Stop Dreaming, Start Planning» Meetups

Dine your way out of the City

Guest — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:02:09 +0000

Kate Jackson is an ex-City lawyer who left the suits, books and courtroom behind to launch party dating website ClickTonight. She has since launched TableCrowd, a real life social network where you can meet people over food. She lives and breathes dating, eating out, and cycling.

I escaped the City back in 2007 but I now seem to be delving back into it. Let me explain… I co-founded and am CEO of TableCrowd – a real life social network to meet people over food. We run tables daily for our members to meet at UK restaurants. Prior to TableCrowd, I co-founded ClickTonight, a website that helps people meet quickly through its online community and off line events.

I use TableCrowd primarily for networking with other startups. It is a great platform for meeting other people on the same entrepreneurial journey as me to share connections and experiences. However, I decided, as an ex-commercial lawyer myself, to host a dinner for people wanting to leave the law. I thought it would be a good forum for people wanting to share ideas, vent frustrations about their current roles and explore other options informally and socially with others who would totally ‘get it’. The first dinner was at the end of last year and it was a great success. It was a baby step for people who didn’t necessarily know what their escape plan was and who weren’t ready to commit to any formal training or direction, but just knew change was brewing for them. The people that came along were a mix of ages and at different stages in the process, one had just escaped a few days previous and for others, the penny had only just dropped that law wasn’t for them long term.

We dined at a quiet restaurant, so people could operate undercover, and everyone shared their predicaments, told horror stories of their current roles and why they wanted to move on. Details were exchanged where help could be offered between diners and I was (and am) more than happy to make introductions and help people interested in the tech world with advice.

An interesting revelation for me was that the lawyers that attended perceived that their skill set was not seen as particularly transferable when applying for non-law positions. I have always held the opposite view and have in fact targeted lawyers particularly when looking for people to join our team. I was set straight that this was due to me personally having a law background and a deep understanding of the industry. This was a surprise to me and I think that non-law employers need to be better informed on this matter – the campaign starts here!

For 2013, TableCrowd is running a series of dinners for people wanting to escape the City – not just the legal profession – to provide a social outlet for the dramas that go with this big and bold decision – the objective being to meet other people in the same boat. The dinners will be listed here.

Also relevant are the weekly startup dinners for people that have already escaped and want to meet others heading out on the rocky entrepreneurial road. The startup dinners are listed here.

I hope to meet some of you at a TableCrowd dinner soon or you can reach me here if I can help you out in any way: kate@tablecrowd.com.

Escape Podcast: “Do Something Different”

Guest — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 06:34:46 +0000

If, by chance, you were not at Guanabara on October 23 (for instance, if you had dinner plans or live in Seattle–we can think of a lot of reasons), here’s your chance to listen to Escape the City’s amazing and inspirational guest speakers talking about what it took for them to change their lives. This was put together by Gregory Nice, who is also available for filming work (see his work here).

Roman Krznaric, a School of Life founder and author of “How to Find Fulfilling Work,” spoke about the big myths of career change, delving into wisdom found in psychology, philosophy, history and sociology.

Sarah Outen‘s talk involved her story of becoming the first woman to row across the Indian Ocean (no biggie) and her ambitions to circumnavigate the world using only human muscle power.

Ian Hogarth explained how he became CEO and founder of the second most trafficked concert site worldwide, a site called Songkick that organizes your favorite musical acts’ upcoming performances.

Author and adventurer Alastair Humphreys talked about riding his bike around the world, and how nothing great is ever achieved without the temerity to first undertake it.

Finally, listen to the music of Stephen Ridley, who eschewed a prestigious career in London to pursue his dream of becoming a recording artist and inspiring people with his music.

Listen to the whole thing at Podmatic or download it from iTunes.

Introducing Adam Street – Escape the City’s London Base

Rob — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:23:02 +0000

Escape the City is a global community but London is where we were born.

Although a lot of Esc activity happens online, you really see the community come to life when we meet up offline.

