It\u2019s been just over a year since I started working on GatherWhere, and there are a few things I\u2019ve had to rethink along the way. Do I need a business partner? Is London too large for me to launch in? Should I only focus on small independent venues to start with?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And now, I\u2019m faced with another question: Did I make the right decision choosing Reading to launch in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far, I\u2019ve had a grand total of zero<\/em> venues sign up to GatherWhere. It\u2019s been really difficult. People think it\u2019s a great idea, but then I hear nothing from them afterwards. I don\u2019t want to spam emails, nor do I want to physically ambush them with a flyer in hand, telling them to join, join, join.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not entirely sure if I\u2019m doing anything right at the moment. I might need to do some proper research so I can rethink and recalibrate my plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, despite all that, I somehow organically<\/em> got registrations from venues in the States! One person listed a venue that I unfortunately can\u2019t approve because they\u2019re not UK-based, and a hotel in New York even emailed to ask if we cater to the US market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe Reading is just too small, and there aren\u2019t enough independents to gain traction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or maybe it\u2019s me, and I\u2019m just doing it all wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, it\u2019s only been a year. There\u2019s still time to pivot and re-strategise. Let\u2019s figure this out and hope we\u2019re in a better place next year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GatherWhere\u2019s first year in Reading has been full of lessons, setbacks and surprises. Despite the challenges of growing locally, unexpected interest from abroad gives Doja hope. It\u2019s time to rethink, refine and push forward with new energy and a clearer sense of direction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":88,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gatherwhere-chronicles"],"yoast_head":"\n