A Year in Review

Looking back at Year Three at House of Sport

Resilience.

The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Fight or flight.

Resilience is the thing that makes us get up time and time again in the face of adversity.

And resilience is something that has been in high demand of late.

The tenacity, determination and drive associated with resilience is reflected in sport itself. The ability to endure the knockbacks, the defeats and the bad training sessions to come back stronger with new learnings and a growth mindset. Therein lies the power of sport. It motivates in the face of failure. Restores confidence despite missteps. Gives focus and unites communities.

2020 will be a year foreshadowed by a global crisis beyond anyone’s control or expectation.

But 2020 will also be the year that saw communities come together, businesses pivot to adapt to a new and evolving landscape and a year where technology came into its own. A time when, even for a short while, the loudest sound in the morning’s was not the rumble of traffic but the chorus of birdsong.

And what of the year for House of Sport?

As House of Sport turns three, we reflect on some of the highlights of the last year, the challenges of recent months and cast our eyes to the future.

We saw Year two out in style with a Hawaiian themed party that took place on the hottest day of the year, bringing together Residents, Members and partners.

New Residents

Our community has continued to grow and flourish and continues to evolve.

Over the past twelve months we have welcomed several new organisations to the House including Snow Camp, Stack Sports, Ecal and Play Innovation.

In September, the Tiger team from Barnardo’s took up residence at the House, the first organisation to join us from outside the realms of sports orientated charities.

In a co-working space of committed organisations, all striving to deliver to the best of their ability this has been nothing but positive. A new sharing of knowledge based on a wealth of experience that comes with being a well-established charity on a national scale. In turn, the benefit to Barnardo’s has been on a grassroots level with the sharing of local, borough and community insight from other organisations already in the House.

Space

House of Sport as a physical space is full of potential.

Over the last year we have sought to find new and innovative ways to utilise the space beyond its role as an office building.

Our meeting room spaces have been in high demand, offering cost effective solutions to organisations from across the country looking for a London base.

We have seen our Level 5 breakout area transformed into an attractive event space hosting Strava, The Department for International Trade and Enterprise Ireland.

The space has been used for London Sport’s Connect Series as well as our own engagement opportunities.

Engagement

It is safe to say that the doors of House of Sport have been opened wide over the last year to a variety of engagement opportunities.

A focus for the year has been to continue to develop our engagement offer for residents.

The introduction of Ultimate Wednesdays has provided an opportunity for engagement each week with networking breakfasts, themed briefings, active lunchtime sessions and weekly socials. This is in addition to a weekly timetable of run club, interval training, box-fit and yoga. So, lots of things to get stuck in to!

Back by popular demand after its inaugural appearance in 2019, February saw the second incarnation of our annual Wellness Week.

The aim of the week is to really focus in on the wellbeing of the residents and the workplace environment.

During the week, each day focused on a different theme with a timetable of events spread across the working day, all free to access.

We were supported by a great variety of speakers and contributors including a Wellbeing 101 workshop with Chevy Rough, mental health story sharing from Hope Virgo and Sporting Heads and a Mindfulness Workshop. Residents also had the chance to take part in run club, boxing, animal flow fitness, yoga and a stretch session.

One of the things to have the most impact during this year’s Wellness Week was the simplest to implement. Our ‘have a break, have a chit chat’ daily afternoon session encouraged everyone to take five minutes over a cup of tea or coffee.

Sometimes it can be the small things that give back the biggest value.

The feedback from Wellness Week was overwhelmingly positive and we have plans to feature it more broadly across the year with a focus week each quarter.

Results from our annual Resident Satisfaction Survey highlighted that 92% or respondents would highly recommend (scoring a 9 or 10) Wellness Week to another House of Sport resident, an increase of 53% on the previous year.

“I thought there was an increased range of activities/sessions in 2020 compared to 2019 and I could tell the team had put a lot of work into arranging and communicating them. It’s a very progressive thing for a workplace to do.”

“Brilliant week, well organised and fab marketing.”

Community

Community is key.

Our House of Sport goal is to make sure the working environment enhances and supports our community both personally and professionally. It is why we place such emphasis on embedding an awareness of the importance of wellbeing.

What makes a great co-working space? Yes, it is important that there is reliable Wi-Fi, good coffee and comfortable workspaces. But beyond that, and perhaps even more important are the people.

Individuals are important.

This year, our monthly ‘You Rock’ series has featured someone from the House, focusing in on some of the amazing things that the people who make up the House get up to as a way of celebrating endeavour and sharing personal stories.

Take a look at some of our ‘You Rock!’ series

Each year, the Resident Satisfaction Survey is undertaken to gauge feedback from the community, highlighting areas for improvement and things that we are getting right. The survey is invaluable in giving us insight in how we can make House of Sport the best it can possibly be.

This year saw an increase of 23% in our Net Promoter score from the previous year’s survey to 68%.

The results also saw 96% of residents rating engagement levels as “good” and “excellent” with feedback from across the House being enthusiastically positive.

“A fantastic modern working environment with like-minded individuals and organisations. Thanks to all the HoS team for your support and all the opportunities provided.”

Then there is the unmeasurable impact, the intangible data.

The way a workplace can make a person feel.

There are the untold stories of random encounters at the coffee machine that have forged new connections.

Chance meetings on the stairs.

The kernel of knowledge acquired at an information session that led to a project breakthrough.

A shared love of open water swimming discovered while reading about a new resident.

Passions become projects.

There is power in community; a collective to influence change; a union of voices to turn up the volume.

These interactions are not necessarily things that will be documented and go on to appear on a graph that indicates success. No neat little pie charts showcasing the impact of a serendipitous moment.

But these things do matter.

There is a reason we are not called ‘Office of Sport.’ We strive to be more than just a desk space.

While the House of Sport community and our partners have been physically distant, it feels more connected than ever. The past few months have made it even more apparent that House of Sport is so much more than the bricks and mortar of the physical building. The community still exists in a space outside of the bounds of the walls which is testament to the connections and relationships built up over time.

Now in its third year of operation, House of Sport continues to be a thriving space that stays true to its core founding mission of being a place that fosters community and collaboration.

The landscape of offices and co-working spaces as we know them has been set for a sea-change for some time. Covid-19 has perhaps accelerated this potential shift in the way organisations operate as teams in workspaces and has highlighted that positive change is possible.

As our own resident organisations adapt to encompass a more flexible way of working that includes home and remote working solutions, we are ready to be agile and adaptive.

The year to come may be full of new and unexpected challenges that are very much outside of our strategic planning parameters. We will continue to think creatively about how we can have a positive impact within the sector and beyond, to grow, support and innovate.

We’re always keen to expand our community and welcome in new organisations.

Get in touch here for information on our current availability and ways to join us.