Era

Professional environment supports policy mission

There are a number of charities and social enterprises that have been with CAN Mezzanine from its early days. The cultural and regional regeneration consultancy Era - one of CAN's oldest and most loyal customers - is a prime example.. Director Anna Whyatt, a previous Trustee of CAN Mezzanine,  has witnessed the journey of CAN for over a decade from its very first building in Piccadilly. "The degree to which CAN's values have been maintained throughout the different incarnations it has taken is remarkable," she says.

Era was set up in 1998 - the same year that CAN was established - to develop new thinking in regional and cultural regeneration. The primary area of its work is developing major flagships and projects with clients, such as strategic work, fundraising, training and development.

Most clients are in the cultural digital and creative industry fields, but a few are in the environmental sector. Examples include Tate Modern and the Heart of Slough regeneration project.

For Anna and her team, a big positive about being in CAN Mezzanine is the location and presentation of the building. But what's even more important are the facilities which come with being a CAN Mezzanine customer - exactly what a charity like Era needs to carry out its mission to influence policy, she says. Of particular benefit is the range of free meeting and conference rooms. "There are a fantastic range of options," says Anna. "We use all the spaces, from the quiet rooms right through to the big conference rooms for seminars and presentations We've hosted a Chinese government delegation and UK government ministers here. Recently, we've been working on a national project for the UK World Heritage Sites - places like Bath, Stonehenge and the Tower of London - and hosted all the national meetings here."

The number of desks held by Era has ranged from two to 12. The flexibility of space works especially well for Era as the size of their workforce changes and they use freelancers for specific projects, as needs arise.

Anna says the fact that CAN Mezzanine only provides space for charities and social enterprises makes a difference to the atmosphere and the networking opportunities. "We know people who work in similar environments with private companies. Here I think the difference is in the networks and contacts. You get a lot of interesting connections between organisations because they're all working in the same sort of field. Being in a cluster like this with the encouragement to interact is very supportive. It's a real added benefit, especially for smaller organisations like ours. You're right in the centre of a huge number of activities which gives us a sense of empowerment and creates a very good impression to the people we're trying to influence."

For more information on Era's achievements visit www.era-ltd.com