September. The months when Cornwall quietens down after the summer, the kids go back to school and the sun miraculously appears. But this September was different for TQ. It was special. This September, we officially opened Thought Quarter Bristol!
As Co-Founder Sam Armondi said “it’s a move that’s been 3,487 days in the making.” For those of you wondering (we’ll save you the google search) it’s 9 years, 6 months and 19 days. It’s an exciting time for everyone at TQ as we continue to grow in every sense of the word.
So why Bristol? It wasn’t a quick decision, but every time we considered other options we found Bristol edging back into our discussions. We were already having some exciting conversations with organisations based in the city, and as part of the Future Leap network, we had spent a fair amount of time there too. Put simply, it just felt right.
When you’re next in Bristol, take a second to look around. It’s hardly surprising that Bristol is one of the UK’s Greenest Cities. You’ll see numerous aspects that display its commitment to sustainability and to creating a better world. This sense of responsibility flows into the business community too, but it’s more than that. The city is full of purpose-driven organisations that are both ambitious and bold. They aren’t afraid to step outside the norm to achieve their goal. It’s a city full of Changemakers. Those people are our people.
However, the attraction of Bristol didn't stop there. Another reason we chose Bristol is the epic tech community. It’s great to be around other tech-adoring individuals like ourselves. Collaboration is important and being able to discuss the industry, new tech and our ideas with other businesses in a similar space to us is just brilliant.
As we continue to grow, we’re going to need some seriously talented and ambitious individuals to join our team. Bristol has a wealth of incredible individuals and we're really looking forward to welcoming some of them to our team. In fact, we’re recruiting right now, so head to our website if you’re looking for a new opportunity.
So, as you can read, we’re pretty excited to be operating in both Bristol and Cornwall. So to celebrate our new office, we threw a party (we were never going to miss out on the opportunity for bubbles and canapes)! We won’t ruin the video, but to say it was an evening to remember would be an understatement.
Origin was the perfect venue to celebrate and Papadeli provided the most delicious food - we're still dreaming of those mini Yorkshire puddings! Our speakers James Goodall (Enterprise), Victoria Matthews (Business West) and Tom Batten (Future Leap) shared some interesting facts which sparked exciting discussions. But what really made it so special, was everyone who turned out to celebrate with us. We've been blown away with the warm reception and supportive conversations we've had. They've only further confirmed that Bristol is the perfect place for second office.
So if you’re in Bristol, drop us a message. We’re really looking forward to getting to know and contributing to the community. It’s safe to say, it already feels like home.
P.S. If you missed out on our party, don’t be too disappointed. Our next event may, or may not, be just around the corner...