Indycube Big Lunch, Cardiff
WARNING: This post contains ‘selfies’!
June is normally the month that lots of people frantically start toning up their ‘beach body’ in preparation for the summer hols, but for me it’s a month of serious, unashamed gluttony. As the proud coordinator of The Big Lunch in Wales I get to spend the majority of June eating large quantities of party food. So, I was thrilled when Mark Hooper, founder of Indycube CIC, sent me a text to say that he’d set himself (and his members) the challenge of hosting a Big Lunch at a different IndyCube location every day for the first 2 weeks in June. Excellent!
So on Monday the 1st of June I found myself sharing a picnic halfway up a hill in the Rhondda Valley with an architect, a musician, a yoga teacher and an accountant, and 11 days later, after a culinary tour of the south Wales network, I’m tucking into a beast of a buffet in central Cardiff with my fellow Trade Street cubers – from Dermatologists and filmmakers to writers, publishers and designers. That’s the beauty of co-working spaces (and Big Lunches for that matter), you never know who you’re going to be sitting next to and what potential collaborations or connections you might make. But…as with any work environment, it’s easy to slip into the routine of walking straight to the computer, slipping the headphones on and getting our head down, which is why Mark saw The Big Lunch as a worthwhile business investment and, more importantly, as a way of (re)connecting people.
Mark is very passionate about the fact that Indycube isn’t about renting out desk space, it’s about connecting people and communities and fostering collaboration right across Wales, which is exactly what The Big Lunch is about. In Mark’s own words he wants to “change the way Wales does business. We’re a hugely connected Country; our communities are our strength; and I want Indycube to prove that you don’t need to go to the ‘big cities’ to succeed. It’s easy to co-work in cities, but it’s important to do it elsewhere”. Each Indycube Big Lunch reflected what’s great about the Big Lunch as a whole – each event was different, reflecting the particular culture, identity and ideas of the people and places we visited. Similarly, the smaller the event the better, because whilst large gatherings are often great fun, it’s the smaller, often simpler events where you get the chance to make real connections and have proper conversations with people – conversations that may lead to something. Accelerated Serendipity Mark calls it. Or as the title of this blog suggests, putting the time into building relationships during the good times leads to people being more likely to help and support each other during the challenging times. That’s as true for co-working spaces as it is society in general, as our Big Lunch research reveals each year. PS. Did you have or attend a Big Lunch this year? If so PLEASE fill in our simple survey.
Whilst each Indycube Big Lunch was different, there was one common theme – that everyone felt it should be something they do more often. To take a break from our computer screens and share lunch together. Simple really. It’s a great way to welcome new people into the fold and cultivating more opportunities for accelerated serendipity! Thank you to everyone who made the time to enjoy an Indycube Big Lunch. I really hope it’s something that continues to happen and helps the network grow.
Did you have or attend a Big Lunch this year? If so PLEASE fill in our simple survey. Thanks!