Adam Street are fantastic hosts for our London-based Esc Meetups and Esc Wednesdays and we wanted to use this post to explain a little bit more about them.

Evening Membership: Adam Street now offers a really exciting evening membership scheme. They are extremely offering ongoing incentives to Esc members who want to become evening members. Watch this space for details…

About Adam Street

Adam Street was conceived in the dotcom boom; a phenomenon that dragged people out of their staid corporate jobs to try their hands at being entrepreneurs.

As such it has been designed as a base to work from during the day providing desk space, a comfortable bar and restaurant to meet and work in and meeting rooms as well as a host of support services from our offices upstairs.

Also as important, it was recognised that the budding entrepreneur also needed a social life to replace his (in those days) Bloomberg terminal and water cooler and a friendly culture of like-minded people was created to fill this yawning gap in any city escapee’s life.

This brings us on to the second bit of the club – whilst being a very professional place to work during the day we also have fabulous food, cocktails and even dancing on here until the wee hours of the morning.

There is a number of events ranging from Mike Lynch giving a speech about Autonomy to comedy, live music nights and Last Tuesday masked balls. Over the last 10 years we have helped many successful companies start and grow as well as helping get a huge number of people together on a more social level…..

Contact Details

9 Adam Street
The Strand
Charing Cross
London
WC2N 6AA
Nearest Tube/Rail: Charing Cross

Email: reception@adamstreet.co.uk

‘How I built a life around expeditions’ by Levison Wood from Secret Compass

Rob — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:26:46 +0000

We’ve got a really exciting evening planned for August’s Esc Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY 24th AUGUST - ADAM STREET CLUB. Bar: 6.30 pm | Talk: 7.30 pm

Our special guest is Levison Wood.

Lev is co-founder of the unique expedition service Secret Compass, a full time expedition leader, travel writer and photographer.

Lev will be talking about his life in expeditions over the past 10 years with a travel theme majoring on what inspired him, remote and perceived dangerous places and how people can organise their own trips.

He will also talk about the challenges that come with an adventure start-up.

If you are interested, please come along…

You can buy your ticket here: http://secretcompass.eventbrite.com/

5 reasons to come…

You’d like to meet someone who has led expeditions on every continent and travelled in over seventy countries, including many of the world’s most dangerous places.
You want to know more about what it is like to survive in the deserts of the Sahara and the mountains of Afghanistan, get arrested by rebel commandos in Sudan, spend a night in an Egyptian Jail, be stranded alone in the Hindu Kush etc.
You’re keen to organise an expedition yourself and would like to find out more about how it’s done or simply want some inspiration on where to go this summer.
You want to become involved in the adventure travel industry.
You want to know more about setting up a your own company.

Please join us:

We will be meeting at the Adam Street Club – the private members club for entrepreneurs just off the Strand on the evening of Wednesday 24th August.

Lev will be giving a short talk before we open it up to the room for a Q&A. The bar will open at 18.00 and the talk will start at 19.30 and go on for about an hour.

You can buy your ticket here: http://secretcompass.eventbrite.com/

You can read Lev’s Esc Hero profile - here.

More about Lev:

He set off on his travels at the age of eighteen and has been on the road ever since. Whilst at university Lev hitchhiked around the Middle East including a war torn Iraq and Palestine. After finishing his studies Lev thumbed his way across the world yet again, this time to overland to India via Russia, the Caucasus, Iran and Afghanistan.

Lev spent several years as an officer in the Parachute Regiment where he saw active service on the battlefields of Afghanistan in 2008. Whilst in the army he led several large expeditions including Jungle trekking in Colombia, Diving in Thailand and Mountaineering in the Nepal Himalayas.

