Selling out in 2016, thestudiomanchester are excited to once again welcome Jamchester through its doors!

It’s Jamazing…

Not quite sure what Jamchester is about? One thing’s for sure, it’s not a festival dedicated to jam! Presented by Gameopolis and HAC100, we introduce the UK’s biggest professional game jam, a weekend long event offering industry professionals the perfect opportunity to let their imaginations run wild. Get your creative juices flowing as you compete either in a team or as a lone wolf to create the best game. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so you’ve been given two to craft your masterpiece!

We’re Jammin’…

Not for the faint hearted, this game building extravaganza is a 24hr event! Guests will be working round the clock on their precious projects. Last year Jamchester welcomed a whopping 200 attendees and received a staggering 39 video games! Whether you love gaming or are a curious kitten, check out last year’s marvels by clicking here… thestudio

To All Gamers…

Here at thestudio, we really value being customer focused. Whether you’re new to our meetings and events spaces or have stuck by us since our Orange days, we’re always super excited to see the return of clients’ year in year out. To everyone competing this weekend, a massive good luck from thestudio team.

What’s smoking hot @thestudio?

Blazing sun, clear skies, hot weather, shades… Yes the long awaited British summer is here! And what a better way to celebrate than a classy BBQ. We humans are a social bunch, loving any old excuse for a get together and with the sun high in the sky, what a better opportunity?

Individually we’re brilliantly unique but together, together we’re unstoppable. That’s why we love rounding up our team for a quarterly get-together. Being on the same page doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom with monotonous meetings. Spicing things up with a fun, relaxed event does wonders when it comes to team bonding. Plus, you know that age old saying to get to someone’s hear you have to go through their stomach!

No case without a showcase…

We’re really looking forward to the season of BBQ’s and great weather. So much so we’d like to add a bit of pizazz to your reunions by offering a smoking hot team building session in Birmingham and Manchester. Running from July to August, catch up with your crew over some delicious food!

Under the watchful eye of BBQ extraordinaire Richard Holden, your crew can enjoy a tailor made bespoke grilling master class. That’s not all, whilst looking forward to this creative lunch, we include the use of a main meeting room, unlimited tea, coffee and snacks throughout the day.

Ideal for 10-20 guests wanting to live it up in the sun, in just a few hours you’ll experience a 2 course menu of a starter and a main course, BBQ skills on show, tips on grilling and roasting, how to make pioneering pesto, saucy marinades, homemade pizza dough plus choosing and cooking the perfect steak! With a variety of activity packages starting from £50+vat pp for 3-6 hour sessions, looks like the only thing you’ll need is some shades and sun cream!

*Minimum numbers for any course are 10, increasing to a maximum of 20 per session. The above is subject to availability, to make an enquiry contact thestudio team on 0800 028 6694

Guest blog from Bea Peck …

Day 1
It’s 8.50 on Monday morning, the first day of my work experience @thestudio, ¼ of my body weight is currently nerves, another ¼ coffee and the other ½ undeniable excitement. I suppose I should introduce myself – Hi, my name is Bea. I’m 17 and currently studying my first year of A levels but more importantly, I just spent a week @thestudio to learn how such a successful events company is run day to day.

Rumour has it, business people are scary. They’re crazy caffeine fuelled robots who type numbers into a computer nine hours a day – but not @thestudio. I was met with nothing other than a smile.

As I toured the building, I couldn’t help but grin at all thestudios’ little quirks; the bright and engaging décor, the goldfish on the second floor, even the toilet signs could lighten your Monday morning blues.

By 11am I had conquered my fear of the phone lines, it was until this week I had never transferred a call… embarrassing but true! Jyoti navigated me through thestudio’s social media pages, blogs and website, teaching me how keeping clients informed with thestudio’s recent activities or even gaining a twitter follower are all important aspects of establishing solid relationships with clients in this increasingly digital age.

Day 2
Today I sat with Pedro on the second floor reception, greeting puzzled looking guests and showing them to their rooms. Once again I manned the phone lines, discovering the talent of job juggling that the not-so-scary business people @thestudio perform so admirably. Here, I gained experience both behind the desk but also good customer service skills that I can transfer to any workplace in the future. (more…)

We all can relate to the importance of a get together, be it family or friends. But for a lot of organisations, including ourselves, we see the value in getting our studio team together. So last Wednesday, we did just that! With a handful of new studio family members and a new venue on the ever brightening horizon, our quarterly round up couldn’t have been timed better! Check out what we got up to…

Suffering from summer time sadness and wishing you too were on holidays? The weather might not be great but here’s a few things we think could brighten up your day, especially if you’re paying us a visit!

Don’t forget the sun tan lotion…

Being the number one topic of all our gripes and groans, the British weather is renowned for its ups and downs. This being said, when the sun decides to have his hat on, it’s important for us to make the most it! There’s nothing better than soaking in the sun and what a better place to do it on than our roof garden in Birmingham or terraces in Manchester and Leeds!

A toast to summer…

Is there any better way to celebrate the summer than with a tempting glass of prosecco or a soothingly cool luxury ice cream? Being firm believers of treating yourself, especially when it comes to food, our summer offer is one not to miss and available across all our venues. Check out our latest offers if you’d love an all-inclusive rate!

