The best of both worlds. London and the Chilterns

I have worked in central London for most of my PR career – including London Bridge, Soho and Mayfair. But I have always loved living in Buckinghamshire. I grew up here, I went to school in Beaconsfield and all my friends and family are nearby.  I also enjoy the fantastic restaurants and sense of community that we have here in Bucks, whilst still being close enough to the capital, just a 22 minute train journey, to be able enjoy all that the capital has to offer. In fact, commuters with shorter commutes are happier according to research. The sweet spot being between 15 – 30 minutes – making Beaconsfield ideal. Hence the property prices being some of the highest in the country outside of London.

Likewise, our Managing Partner has always worked in London and has lived outside of the capital for most of his career. But last summer, we moved the office from Soho to the leafy home county of Buckinghamshire where we both call home.

There are so many positives to escaping the bustle of London. The ONS found that the most unhappy places in Britain are predominantly in urban areas and people are generally happier in rural areas. In addition to improved wellbeing, being based outside of London also means a cheaper cost of living. Housing in Buckinghamshire, although still not cheap compared to the rest of the UK, is still considerably cheaper than London. This goes the same for office space. Office space outside of London is less expensive – you get a lot more space for your money. The savings you make on a permanent London office means we can invest more in things like technology, employee benefits and training. It is a win-win situation.

Despite the improved sense of wellbeing and cheaper living costs there is still a case to be made for having a presence in the capital. We could not do our job without some sort of London base so we still have a hub in central London. Our office in the capital, The Office Group on 91 Wimpole Street, gives us the flexibility to be in the capital when we need to be. We have the best of both worlds. We can offer employees something different – the improved sense of wellbeing in the beautiful Bucks countryside and also a buzzing hub just a stone’s throw away from some of the biggest publishing houses. What’s more, we can still offer our clients the same level of service, creativity and results as an agency that is purely based in London. 

The pros for having a London hub:

1)    Flexibility - We hold regular meetings in central and it is a simple and cost-effective way to access cheap meeting rooms in central London, whenever we need them.  If clients are based in London it makes it easier for them to visit us. If they too are outside of London, it gives them the flexibility of two options, offering the ultimate in convenience.  

2)    Collaboration – Many shared workspaces are full of likeminded people and businesses that operate in similar sectors. I have met lots of creative and inspiring people and my network has grown substantially from our shared office space. This network means we have a chance to collaborate on projects and bounce ideas off each other. Also, there is a real sense of community amongst us and we often get referrals from contacts we have made at our office space.

3)    The culture – When I was based in London permanently I became a little nonchalant to the plethora of cultures on my doorstep. Every cuisine, every show, event and experience were right at my fingertips. Nowhere else in the world offers the variety that London has. So, when we are planning an event or taking a client out, we do not need to look too far from our central London space to find something extraordinary. 

4)    Closer to press – This may seem obvious but being closer to the media is a huge bonus. Whilst a lot of press communication is done virtually these days there is still a lot to be said for getting face-to-face time with editors. The team regularly meet up with press, whether to host media briefings, do product drops or simply catch up with a journalist over coffee. The one-on-one time spent with press some yields the best coverage results!

5)    It’s London – The very name and prestige that being in the capital brings makes you far more attractive to international clients. Many of our clients are based outside of the UK and so when they do visit the UK for business, London is the destination they tend to travel to thanks for its international transport links. We have also been told by clients that having a London address is an important tick box for their seniorities.