Darren Napier – Arrive Blue Community Co-Ordinator

Darren is a community co-ordinator at Arrive Blue, one of MediaCity’s serviced/flexible workspaces.  Arrive is a place where ideas get sparked, connections get made, and cool stuff gets done.

His role is to look after a diverse range of businesses that occupy Arrive Blue; from an Animal Casting Agency to The Beauty Guru, The Reporters’ Academy to You Gotta Hack That!

“The largest of all the Arrive buildings, ours covers floors 10 – 18 of the Blue building, we have a lot of people to look after and many shared spaces and offices that we manage, including five meeting rooms and another three more will be up and running soon, as well with our sleeping pods on the 12^th floor.

Open between 9 am – 5 pm the sleeping pods are a pay as you go service for occupiers to go take a break, to de-stress and ground themselves. Research demonstrates that taking a break or an afternoon nap can be a beneficial way to get ideas flowing and manage stress that ultimately boosts productivity.

“A lie down and a refreshing nap can do wonders.  The pods can be hired along with a pillow and cosy sleeping bag to snuggle down for an hour or two. It’s interesting how this concept is not that far removed from my previous role working at the Premier Inn.”

“I’ve grown to trust the people around me and feel at home in this supportive environment, it feels secure, and everyone is so friendly, and they have all been amazing.”

“The support and training I’ve had whilst working for Peel at MediaCity and the opportunities for progression are fantastic. I am excited to see where I can go within the company. The courses I’ve completed have included developing my emotional intelligence, time management and communication skills. They all have been presented in such an engaging way that has made it fun and I have learnt a lot from them.   I feel really valued and I feel it’s a place where I can be myself and grow to where I want to be.

“No two days are the same which I love, and it keeps me out of trouble. There are so many individuals and businesses here that use the spaces in different ways. Recently the hot desking space has gone live that is such a brilliant room to work from.  We offer both the hot desk NOMAD package for four days per month, also the DWELLERS co-working package that provides fixed desks payable on a monthly basis that people can use 24/7.  We also operate a virtual office for clients, for them we are like an extension of their own team.

“As a community co-ordinator I’m also involved in organising and contribute to our Arrive community events that get people together for networking and conversations. It’s great to see how all our workspaces in different Arrive buildings come together and become more like a community everyday. It’s been amazing to see and I feel proud being a part of that.”

Darren started his role at Arrive in November 2021 and was thrilled when he learned he’d got the job.

“After feeling stuck for what felt like a long time in my old job, I am now enjoying my new role and the challenges it throws at me along with all the opportunities that come my way. I’m now at the stage where I don’t feel shy anymore and my confidence has grown in the last five of months and is still growing every day as I deal with various queries and situations.  Since there have been more people joining the team since I started, I am now helping our new Arrive team to get to know how everything works here.”

Outside of work Darren enjoys indulging his creative side and his current obsession is to make bow ties and he has even made one for his manager’s dog, Oscar.

“This started in the first lockdown when I had extra time and I was stuck at home. I ended up buying material and bow tie clips but didn’t get round to making any until a couple of months ago, I now have more fabric and plans to make one-of-a-kind bow ties so I can stand out in a crowd.”

Darren lives within walking distance of MediaCity and loves the entertainment on offer here, especially the cinema at the Quayside shopping centre.