Since then Lev established a charity project to deliver ambulances to Malawi, one of the poorest countries on earth, by driving them overland from London. He has travelled and worked in over 70 countries across the world and is currently planning several future expeditions for 2011 and 2012 including Afghanistan, South Sudan, Central Africa and beyond.

www.secretcompass.com

‘How to pursue a career in social enterprise’ – with Tom Rippin from On Purpose

Rob — Tue, 31 May 2011 19:11:36 +0000

We’ve got a really exciting evening planned for July’s Esc Wednesday.

NB: In the spirit of doing something different this Esc Wed is being held on a Thursday!

THURSDAY 7th JULY – UPSTAIRS at THE YORKSHIRE GRAY – Gray’s Inn Road. London. (VENUE CORRECTION).

Our special guest is Tom Rippin.

Tom is an ex-McKinsey management consultant who kept the ‘I’ll only do this for a few years and then go and do something else’ promise. Read his Esc Hero interview here.

What he decided to do instead was to start a really exciting social enterprise leadership programme called On Purpose. On Purpose provides a structured way for the next generation of high-fliers to get into the growing social enterprise sector.

Tom will be accompanied by an On Purpose Fellow: Harriet Barclay who, after 5 years at AMV BBDO, embarked on the On Purpose programme last year and is now Head of O2 Learn and current On Purpose Associates: Stephanie Denamps and Ann Walker (ex P&G and Booz & Company).

If you are interested, please come along…

You can buy your ticket here: http://on-purpose-tom-rippin.eventbrite.com/

5 reasons to come…

You’ve been trying to find a route into social enterprise and have been getting frustrated with the lack meaningful job opportunities
You are interested in starting your own social enterprise and would like to hear Tom’s own escape and start-up story
You want to get into social enterprise but fear that means waving goodbye to any training and development opportunities you currently have
You’re interested in social enterprise but are not sure which bit is most interesting and you’d like to try a few things out first
You’d love to meet some people who have and are transitioning into social enterprise

Please join us:

We will be meeting at The Yorkshire Gray on the evening of Thursday 9th July.

Tom, Harriet, Stephanie and Ann will be giving a short talk before we open it up to the room for a Q&A. The bar will open at 18.00 and the talk will start at 19.30 and go on for about an hour.

You can buy your ticket here: http://on-purpose-tom-rippin.eventbrite.com/

You can read Tom’s Esc Hero profile – here.

Come to June’s Esc Wednesday: Ed Stafford – Walking the Amazon

Rob — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:12:08 +0000

We’ve got a really exciting evening planned for June 8th’s Esc Wednesday. Our speaker is Ed Stafford – of Walking the Amazon fame (see BBC coverage). We were fortunate enough to have Ed speak at our first birthday party in Jan.

Ed Stafford became the first man to walk the length of the Amazon river in South America from the source to the sea. He walked for 860 days. He started on 2nd April 2008 and finished in August 2010. No-one had ever done what he attempted.

June’s Esc Wednesday will be a sneak preview of Ed’s UK Theatre Tour which begins the following night on the 9th June. Check out where else you can catch him in June here.

An Evening with Ed Stafford.

European Adventurer of the Year Ed Stafford will be with us at our June Esc Wednesday to talk about his remarkable world-first expedition, an ‘impossible journey’ tracing the entire length of the Amazon on foot – which he completed in August 2010.

June is an exciting month for Ed, with his first book being published and a theatre tour planned for the UK. Ed’s book Walking the Amazon, (Virgin) – is an honest and articulate examination of what it took to organise, undertake and complete this expedition.

Please join us:

We will be meeting at Adam Street Club – the private members club for entrepreneurs just off the Strand on the evening of Wednesday 8th June. Ed will be giving a short talk about his story before we open it up to the room for a Q&A session.

To attend please do two things:

Buy your ticket – click here
Send us a question for Ed: team@escapethecity.org (please do do this – makes for a great Q&A)

The bar opens 6 pm. Please come for a drink and a chat. The talk will start between 7.30 and 8 pm.

