Coworking space aims to help Bognor Regis businesses on track

Vicky meets... Bob Maddams, community manager at The_Track.
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• What is The_Track and who is it aimed at?

A coworking space with a focus on creative and digital businesses, we hope it’s going to be a place that will be defined by the people who come and work here; they will give it its energy, dynamism and colour. Start-ups, small businesses, solopreneurs – Bognor Regis is a town of great potential that needs an outlet for that business potential to emerge. I see The_Track as a stage; we want people to perform here and so it’s our job to give them the facilities to perform at their best.

• What facilities are on offer?

Bob Maddams, community manager, The TrackBob Maddams, community manager, The Track
Bob Maddams, community manager, The Track

Great space, meeting rooms, super-fast connectivity, shower room and also business support, training clubs and workshops led by people who have been there, done it and have got the scars and the smiles to prove it. The main benefit is the dynamism of people feeding off each other and feeding back to the community, which I think is an economic driver that Bognor Regis is hungry for. I recently read How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley. He defined innovation as something that happens when people meet and interact. If you change one word it becomes ‘innovation happens WHERE people meet and interact’. That, I think, is The_Track.

• What about the building itself?

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It is a landmark building at the heart of the town with wonderful high ceilings, so full of light and air. Hemmingway Design have done a brilliant job in updating the building, but keeping its integrity, authenticity and atmosphere.

• What is your professional background?

I started out as an advertising copywriter for Saatchis. I made a lot of TV commercials and went on to direct. I was also a travel journalist. In the 90s I heard about a film school in Ethiopia that was taking street kids and training them to make films. I went for three months and stayed seven years. It was life changing. We specialised in making behaviour changing drama films that taught communities about issues. My filmmakers won the Oscars of developing world filmmaking. I couldn’t fit back into advertising after Africa, so I launched a creative communications training business. Then I heard about The_Track. In 1962 I came to Butlin’s in Bognor Regis with my parents. As a travel journalist I had some spectacular holidays, but none have ever beaten that buzz of being five-years-old at Butlin’s in Bognor. I have a huge soft spot for the town, so it’s lovely to be back.

• When do you hope to launch?

We hope to be open by early January, and there will be Covid safety measures in place. Keep checking our website, or book a tour or free taster day. Our next free Headspace day is January 7. It’s filling up fast, so get in touch if you fancy coming to try us out. Find out more at www.thetrackbr.co.uk

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