Last month, hundreds of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs came together for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2016. With awards recognising everything from creative and social entrepreneurship to innovation and startups, the calibre of entrants was high.
“It’s all part of the positive feedback loop – if your residents are successful then so are you”
The first shortlist of the top 100 coworking hubs, by public vote, included 7 from the South West – recognising the region’s talent for creating some of the best collaborative spaces for entrepreneurs in the whole of the UK.
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And, despite fierce competition from the 8 shortlisted hubs invited to the final award ceremony, Bristol-based DeskLodge was crowned Entrepreneurial Coworking Space of the Year award 2016.
Thanh Quan-Nicholls, DeskLodge’s Regional Director for Bristol, says: “We are ecstatic about winning the Coworking Space of the Year Award. We have never won anything before.”
“Great British Entrepreneur Awards is the place to meet the most incredible people running brilliant businesses. And just a little icing on the cake – our award sponsor is luggage company, Knomo so we’re getting our mitts on some very cool laptop bags.”
And, when asked why she thought DeskLodge won, things became even clearer: “We were the only one that had a TARDIS!”
“We have a great team of builders, artists and DeskLodge hosts who have all contributed to making the space wonderful”
“Seriously though,” she adds, “the shortlist was created by public vote. We were pleasantly surprised by the great number of supporters who voted for us. We are a big space, but most of our coworkers come through personal recommendations.
“We put a lot of effort into creating a vibrant and supportive environment – so we’ll have to admit, the best thing about us is the people in DeskLodge. We love the energy and passion that makes our community special. It’s all part of the positive feedback loop – if your residents are successful then so are you.”
Ambition and growth
It’s been one hell of a year for DeskLodge, with this award ensuring 2016 ends on a high. Thanh tells us: “We opened a coworking space in Hemel Hempstead early this year and then took on another floor at DeskLodge Bristol. We worked through the summer to build it out and we filled in it 4 weeks.
“That was a great surprise for us and it goes to show we are doing something right! We have a great team of builders, artists and DeskLodge hosts who have all contributed to making the space wonderful.”
“Our model allows small companies the chance to offer their staff a dynamic workspace that is difficult to create by themselves”
Thanh also has some great advice for anyone hoping to emulate DeskLodge’s success with their own coworking space. She explains: “DeskLodge has a fun, adventurous feel with a focus on productivity. Our vision is to create a coworking space that is open to everyone with price plans that welcomes visitors in town for a few hours, freelancers who want a base, and companies looking for a truly flexible home in the middle of everything.
“Our model allows small companies the chance to offer their staff a dynamic workspace that is difficult to create by themselves. Companies get to work alongside others and to grow much more flexibly with lower costs – only paying for the time in which their members are using the space.”
Many thanks to Thanh for taking the time to chat to us about the awards. You can find out more about DeskLodge by checking out the DeskLodge website or by following them on Twitter: @DeskLodge.
