Out of Office: Connecting LGBTQ+ Professionals in Birmingham and the North East
For over a decade, we’ve been running Out of Office (OoO), a networking event for LGBTQ+ professionals in Birmingham, which has become extremely popular. Reeves organises and sponsors the event, and we're grateful for the backing from firms like Shoosmiths, which has hosted a gathering at its impressive Birmingham office.
More recently, we’ve expanded to the north east, with the support of regional CBI director Matt Bratton, who’s the best-networked person in town.
The idea of OoO is simple: connect LGBTQ+ professionals and allies to foster business opportunities in a friendly environment. We rotate venues to keep things fresh. The criteria is to explore venues across the city and ensure plenty of space for mingling without the need for a separate function room.
April is a bumper month for OoO. We kicked it off with a brilliant turnout in Gateshead at the Glasshouse Centre for Music, such a fabulous space we almost broke out into song. Thank you to the team for hosting us. And you’ll note that we’ve made sure to refer to the location as Gateshead, not Newcastle.
Notably, we’ve marked the first Birmingham OoO of the year at the spectacular Grand Hotel, where General Manager, Johan Scheepers is giving us the hotel's luxurious garden terrace, celebrating the launch of its new, premium champagne partnership, to use for the event. Join us for an evening of laid back networking on the 25th April.
The past year's events have drawn hundreds of LGBTQ+ people and allies, and we’ve met some fantastic new people and reconnected with old friends. We believe in offering a social side to professional networking, and as spontaneous post-work pub trips become less common, it needs something in the calendar to get people out.
Events include a social drink, with a bar tab for complimentary arrival drinks funded by the £15 ticket price. It doesn’t last long, so don’t dawdle.
If after reading this you fancy joining us, tap the link for more details and we promise a warm welcome and easy introductions, making OoO the perfect event for solo attendees.