Where art thou Pikachu…

Pokemon Go has literally taken society by storm, all generations have come together to pursue childhood dreams of becoming a Pokemaster! Or they’re just curious… But for those who have a new found addiction to pokeballs, did you know thestudiobirmingham is sat right next to a plaque dedicated to William Shakespeare which doubles up as a Pokestop! Now you can top up both your coffee and stash of revives on your break. Happy days. (more…)

No longer a wee rumour,  thestudioglasgow is set to be unveiled later this year. So in the spirit of our new Scottish home, here are some things you may or may not have known about Glasgow!

• We all know New York is a ‘hell of a town’ but did you know that Glasgow has its own Statue of Liberty?!  Mounted on The City Chambers, the figure of Truth stands proud mirroring on a smaller scale its twin from across the pond.

• ET phone home…  Fortunately this transmission’s origins were terrestrial; Scotland had its first taste of TV in the one and only Grand Central Hotel. A place familiar to thestudio team… Check out our Glasgow away day!

• Why the long face?  Home to the longest bar in Europe, measuring over a whopping 104ft, the bar stretched its way into the Guinness book of records… and rightly so! Aptly named the Horseshoe Bar.

• Did you know Glasgow has the fourth largest population within the UK ? That’s a lot of Glaswegians!

• Third place to only London and Budapest, Glasgow owns the third oldest subway system in the world! Pretty impressive, and it’s even got its own nickname: Clockwork Orange!

• If you love a bit of football trivia this is one for you… the first international match was held on 1872 in the land of kilts West of Scotland Cricket Club. Though the team weren’t from too far afield: Scotland vs England!

• When it comes to law enforcement Glasgow was ahead of its time, having established their first police force  in 1789, 40 years before London! Thankfully no sign of Robocop yet.

• A holiday that is either avoided or celebrated by the masses, St. Valentine’s Day is renowned for celebrating love. Funnily enough, this Saint’s remains can be found in the Blessed St John Duns Scotus church in Glasgow!

Now we all know a little more about our new home. If you’re curious about our new venue, stay in the loop on Facebook, LinkedIn or twitter! Have a lovely weekend all 😀

Yes, we are still harping about our new aesthetically pleasing and easy to use website. Technology is everywhere and has firmly planted its presence in our hearts and more importantly our pockets. So join the new age revolution, dust off those keyboards and let’s get creative!

1. Responsive. Don’t be scared off by techy lingo, a cheeky Google search will help you understand the jazziest of technical terms. The best way to think of it is “content is like water”, your webpage will respond to the shape (the device accessing your site) and fit it accordingly. Goodbye to awkward scrolling or trying to zoom into miniature text, your site becomes fluid, just like water.

2. Are you an internet explorer? As the home of all websites, we access the internet through various web browsers; did you know they can be a crucial part of how fast everything runs?  So when things start lagging beyond belief, maybe switch it up and see what happens. Apparently Fire Foxes don’t bite. We know for some this maybe stating the painfully obvious, but spare a thought for those who aren’t computer savvy!

3. Images. Humanity loves images. They are quick and easy to process, much better than reams and reams of content. In today’s society people are busy, they’d rather just be quickly shown what they are getting then convinced it’s the right decision after. One size doesn’t fit all so think carefully about how your photoshoots are shot; square images don’t make great banners! (more…)

Today we are proud to announce thestudio Director and Co-founder Emma Jennings made it into the House of Commons!

Over a spot of breakfast, the IPT (Industry Parliament Trust) hosted a meeting addressing and recognizing the vital role small and independent businesses play in the UK’s overall economic growth and wellbeing. Acting as an intermediate, the IPT bridges the gap between parliament and businesses, through encouraging insightful exchanges to promote an improved understanding for both factions.

With talks of business expansion, current government opportunities available and the biggest challenges faced by SME’s, support was today’s topic of choice. After all, there’s nothing more efficient than working together towards a shared ambition.

Emma said after the event this morning …

“What an opportunity to be invited to such a prestigious venue where you get to speak and hopefully influence government policies of the future. Around the table the main topic, was definitely providing “support” and how is the existing support “signposted” to busy business owners to access it?

From the academics and MPs around the table it was interesting to hear them talk of “aspiration” being the biggest driver in small business growth. From experience I know thestudio has no lack of aspiration!

What we do lack, as a “service and hospitality business” is access to government funds that support our growth, we have borrowed a substantial amount of money to enable our successes to date and mostly at director level risk in term of guarantees.  I asked for encouragement in more of that aspiration and ambition, by mitigating some of the personal risk we always have to consider in any expansion of our business. More sensible and accessible funding please!

Also I was very interested to hear of the demand around the table of putting “entrepreneurship” as a curriculum agenda in schools – show young people that your own business is a career choice and support this at the grass roots. As a business we are extremely supportive of mentor programs and wholeheartedly support the next generation and giving something back.