5 reasons to come…

You’d like to meet someone who’s completed a world-first expedition, previously deemed ‘impossible’. You might have heard/seen Ed Stafford’s story when he became the first man to walk the entire length of the Amazon in August 2010.
You’re interested in finding out what it’s really like to walk day after day through thick jungle, often up to your chest in swampy water infested with caiman and piranha.
You’re keen to organise an expedition yourself and would like to find out more about how it’s done.
There’s nothing wrong with living vicariously! Through Ed’s talk and the fantastic images of the Amazon he will show you can travel to the Amazon and back without having to get out of your seat. And you can have a pint at the same time.
You want to find out more about Escape the City and want to have a chat with founders Dom & Rob.

Details, details, details:

Date: Wednesday 8th June.
Kick-off: Bar opens 6 pm, talk starts between 7.30 and 8 pm
Venue: Adam Street Club - 9 Adam Street, The Strand ,WC2N 6AA
Directions: Nearest tubes: Embankment / Charing Cross.
Food: Food will be able to order from the bar menu.
Closing Time: The bar closes at 1 am. Definitely stay for a drink!
Capacity: 80 people.
Cost: £5 buy your ticket here.
More: What is an Esc Wednesday?

Come to May’s Esc Wednesday: Tom Vernon – founder of Right to Dream

Rob — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:52:58 +0000

We’ve got a really exciting evening planned for May’s Esc Wednesday.

Our speaker is Tom Vernon – founder of Right to Dream.

The Right to Dream Academy was founded in Ghana in 1999 to offer talented, underprivileged African children the opportunity to reach their true potential in life through sport, education, personal and leadership development in order to claim a better future for Africa.

Please join us:

We will be meeting at Adam Street Club – the private members club for entrepreneurs just off the Strand on the evening of Wednesday 11th May. Tom will be giving a short introduction on his story and Right to Dream before we open it up to the room for a Q&A session

To attend please do two things:

Buy your ticket – click here
Send us a question for Tom: team@escapethecity.org (please do do this – makes for a great Q&A)

The bar opens 6 pm. Please come for a drink and a chat. The talk will start between 7.30 and 8 pm.

5 reasons to come…

You want to hear the founding story of Right to Dream and how you could get involved in their exciting growth plans
You want to learn more about the links between sport and social development in Africa
You might be considering starting your own social enterprise and would like to pick up some hints and tips
You would like to meet some like-minded people in a friendly and informal atmosphere.
You want to hear more about Escape the City and want to come and have a chat with the founders Dom & Rob.

About Tom

Tom Vernon is the Founder and Director of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana.

At the age of nineteen, Tom came to Ghana and was inspired by the people he met, particularly the many children whose passion and enthusiasm for sport and their dedication to bettering themselves through sport and education once given the opportunity, was clearly evident.

Tom has a detailed knowledge and understanding of Africa in relation to sport, business development and how sport and education can be successfully combined and used to assist with positive social development.

Right to Dream are currently offering a 6-month internship.

Details, details, details:

Date: Wednesday 11th May.
Kick-off: Bar opens 6 pm, talk starts between 7.30 and 8 pm
Venue: Adam Street Club - 9 Adam Street, The Strand ,WC2N 6AA
Directions: Nearest tubes: Embankment / Charing Cross.
Food: Food will be able to order from the bar menu.
Closing Time: The bar closes at 1 am. Definitely stay for a drink!
Capacity: 80 people.
Cost: £5 - buy your ticket here.
More: What is an Esc Wednesday?

Come to April’s Esc Wednesday: The founders of Spoonfed

Rob — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:13:42 +0000

We’ve got a really exciting evening planned for April’s Esc Wednesday (what is an Esc Wed?)

Our special guests are Henry Erskine-Crum and Alexander Will – founders of Spoonfed & Bullseye.

We will be meeting at Adam Street Club – a private members club for entrepreneurs just off the Strand on the evening of 20th April.

To attend please do two things:

Buy your ticket – click here
Send us a suggested question for Henry & Alex: team@escapethecity.org (please do do this – makes for a great Q&A)

About Henry and Alex

Spoonfed Media was founded by entrepreneurs Henry Erskine Crum and Alexander Will who met as students while studying at the London School of Economics in 2004.

