A DIGITAL AGENCY MAKING WAVES IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR
AND BEYOND THANKS TO ITS HIGH
QUALITY CREATIVE OUTPUTAND ITS STRONG TEAMWORK ETHOS
ENGAGE INTERACTIVE
EYE ON DESIGN STUDIO INTERVIEW
F
rom humble beginnings, Engage Interactive
has grown into a 25-strong team working out
of a striking open-plan office in Leeds. It has
built up somewhat of a niche expertise in the
hospitality sector, with national high-street
restaurant brands among its impressive client list.
Engage was initially started in 2007 in Harrogate
by Alex Wilcocks and Dave Wrightson, who are still
running the company today. Some of the well-known
clients that they picked up back in the early days
have stayed with them, a testament to the quality of
work that the studio produces. Word of mouth has
played a large part in attracting more recent clients
and keeping older ones. “This, tied in with a strong
ethos focused around long-standing relationships
and recruiting some of the brightest talent in the
digital industry, [forms] an approach that we like to
think explains how we’ve retained many of our
biggest clients for a number of years,” says Wilcocks.
It is the way that the team works together that
makes Engage such a successful company, as well
as its hands-on approach to working with clients.
“From our experience a great deal of this is down to
communication,” explains Wrightson. “We pride
ourselves on our distinct lack of account handlers,
ensuring our clients get the chance to build
relationships with the people behind the screens. We
find it’s all about balance – we’re big enough to get
the job done, but small enough that you know all our
names. Something we wouldn’t be in a hurry to
change any time soon.”
The physical studio space is designed to help
encourage this communication and openness that
the team thrives on, says Wrightson: “Being in a
single, open-plan space helps us gel together as a
team. Even if we’re split into smaller agile project
teams, the ‘buzz’ of the studio keeps us energised
and creative.”
Creative director Tom Schofield agrees that the
studio itself is a real bonus when it comes to keeping
a strong working ethos and staying inspired: “We find
working in an open-plan environment really helps us
keep hold of our small-team mentality, even as we
grow into multiple services and sectors. We’ve all
heard the phrase ‘you are a product of your
environment’ and it’s true. We’ve always considered
physical surroundings making a difference to the
way we think, our attitude towards our work, and
where we get our inspiration, and as such it’s always
been high up the list in terms of investment.” In the
competitive digital industry, having an edge on yourContinually striving to exceed
expectations in everything we dois a value that defines us and one we
collectively take huge pride in