a winning formula.
Bingo and slots combine to make slingo games
Bingo and slots are two types of gambling games that have been popular in Manchester over the years.
Some of the finest historic buildings in Manchester were once used as popular bingo halls, but since this game has gone online it’s also diversified in nature while appealing to a broader range of local players. This can be seen in the different versions of bingo now available online as well as in the new type of game called Slingo.
A look at Paddy’s Slingo selection on the Paddy Power site shows a number of different games based on various themes. These include Slingo Space Invaders, Slingo Cleopatra and Slingo Deadliest Catch, each with images that tie in with the theme.
The gameplay is similar to slots, as you press the spin to bring up a new series of numbers of symbols, but you then mark off the numbers you’ve been given, in the same way you would mark numbers off a bingo card, as you try to get winning lines.
Fusion-style restaurants thrive in Manchester
The food industry is an area where fusion has made a massive impact in recent years, by adding exciting combinations that capture our imagination.
We can see that in restaurants like Fuzion Noodle Bar and Namii Kitchen & Cocktails, while the Secret Manchester site lists some of the city’s top Asian fusion restaurants where traditional and modern recipes are used.
Roti gained a strong reputation for its Scottish-Indian fusion food including haggis pakora and their restaurant in Sale is still going strong despite the closure of their Chorlton location at the start of the year.
This exotic fusing of different gastronomic ideas tends to work best in big, cosmopolitan cities so it’s easy to see why it’s been a success in Manchester. Over 28% of the city’s population is from an ethnic minority according to the 2021 census, with residents from an Asian background making up close to half this total.
The number of culturally diverse events held here include the Manchester International Festival, Manchester Mega Mela and the Italian Procession, giving other ways for us to see the influence of the hugely diverse population.
A look ahead
With 36 new companies created every single day in Manchester in the first six months of 2022, the booming Manchester business scene seems set to continue, and this is sure to mean more fusion ideas as creative entrepreneurs look for new ways to appeal to the public.
Not every fusing of two different ideas works as well in real life as on paper, but the success stories we’ve looked at here suggest that Manchester is ripe for more fusion projects in the future.
