Activate, Workman’s placemaking team, has been appointed to deliver destination marketing and community engagement at two significant office locations: Spark Foundry, part of the Newcastle Helix tech and science community in Newcastle and the Round Foundry Media Centre including Marshall’s Mill in Leeds.
The work, which is set to begin later this month, will focus on creating communities of occupiers – both on and offline – and increasing engagement. The first step often involves reaching out to occupiers through surveys and site visits to understand what kinds of networking events or online content they would like to see offered at their workplaces. The goal is to uncover the needs and aspirations of the occupiers, and once the Activate team has ascertained this, the delivery of events and online community building begins.
With transatlantic law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson set to move into 106,000 sq. ft The Spark on 30 May, community engagement strategies for employees are pivotal to create social communities at such workplaces, enabling individuals who may be employed by a variety of different occupiers to interact.
Additionally, to connect the workplaces to surrounding local communities, the Activate team is working closely with the building managers to engage with local councils, local Business Improvement Districts and other stakeholders in both Leeds and Newcastle.
Michelle Atack, Destination Marketing Manager, said: “Now that more and more occupiers are returning, while flexing their in-office days post-pandemic, it’s vital that time spent in workplaces is as valuable and meaningful as possible. Activate’s destination marketing programmes not only increase return rates, our enlivenment strategies also help create communities that teams want to be a part of, with events they don’t want to miss.”
Andrew Sparrow, Director of Placemaking, said: “During the pandemic, people were starved of human interaction, especially in the workplace. Now people are excited to get people back together so that when they are in the offices, they are learning, developing, and collaborating again which can have such a positive impact on all our mental wellbeing. Our destination marketing programmes form a cornerstone of workplace community-building that extends beyond the professional into the social, and helps people find even more reason to return.”