And finally … a big message was consistency. So many initiatives come and go for businesses that it is challenging to make long term plans. In the 10 years of thestudio’s trading history we have survived some pretty stormy seas, we are have been resilient and come out the other side and are excited for our future growth, BUT we do need some stability in the economy, which could of course take us onto another very hot and current topic …. But for today, it’s back to the real world and the business of running our business!”

“More than” or “Less than” birth place to Glasgow

In this modern age where information is fast and easily gained, we as a populous have a habit of losing interest and attention fairly quickly. So instead of a long winded, super descriptive take on our away day, here’s a countdown of what we got up to!

1. Venturing into the unknown and uncharted territory (logistics wise), we transported our whole team to where you ask? Scotland of course! As it’s no wee rumour, Glasgow will be the home of our 4th venue, so the perfect location for a good ol’ studio bonding session.
2. Much needed hearty breakfast boost at the impressive Citizen M (unique hotel/events space born in Amsterdam) followed by a tour of the facilities… Everyone loved the mood lighting and of course the breakfast spread!
3. Moving onto Grand Central Hotel where we held our traditional team rally, new recruits warmly welcomed it was time to get into the nitty gritty of the business, past present and future. With the threat of an early start and a breakfast food coma dipping our concentration levels, a much welcomed game of “Run Around” dominated the session.
4. Happy Birthday Evie! We sang, we cut and we ate.
5. Lo and behold thestudioglasgow! The team were lucky enough to have a “pre-fit out” viewing of our newest space … Just a viewing? We think not! For our challenge we were split into groups, locking horns over crowning the rooms with a meaningful studio-esq brand name and quote. See if you can guess from our 3d plans on the website which ones were the winners…
6. We know the saying about all work and being a dull boy… So as the evening drew closer, it was time to let our hair down, celebrate our achievements and enjoy an exclusive open top bus tour of beautiful Glasgow. Definitely living the Glaswegian high life.
7. If you’ve been to one of our venues before, you’d know how much all of us love food. And for the love of food, we dined and went to meat eater’s heaven: Viva Brazil. With 14 cuts of meat which are brought to the table then specifically and individually carved, there wasn’t need for much movement unless you fancied something from the unlimited salad bar.
8. Bellies filled, drinks drank, it was time to call it a night but not before a cheeky night cap at the stunning Hotel Indigo. A great hotel that is graced with both modernity and grandeur.
9. Return home!

Our team had a smashing time and if you’re in search for some solid advice or inspiration from turning a dreaded away day to a day looked forward to, feel free to contact us! After all, we love a good mind map 🙂

Mahatma Gandhi once said “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”

Though we may not like to admit it we all know the benefits of keeping active and eating correctly. Whilst many live the active life we’re so aware of many of us hide our guilty faces in a smoke screen of business or deliberately bury our heads behind computer screens, far too often we fall into a black hole of excuses and reasons to not go for that run, walk or swim. Fortunately a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to mean cutting all your much loved confectioneries; it’s more about being mindful. That being said, we have listed the top 5 things which could be the beginnings of a healthier mind and body.

1.Make a stand…

It may sound and even look a bit odd however the benefits of standing whilst working far outweigh the cons, so put on a brave face and anchor those heels to the floor. With the majority of the populous working in modern factories (offices) and commuting to and from work, we know this isn’t the best combination for hitting that all important daily step count.

2.Fight off temptation…

Don’t be fooled by the snake charmer, it’s true that at times your own thoughts can be your own worst enemy, especially when hunger pains take over! Surrounding yourself with healthy snacks will not only assist in keeping those hunger pangs at bay but will support your blood sugar levels. You’ll be as ripe and ready to go as your trusty fruit pot. (Don’t feel guilty about the odd chocolate though, after all, a momentary indulgence is a thing of beauty!)

3.Let’s get physical…

As hunter gatherers, physical movement was essential to survival, now it seems movement is a thing of the stone ages! It’s hard after a long day’s work to find motivation or even inspiration to do something out of the good ol’ comfort zone. Biting the bullet and having a session at a gym, where you may feel overtly self-conscious about your overall fitness levels may not always be the best solution to a healthier life. Why not invest in a step counter or take on a charity challenge? Don’t forget, being physical and getting enough sleep are both core ingredients to your wellbeing!

4.From horse power to human power…

For those brave enough to face the British weather head on, saddling up for what we loosely call summer could be a fun, revitalizing and a super healthy choice to make. With the trend of cycling becoming increasingly popular It’s not uncommon to see colorfully clad cyclists heading to work all year round. Cycling will help you have an energetic start to the day! Plus we have heard wearing Lycra can feel strangely liberating, naming no names…

5.Water works…

Making up around 60% of our body, water is not only important to help our body clear out toxins but hydration helps to Kung Fu combat that pesky heavy eye lidded monster called fatigue. So if you want to feel refreshed, grab a glass of water and if water just isn’t your thing why not try adding cordial. Some water must be better than no water, right?

Like a squirrel who stored nuts for the winter, remember all those little efforts you make all add up. You don’t have to wait for a new year to make some changes; there is no better time to start than the present. Good luck on the new ventures and healthier-ish lifestyles. We encourage you to hop, skip or jump to your next meeting even if it’s only from New Street to thestudio!