CONF ERENCING
ALLIA FUTURE BUSINESS CENTRE
available to event organisers, along with three more formal meeting spaces, one holding up to 77 delegates. As you’d expect for such a futuristic building, the equipment includes state-of-the-art audio visual technology. Outside there are even free charging points for electrical vehicles. “We are here for our tenants but are open to the community as well,” says Sally Bain. “We’re different. Book a meeting with us and we plough the money back into our initiatives.” The building layout is designed to promote collaboration – and that sense of being involved in a different way of doing things creates a definite buzz as soon as you walk in. “It’s a really vibrant place to hold a meeting,” says Sally Bain. Her tip to organisers? Think about making the event the start of a longer-term conversation – it promotes discussion and helps build relationships. “We’re definitely seeing more interactivity. You’re not going to remember everything you’ve been told so have that follow on and you’ll keep the attendees engaged.”
From its vibrant, inspiring green building to its support for new start-ups, the Allia Future Business Centre, home of Cambridge’s impact entrepreneurs, is a venue with a difference – Allia, a not-for -profit organisation, ploughs the money events raise back into supporting ventures to thrive. Host a conference here and you’ll be helping to support budding entrepreneurs.
The £9 million purpose-built building is home to tenants that include innovative start-ups (one firm has developed technology that uses footsteps to generate electricity), charities, social enterprises and not-for-profit groups. It even incorporates a ‘hatchery’ where fledgling firms can get support for their growing businesses. Brand, marketing and communications manager Sally Bain describes it as a ‘wow’ building – and it’s not hard to see why, starting with the stunning, flower-shaped photomosaic on one of the walls, made up of over 4,000 images of some of the centre’s users and supporters. Filled with light, the Future Business Centre features an open-plan atrium space flooded with natural light – which is one of the areas
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