In 2023 we ran a couple of test events in Kent, home to EBN founder Roger McKerlie, and discovered a healthy appetite amongst the county’s business community for learning more about how to transition their businesses.
Fuelled by this enthusiasm we partnered with the brilliant Inspired Villages retirement living business to hold an event at their Ledian Gardens venue in the village of Leeds, near Maidstone.
Inspired is a UK business success story with significant funding from NatWest Group Pension Fund and Legal and General and one of the things we love is that they aim to reduce the biological age of each resident by some 8 years through their use of the gym, swimming pools, spas and combatting loneliness. As Inspired say on their web site “It’s time to re-think retirement; what it means, what it signifies… what it has to offer you now and in the years to come. We believe in the power of opportunity; the opportunity to think differently about the way we live as we get on in life – to make new friends and make new memories.”
The 25 EBN guests enjoyed an absolutely superb breakfast (if that is what the residents get every day, sign us up!) before listening intently as Lawrence Cramer, Inspired’s Director of people and culture, took us through the story of the business. It was great to listen to a senior executive talking so passionately and with such conviction about the company he represents.
To add to that every resident we spoke to echoed Lawrence’s views and despite the fact that we challenged them to check they weren’t paid actors, they stuck to their story of how wonderful life is at Ledian Gardens…. we did try to see if we could crack the façade but no, it is all genuine!
Creating the perfect environment to stimulate debate, engagement connection between our members and new visitors is something we pride ourselves on at the EBN and judging by the buzz around the room we certainly pulled it off. Next stop is Surrey and Sussex, with a couple of EBN Live Shows in London thrown in before we plan to return to Kent with something really special and, of course, inspired.