Spoonfed.co.uk is an events and venue recommendation guide primarily focused on London.

In June 2010 Spoonfed Media launched a new product called Bullseyehub which is a web-based marketing system that combines elements of email, mobile and social media marketing in addition to customer management.

In December 2009 Henry and Alex were picked as winners in the Courvoisier The Future 500 competition and were chosen to host a panel at the 2010 South by Southwest (SXSW) Technology conference in Austin, Texas.

As of April 2010 Spoonfed Media has raised a total of £1 million across two funding rounds from leading technology and media angel investors.

5 reasons to come…

You want to hear the story behind Spoonfed.co.uk – a really exciting addition to the events guide scene
You want to hear how these guys started their own successful businesses straight from university
You might be considering starting your own online business and would like to pick up some hints and tips
You would like to meet some like-minded people in a friendly and informal atmosphere.
You want to hear more about Escape the City and want to come and have a chat with the founders Dom & Rob.

Details

Date: Wednesday 20th April.
Kick-off: Bar opens 6 pm, talk starts between 7.30 and 8 pm.
Venue:Adam Street Club - 9 Adam Street, The Strand ,WC2N 6AA
Directions: Nearest tubes: Embankment / Charing Cross.
Food: Food will be able to order from the bar menu.
Closing Time: The bar closes at 1 am. Definitely stay for a drink!
Capacity: 80 people.
Cost: £5 buy your ticket here.
More: What is an Esc Wednesday?

Come to March’s Esc Wednesday: Dave Cornthwaite

Rob — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 17:45:11 +0000

We’ve got a really exciting evening planned for March’s Esc Wednesday (What is an Esc Wednesday?) on the evening of 16th March.

Our special guest is Dave Cornthwaite - www.davecornthwaite.com

Dave Cornthwaite is a record-breaking endurance athlete, adventurer, author & speaker whose original & thought-provoking expeditions & projects have been shared with millions.

Dave continues to explore the possibilities of endurance travel and human potential through Expedition1000: 25 journeys of 1000 miles or more, each using a different form of human, animal or natural powered transport that will see him travel across 3 oceans, to both poles and undertake expeditions on every continent.

To attend please do two things:

Buy your ticket – click here
Send us a question to ask Dave on the night: team@escapethecity.org

6 reasons to come…

You might be considering making a new start in life, whether it’s beginning a business or heading off into the unknown.
You would like to hear about the pros and cons of Dave’s transition from Graphic Designer to Adventurer/ Author.
You’d like to hear advice about fundraising, the do’s and don’ts, from a man trying to raise £1,000,000 for charity
You may have heard about Dave’s upcoming book about Dating. He’ll be open to questions about this, as well as adventure.
You would like to meet some like-minded people in a friendly and informal atmosphere.
You want to hear more about Escape the City and want to come and have a chat with the founders Dom & Rob.

Details

Date: Wednesday 16th March
Time: Bar opens 6 pm, talks start at 7.30 pm
Venue: The private bar above The Yorkshire Grey pub (use side entrance)
Address: The Yorkshire Grey, 29-33 Greys Inn Road, WC1X 8PN
Directions: Nearest tubes: Chancery Lane (Central) & Holborn (Piccadilly)
Capacity: 50 people
Food: Food is available from the bar menu till about 8.30/9 pm
Cost: £5 contribution to the minimum spend – buy your ticket here
More: What is an Esc Wednesday?

Come to February’s (16th) Esc Wednesday: UnLtd and Moodscope

Rob — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:26:32 +0000

We’ve got a really exciting evening planned for February’s Esc Wednesday (What is an Esc Wednesday?)

We will be hearing from UnLtd – the charity which supports social entrepreneurs.

We will also be hearing from Jon Cousins – an UnLtd grant winner and the founder of Moodscope – an online social enterprise.

