August 1, 2011
Street party to celebrate business diversity in Sydenham
Create it and they will come… they will come in their grease-covered overalls; they will come in their pinstripe suits;
they will come in their safety gear and they will come in their little black dresses.
Arguably, the collaboration, support and sense of community within the business sector of Christchurch has never been
stronger. Being in the business of creating, Limelight Online and Studio Publica are celebrating the diversity and
vibrancy of their Sydenham block by hosting a business networking party on August 4.
Neighbourhoods have changed as businesses have retrenched, often in unexpected places. Limelight Online Business
Development Manager, Suzanne Carter says pre-February, the Buchan Street block they now work from was primarily
manufacturing and industrial. “Now you find these industries happily co-existing with lawyers, corporate offices,
business services and retailers. We need to celebrate this diversity, get to know each other and see how we can make
this shared journey easier for each other,” Cater adds.
Both Limelight and Studio Publica have had to move from the red central business area and are now sharing the Sydenham
office space, which will host up to 50 local businesses this week. “Too many businesses have worked in isolation in the
past – this is an opportunity for us to come together,” says Publica Creative Director, Mark Spurgeon.
The businesses that will attend the event are from the Byron, Buchan and Carlyle Streets. Both Carter and Spurgeon hope
the desire to ‘love thy neighbour’ might inspire other business blocks to band together and better understand each
others’ businesses, network and explore ways to rebuild Canterbury together.
ENDS