What started ten years ago with Ed behind a barbecue has grown into one of the highlights of the Gatcombe House calendar. This year, more than 100 members from Gatcombe House and Ocean House joined us for our biggest summer BBQ yet.
Hosted at Gatcombe House, the evening was a chance to close the laptop, step away from the desk and spend some time with the people behind the businesses. No formal networking and no awkward introductions. Just good food, cold drinks and plenty of conversation.
The people make the place
Offices, desks and meeting rooms matter. So do the practical things that help a working day run smoothly. But the character of a workspace comes from the people inside it.
It is the welcome when you arrive, the familiar faces around the building and the everyday conversations that make somewhere feel like more than a place to work. Bringing members from Gatcombe House and Ocean House together gives those conversations a little more room to happen.
Each building has its own identity, but both share the same approach: professional when it counts, human where it matters.
Food worth coming back for
A huge thank you to Ollie, George and the team at Hampshire Feast, who returned after doing such a brilliant job at last year’s BBQ. Once again, they kept more than 100 people very well fed and made it all look remarkably easy.
Thanks also to Steve and the team at Escapist Brew Co, who brought along Testing One Two session pale ale and Ohhh Mandy, their crisp Kölsch-style lager. Based on the number of refills, both went down rather well.
Good food. Proper local beer. Better company.
Our biggest one yet
This summer BBQ may have started with one man and a grill, but it has become something much bigger. It is a chance to thank our members, introduce people from across both sites and enjoy being together without a meeting agenda in sight.
Collaboration between the businesses at Gatcombe House and Ocean House is an important part of what we are building. Not forced networking or corporate fluff. Just useful introductions, new conversations and a more human way to work.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to all those who helped make it happen.
The video captures it far better than we could. Watch it below.