Please RSVP by clicking here.

UnLtd will be giving us an introduction into what they do and why you might be interested in their grant programmes.

UnLtd is a charity which supports social entrepreneurs – people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better. We do this by providing a complete package of funding and support, to help these individuals make their ideas a reality.

Jon will be talking us through his experience of starting his social enterprise as well as his own transition away from the corporate world.

Moodscope.com is a new online depression tool.

In Jon’s own words: “If people can lose weight by measuring and tracking it in front of others who can support them, I wondered if a similar process might be able to help with mood. It seems it can, and we’ve found that people who use Moodscope for 6 months see an average mood improvement of over 50%, without resorting to drugs or therapy. Since our launch in April last year we currently (Jan 25th, 2011) have 14,000 members, and have grown by 90% since January 1st. Moodscope saved my life – we want to do the same for thousands of others.”

Read Jon’s ‘Esc Hero’ interview – click here.

This is from the Daily Telegraph in 1996: “Jon Cousins is enjoying a spectacular mid-life crisis, shutting down his £12m-a-year advertising agency and taking a year off to travel the globe. Cassandra Jardine celebrates the escape of a typical Eighties achiever.”

5 reasons to come…

You have an idea for a social enterprise and want to understand how UnLtd could help you.
You would like to start your own social business / charity and want to hear Jon’s experiences of starting Moodscope.
You are looking to escape ‘the city’ and you would like to hear how Jon transitioned away from his own corporate job.
You would like to meet some like-minded people in a fun and informal atmosphere.
You want to hear more about Escape the City and want to come and have a chat with the founders Dom & Rob.

Details

Date: Wednesday 16th February
Time: Bar opens 6 pm, talks start at 7.30 pm
Venue: The private bar above The Yorkshire Grey pub (use side entrance)
Address: The Yorkshire Grey, 29-33 Greys Inn Road, WC1X 8PN
Directions: Nearest tubes: Chancery Lane (Central) & Holborn (Piccadilly)
Capacity: 50 people
Food: Food is available from the bar menu till about 8.30/9 pm
Cost: £5 contribution to the minimum spend (see below)
More: What is an Esc Wednesday?

To attend…

Please RSVP via the following form: click here.

A word on tickets: We are charging £5 per attendee which you can pay on the door. We are doing this to guarantee hitting the minimum spend in the private bar that we use for Esc Wednesdays. This is not a profit-generating charge and is aimed at covering the venue’s costs. If we spend enough money to reach the minimum spend we’ll donate the proceeds to Hope & Homes for Children (our charity for 2011).

Our Next Esc Wednesday: 12th Jan

Rob — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:03:12 +0000

Hello everyone – we’re looking ahead to next year and are planning the first of our 2011 Esc Wednesdays: A free introduction to our exciting Escape Coaching programme.

We are now at capacity – please email team@escapethecity.org if you want to attend.

Escape Coaching – an introduction

As you may know, we have built a coaching programme specifically for Escape the City members [click here to check out Escape Coaching].

Phil and Susie (our escape coaches) are going to be running a free introduction to the coaching programme and a Q&A as well.

We are now at capacity – please email team@escapethecity.org if you want to attend.

We’ll update this post with more information when we finalise the plan for the evening.

Details…

Click here to read our “What is an Esc Wednesday” page so you know what to expect and to see whether you would like to attend.

Wednesday 12th January, bar open from 6.00 pm, 7.30 pm start. Private bar above The Yorkshire Grey pub – London, WC1X 8PN.

Our Next Esc Wednesday: 1st Dec

Rob — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:04:12 +0000

Announcing the second in our new winter series of Esc Wednesdays. Click here to read our “What is an Esc Wednesday” page so you know what to expect and to see whether you would like to attend. Wednesday 1st December, from 6.00 pm, 7.30 pm start. Private bar above The Yorkshire Grey pub – London, WC1X 8PN.

