Annual Report
Each year, Tribe Porty publishes an annual report, here are our highlights.
Welcome to Tribe Porty
Community is important to the way we work. Our coworking space is specifically designed to encourage creativity – the random collision of people and ideas that spur innovation, exchange and connectivity. Tribe Porty suits the evolving working styles of freelancers, start-ups and people who require a flexible work space and opportunities to share, collaborate and develop our work.
During 2023 we welcomed 67 new members and had over 100 people join us via a day pass. Our highest recorded month was March 2023, where we had a whopping 686 monthly users. We have continued to connect with our community through coffee mornings, social lunches, art club and the continuation of games night, hosted through the winter months.
Coworking at Tribe
2023 saw another fantastic jump in the number of coworkers using Tribe. Whilst we have a wide variety of workers at Tribe, Arts, Culture and Entertainment remains our largest demographic. In comparison to last year, the fields of work coworkers are based in remained largely the same. As seen in last year’s coworking figures, the rise in employed users since the pandemic has remained. Employed coworkers make up over 50% of our demographic. You can view all figures in our Tribe Porty’s annual report by clicking here.
“I’ve worked remote for 7 years and coworking spaces keep me sane – and productive! When we moved to Porty, I ditched my place in town within the week and haven’t looked back. It’s just a lovely place to work. Everyone’s super nice and getting to see loads of different jobs, companies and perspectives is inspiring. And so many people bring their dogs which is class.”– Why do you choose Tribe Porty?
In April 2023, we launched our off peak pass to increase users during our quietest days, these were Mondays & Fridays. Our off-peak passes have largely been used by those with children and may not have a full day available. It’s been great to see that the addition of the off peak pass has been useful to working parents. Many coworkers frequently used the off peak pass simply to shake up their day and use it as a change of scenery from working from home- a welcome break from isolation.
“I had been working from home for a year and honestly just needed a change of scenery and a reason to get out of the house during the day. Tribe looked nice and I wanted to test it out before committing to a membership. Off peak passes worked great for me whilst self employed, after accepting a full time remote job I signed up for an unlimited package.”–Why do you use an off peak pass?
This year also saw a new initiative called, Bring Your Own Buddy. Over the months of July and August we encouraged our members to invite a colleague, friend or partner to join us for a free day of coworking. This was not only to thank our members for being a part of our Tribe but to help us share, connect and grow as a community.
“I was introduced to Tribe by another member, Bob. He knew I was looking for a coworking space with more of a sense of community than where I had been previously – and suggested I give Tribe a try. Everyone was so welcoming on my trial day that it was an easy decision to make. I would have to say the best part about Tribe is the genuine effort that both members and management make to introduce themselves and make others feel welcome. I know from experience not to take such genuine warmth for granted. The coffee’s pretty good, too…”– Why do you choose Tribe Porty?
At the end of the year we also welcomed some new members through our partnership with Creative Informatics. The Creative Informatics Inclusive Innovation Working Spaces Fund is a strand of support providing professional working space for diverse and under-represented creative entrepreneurs and startups in a number of partner organisations across the city region. Find out more by clicking here.
2023 Highlights
This year, we thought a bit differently about what a Tribe Talk could be. In the lead up to International Women’s Day we thought about how we could encourage an open dialogue about what IWD means to our members. We wanted to use the talk to cultivate open conversations. The team decided that poetry could provide the perfect icebreaker and so we reached out to friend and Keystone alumni Laura Westring.
Laura writes her own poetry which is published on her instagram account, poems for almost lovers. Laura mentioned a few times over the course of the evening that she does not necessarily see herself as a poet but was delighted to be referred to as one for the first time during introductions. Laura’s speech took us on a journey through a short poetic journey of love and the feminine from Ur to Sterling.
Alongside Laura, five other talented poets spoke. Their vulnerable and beautiful work inspired honest and thoughtful conversations about motherhood, vulnerability, friendship, and the ability to rate oneself despite others’ opinions. The event was such a success that we decided to host another evening of poetry to celebrate Porty Pride.
We have come to love hosting poetry evenings as it allows people to publicly share and recite their work for the first time. It’s truly wonderful to give that opportunity. During the Porty Pride evening, a member of our audience was on a trip from their hometown in Canada. They stumbled upon our event on eventbrite whilst looking for something ‘local and queer’ to take part in. Before reading their work, they mentioned that if they had not found our event they would not have visited Portobello. Whilst in Portobello they said they noticed all of the Pride flags in shop windows. This gave the feeling that Porty was a little haven. This really solidified the importance of hosting evenings such as this.
2023 launched our first community summer party post pandemic. We decided to use our summer party as a way to help raise money for a local lad and friend of Tribe, Jay. We know how lucky we are to have such a kind hearted and enthusiastic community at Tribe. When we put out our original call out for the party, it didn’t take long for our Tribe to step up! We were blown away by the support of local businesses who generously donated 25 fantastic prizes to our silent auction. This raised an incredible £2,317! We also made sure to encourage everyone who attended the party to donate to the cause.
We are over the moon to say that Jay met his fundraising goal and now owns his Innowalk! A heartfelt thank you to everyone that contributed and made this possible.
“The summer fair at Tribe was a fantastic afternoon. The local community and Jay’s friends came along and had the chance to sample artwork, jewellery and wellbeing experiences from Tribe’s members as well as great food and an awesome performance from Oi Musica! Jay thoroughly enjoyed himself and it was so special for us as a family to feel the support of our local community. A massive thank you to Tribe Porty.”-Words shared by Rachel Bhandari, Jay’s mum
Challenges ahead
One of the biggest changes Tribe will see in the new year is the change to our team personnel. Our accounts manager Hannah will be moving on to a new role. This will see Community Manager Alice and Founder Dani absorbing some of her tasks. In the near future we may hire a new member of staff. The team are taking the time to consider what Tribe needs and what this new role would look like.
Words shared from Hannah:
“I have witnessed Tribe Porty bringing good people together to make good things happen for almost 9 years. So to be writing words of goodbye feels strange. At the end of the year I will be leaving Tribe and Sodak to start a new role at Audit Scotland. Some of you know that 4 years ago I accidentally started a degree at the Open University and in September I finished the 1st year of a Data Science degree. The new role is a next step on the wiggly path that is work and life. I will be working as an Audit Officer helping to provide assurance to the Scottish public on the value and performance of our public services. It really has been a joy and a privilege to be part of this tribe. The roots have grown deep and I suspect that I won’t be able to keep away. In time, you may see me back at the hot desk and I look forward to seeing you there.”
Thank you to everyone who made 2023 such an incredible year for Tribe Porty. We look forward to welcoming you back to Tribe in 2024. Look out for our exciting events coming up. There will be plenty more poetry evenings, Tribe Talks and fundraising events to get excited about. To keep up to date subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Read Tribe Porty’s full Annual Report by clicking here.
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