Day One

There wasn’t really a day one for LBi UK’s long-awaited arrival in The Atlantis Building at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. We came in waves, over the course of three weeks in June, mostly at weekends: about 400 of us, packing up offices in Angel and Clerkenwell, and also moving in from a temporary space on the other side of the street, where the refugees from a third office, in West Kensington, had camped for six long months…

It’s been a process of re-assembly rather than a straightforward transfer. Since LBi formed in the UK in 2006, we’ve been working in one way - dispersed, in multiple locations - and we’ve broken that down, and moved it, and now we’re putting it back together in one place, where we are learning to work together in another way - unified, in a sole location.

Because of the gradual arrival, it was difficult to stage a proper ‘welcome to the building’ moment. But obviously we needed to mark it. And so we picked today, July 11th 2008. There are various things happening around the building, some gifts, some unusual gatherings… And then, in the evening, an entirely usual LBi party - people, music, food and booze. But this party will be also be unique, because, for the first time ever, we’re all partying together, under one roof, in our own premises.

It’s been a long time coming, but finally we can say officially that we’ve arrived. One journey ended yesterday, and the new one starts now.