RSVP by clicking here

SPECIAL GUESTS:

Our special guests for the next Esc Wednesday are Josh Pull (ex-Investment Banker) and Will Orr-Ewing (never went anywhere near the city).

Josh and Will are the entrepreneurial duo behind a series of exciting education-focused business ventures.

Their first business is the extremely successful Keystone Tutors. They are also the team behind Chalkboard Learning and Dystalk. Josh escaped his job in the city a couple of years ago and hasn’t looked back. Will took a more direct line straight into building Keystone from uni.

You can read Will’s Hero interview here.

Feel free to ask them about how they started their businesses, how they run their businesses, why they are excited to be working in the education sector, why they enjoy working on start-ups, what they think about the internet, what they think about gaming and learning, and anything else that springs to mind.

QUESTION & ANSWER:

After a short introduction from Josh and Will we will run a fast-paced and informal Q&A session. The challenge for our special guests is to answer 10 questions in 10 minutes before we open it up to the room to continue the discussion / questions.

RSVP here.

Really looking forward to seeing you there.

Rob & Dom

DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS

What are the timings?

Downstairs bar 18.00 – 19.30…
18.00 – Team Esc will be in the pub downstairs from 6 pm – join us for a beer
18.00 – 19.30: Drinks, grab some food & have a chat
Upstairs bar is reserved for Esc from 19.30…
19.45 – 20.00: Team Esc introduction
20.00 – 20.45: Special guests: intro, Q&A, etc
20.45 – 23.00: Bar stays open till closing time

What are the logistics?

Venue: The private bar above The Yorkshire Grey pub (use side entrance)
Address: The Yorkshire Grey, 29-33 Greys Inn Road, WC1X 8PN
Directions: Nearest tubes: Chancery Lane (Central) & Holborn (Piccadilly)
Capacity: 50 people
Food: food is available to order from a bar menu
Cost: The event is free but we need your help hitting the minimum spend! Please do grab a bite to eat and have a drink or two. Thanks.

***What is an Esc Wednesday?***

Our Next Esc Wednesday: 3rd November

Rob — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:30:47 +0000

We are really excited to announce the re-launch of our Esc Wednesdays. Click here to read our “What is an Esc Wednesday” page so you know what to expect and to see whether you would like to attend.

Wednesday 3rd November, 6.30 pm doors open, 7.30 pm start. Private bar above The Yorkshire Grey pub – London, WC1X 8PN

RSVP by clicking here

SPECIAL GUESTS:

Our special guests for the next Esc Wednesday are Emily Kerr (ex-Bain) and Josh Perry (ex-Accenture).

Emily and Josh set up a publishing company making travel books for kids, called Unlocked Guides.

They will be talking about how they went from management consultancy (Emily was at Bain, Josh was at Accenture) to commissioning illustrations of surfing cows. They’ll also explain why gold stars are a crucial part of the business plan, how doing paid work 50% of the time has been ideal for them, and why the best business partners are the ones you’ve known since you were eleven.

You can also read Emily’s Esc Hero profile here.

QUESTION & ANSWER:

After a short introduction from Emily and Josh we will run a fast-paced and informal Q&A session. The challenge for our special guests is to answer 20 questions in 20 minutes.

TO ATTEND: PLEASE DO THESE 2 THINGS

1. RSVP: Please reserve your place here

2. Send us your questions: Either add them via the form or email them to team[at]escapethecity.org and we’ll make sure they get asked during the Q&A.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Rob & Dom

DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS

What are the timings?

18.00 – Bar opens
18.00 – 19.30: Drinks, food & chatting
19.30 – 19.45: Team Esc introduction
19.45 – 20.00: Speaker introduction
20.00 – 20.30: 20 Questions in 20 Minutes (Q&A)
20.30 – 23.00: Bar stays open till closing time

What are the logistics?

