Saturday,
Most of the merchants in the British Wizarding World temporarily forgot about the potential danger of the Death Eaters and gathered together at the luxurious stage temporarily erected in the center of Diagon Alley.
Wayne Enterprises is now a well-known multinational corporation, so its advertising Tender Meeting is certainly not a makeshift affair.
Starting from Ollivander wand shop in the south, dozens of long banners stretched all the way to the street opposite Gringotts in the north.
The banner was red, with mysterious golden alchemical formulas drawn on it, and the edges were decorated with profound and complex geometric characters.
Some merchants with a smattering of Magical Runes could recognize that the geometric script was newly created Runes, but they struggled to decipher the information within it.
"What a grand scene!" Devlin Wightthorn, the Founders of Nimbus Broom Company, looked away from the banner.
His exclamation made the young man next to him curl his lips in disdain.
"Grandpa, our sales of Nimbus haven't dropped this year, so why do we insist on getting the advertisement for the Triwizard Tournament?"
Wightthorn gazed silently at his grandson's bewildered face. "Theo, what do you think of the performance of the Firebolt?"
The young man Theo's eyes lit up. "Incredible! I dare say it's the best flying broom ever made!"
Wightthorn chuckled and walked unhurriedly toward the direction the banner stretched out. "So, what about Wayne Enterprises' Flying Boots?"
Theo, standing beside him, frowned. "Grandpa, I have doubts about the performance this thing has shown so far. Although many people claim that it played a key role in the World Cup attack, I still don't believe it can replace the flying broom."
Even if its performance is truly that extraordinary, I think it would cost much more to manufacture than Firebolt.
In the Wizarding World, any product related to Alchemy is often priced beyond the reach of ordinary wizards.
"Is that so?" Wightthorn noticed the struggle on Theo's face and already knew what he was really thinking.
From Gwent to alchemical products, Wayne Enterprises' products are all geared towards affordability, with most costing no more than two weeks' wages for an average wizard.
It's hard to say about "magic appliances"; it mainly depends on whether different brands adopt a universal solution.
Even with the highest-spec configuration, the cost of a television set equipped with Magical Projection would not exceed 100 Galleon, which is affordable for an average wizarding family.
While Wayne Enterprises has not officially announced it, the Magical Communicator, which has been thoroughly exposed, is expected to emphasize portability. If Wightthorn is not mistaken, its design should be quite affordable.
So what about Flying Boots, which seem to be better performing and even safer than flying brooms?
"We've arrived."
Wightthorn's voice startled Theo from his reverie.
The grandfather and grandson looked ahead and saw a magnificent open-air venue.
The bustling heart of Diagon Alley has been transformed into a secret forest filled with exotic plants.
Beneath each towering tree was a set of white tables and chairs, with golden lettering floating on each seat. These lettering listed various shops in the Wizarding World, such as "Twilfitt and Tattings" and "Honeydukes," as well as individuals like Sirius Black Black Mr. Burke.
Theo reached out to touch a beautiful Bird-Chasing Plant in front of him, his fingertips tracing the blue bird-shaped petals and passing through the middle of the petals.
"It's actually an illusion created by Magical Projection!"
He went around to the other side of the Bird-Chasing Plant and found that the entire plant was not only three-dimensional, but even the tiny hairs at the roots were incredibly realistic.
Wightthorn was also slightly surprised.
In just a few months, the effects of the Magical Projection have been greatly upgraded.
It is said that all of Wayne Enterprises' research and development projects are personally completed by their boss. If the information is accurate, this legendary Alchemists's apprentice is probably far superior to those so-called alchemy masters.
Once their Flying Boots are officially released, all flying broom companies will face a life-or-death crisis.
"Ah, I'm getting old... I'm getting old..." Wightthorn sighed sadly.
In 1967, he founded the Nimbus Flying Broom Company.
The creation of Nimbus caused a great sensation in the racing broom market at the time. Its first product, the Nimbus 1000, used a revolutionary design, with a top speed of 100 miles per hour and the ability to rotate 360 degrees in the air.
It combined the safety of the Oak Arrow with the ease of handling of the Cleansweep Series, and quickly became the preferred choice for professional Quidditch teams.
Subsequently, various models of the Nimbus broom dominated the market, eventually catching up with Cleansweep and Comet as latecomers, and becoming known as the "Big Three" in the broom industry.
The advent of the Firebolt last year did not actually have a significant impact on the broom industry.
The fact that it is handcrafted means that this broom is only suitable for high-end competitions, while ordinary competitions will mostly choose products from the three major manufacturers.
However, the Flying Boots were completely different.
Although Quidditch is a broomstick game, broomsticks need to be held and require extensive training. Even professional players face a very high risk of falling.
"Grandpa, our location is over there!"
The voice of his grandson Theo instantly dispelled the sadness on Wightthorn's face.
The broom industry will not disappear; only the market will continue to shrink.
The popularity generated by the Triwizard Tournament should be able to delay the decline of Nimbus to some extent.
Not long after Wightthorn and Theo sat down in their seats, the leaders of Cleansweep and Comet entered the room one after the other.
The two men had complex expressions, probably worried about the future of the broom industry.
As time passed, only a few of the platinum-colored tables and chairs in the venue remained empty.
At 9:55 a. m., Lucius, accompanied by Madam Zabini and her entourage, stormed into the venue.
The three starter Pokémon with flying broomsticks all wore a bitter expression.
With the financially powerful Nobili brand already established, it's impossible to secure prime-time advertising slots.
As a second choice, the "garbage time" before the game starts is also quite good.
Lucius and his team's high-profile appearance forced everyone in the venue to take them seriously.
Those with smaller shops, like Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and Potage's Cauldron Shop, have little hope.
At 10 o'clock, Vincent, dressed in a suit, walked into the venue with Sirius Black and old Shafiq, chatting and laughing.
As the absolute protagonist of this advertising Tender Meeting, everyone watched Vincent walk step by step towards the center of the venue.
Strange plants made way for him, revealing a section of white marble floor that had been covered.
Four long black lines extend from the top of the floor, forming the letter "W".
Vincent walked to the center of the venue, and the marble floor beneath his feet began to slowly rise.
He glanced at the packed platinum-colored tables and chairs. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Wayne Enterprises' first advertising Tender Meeting is now officially starting."