Venue: The private bar above The Yorkshire Grey pub (use side entrance)
Address: The Yorkshire Grey, 29-33 Greys Inn Road, WC1X 8PN
Directions: Nearest tubes: Chancery Lane (Central) & Holborn (Piccadilly)
Capacity: 50 people
Cost: The event is free but we need your help hitting the minimum spend! Please do grab a bite to eat and have a drink or two. Thanks.

***What is an Esc Wednesday?***

What is an Esc Wednesday?

Rob — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:54:43 +0000

Esc Wednesdays are Escape the City’s monthly London talks (new cities coming soon).

They are a really fun way to spend an evening with some friends, meet some interesting like-minded people, and hear from someone who has an interesting story.

Click here for more information about our Meetups (as opposed to these talks, our Meetups are free events with no set structure).

Who have our special guests been in the past?

Frank Yeung: Ex-Goldmans burrito start-up: Poncho No.8 - Esc hero profile
Rob Cousins: corporate IT manager to Nepal bird sanctuary - Esc hero profile
Will Snell: Founder of Skills Venture (Africa volunteering) - Esc hero profile
Soul Patel: Capgemini consultant to passive income guru! - Esc hero profile
Ben Keene: Launch of TribeWanted 2 in Sierra Leone - Esc hero profile
Susie Lawrence: One half of Esc’s coaching programme - Esc hero profile
Phil Bolton: Other half of Esc’s coaching programme - Esc hero profile
Emily Kerr: Ex-mgt consultant. Kids travel guide startup - Esc hero profile
Will Orr-Ewing & Josh Pull: Educationalist entrepreneurs - Esc hero profile
Jon Cousins: Social entrepreneur founder of Moodscope - Esc hero profile
Dave Cornthwaite: Skateboarder, entrepreneur, adventurer - Esc hero profile
Henry Erskine-Crum: Founder of Spoonfed and Bullseye Hub – Check it
Tom Vernon: Founder of Right to Dream Sports Academy, Ghana – Info
Ed Stafford: Adventurer: The first man to walk the Amazon – Full details
Tom Rippin: Founder: OnPurpose social enterprise scheme – Esc hero profile
Lev Wood: ex-Army founder of an extreme adventure startup – Esc hero profile
Cathi Bruns: Founder of workisnotajob. creative studio – Esc hero profile
Jo & Max: Co-Founders of Kicktable – share your passion – Esc hero profile

Who is welcome?

All Esc Members are welcome but places are limited. The crowd is always a great mix of corporate professionals who want to escape and hardy individuals who have already made the leap. People coming to our events are interesting in making exciting career changes, starting their own businesses and going on BIG adventures.

What is the format?

Esc Wednesdays are held at the Adam Street entrepreneurs club on the Strand. Capacity is 80 people.

The bar opens at 6 pm for those of you who can get out of work early / at a reasonable time.
The Esc team introduces our speaker(s) and provides a brief bio and explanation the evening.
We ask our speaker to give a 5 / 10 / 15 / 30 minute introduction based around their ‘story so far’.
We open the topic up to the room for a lively and informal Q&A session.
Quick run-round the room to try and connect people with interesting projects / challenges.
Bar reopens for a drink and a further chat. Bar open till late.

Photo credit: www.gapingvoid.com

Esc Wednesday #1 – National Geographic Shop

Rob — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:37:07 +0000

Just a quick note to say thanks to everyone who came to our first Esc Wednesday.

What is an Esc Wednesday?

Esc Wednesdays are our regular meet-ups in central London. The idea is that we host an after-work gathering of people who are interested in meeting other like-minded souls, have a drink and a chat, and generally discuss options, escape plans, business ideas, and anything else that springs to mind!

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It was really good fun to meet some of you who have been following the site since we started. Lots of great ideas, feedback, and potential contacts.

We wanted to test out the first Esc Wednesday with a limited amount of people to see if the concept works. Since it worked really well we’re looking to hold another one extremely soon. Watch this space for the details of the next one – we’ll announce it publicly and on the Monday email (with a week’s warning).

Here are a couple of photos from this week’s event (anonymity assured!)…