State-of-the-art cinema is the latest feature at Cambridge Innovation Park
Continuing our focus on Innovations and Innovators, we visit the Waterbeach business park
The facilities at Cambridge Innovation Park have proven to be a draw for some of the region’s most ambitious companies, including the gym, cafe and wine bar, and even a cinema.
OK, so it’s not a public cinema, but lucky winners at the Cambridge Independent’s Innovations and Innovators Networking Evening on June 6 will be treated to an evening at Arcam’s state-of-the-art cinema facility.
Arcam’s engineering director, Nick Clarke, said it’s the best cinema around.
“We make high-end consumer equipment for home cinemas and stereo systems and our cinema is a demo/training facility that we have.
“It’s got nine seats, a full 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos DTS:X immersive cinema 4k projector, all the very latest technology and quite frankly it looks better than your local cinema, it sounds better than your local cinema and it’s more comfortable than your local cinema.”
Based at Cambridge Innovation Park for approaching five years, the company has gone from strength to strength since moving from a nearby facility in Waterbeach.
Nick continued: “We’re the kind of company that has incredibly good staff retention. We didn’t want to move location and make things difficult for people.
“You’re six minutes by train to Cambridge or four miles if you want to drive. We have a lot of people who have worked here for a long time, and if we’d moved into the centre of Cambridge that might have made it very difficult for the people who have been working here loyally for a long time.
“When this site virtually landed in our lap it was an absolute slam dunk.
“Waterbeach has a station on the main line which goes to Cambridge, and if you need to go to London it’s an absolute doddle. The park is a 10-acre site and there’s more than enough space – you don’t feel enclosed.
“Now that construction of Blenheim House is complete we’re noticing a few more bodies about the place. It gives it a bit more life. It’s also allowed them to open up the gym and the SoDA wine bar/bistro.”
The lucky winners of an evening in Arcam’s cinema will also have refreshments provided by SoDA, courtesy of Paragon Land and Estates Limited, managers of Cambridge Innovation Park.
Paragon’s general manager, Nick Hadley, said: “The quality of the professional cinema just blows your mind. You don’t just hear it, you feel it.
“Arcam is one of those companies that makes you realise what’s going on at Cambridge Innovation Park. It raises your profile, and we’re proud to be a part of their growth story.”
“The park is filling fast now; to put it in perspective we opened on February 28 and we’re now three-quarters let or pre-let.”
The latest company to join the park is cosmeceuticals supplier 4TMedical.
CEO and founder Julien Tordjmann said his team are due to move in at the beginning of June.
“The fit-out is done and finished, there’s just a few details now and it’s looking really good,” he said.
“Cambridge is a very tight market, so to get this size of unit in a place is a good compromise in terms of location, quality, size and potential for future expansion, which is very important to us.
“It’s a nice working environment so the staff are looking forward to being there – it’s got everything you could possibly wish for.”
Innovations & Innovators
This article part of our series of features focused on Innovations & Innovators, published in association with Ensors, Nuffield Health, Cambridge Innovation Park and Hilton City Centre Hotel.
Look out for our Innovations and Innovators seriesLook out for our Innovations and Innovators series
Other articles in the series include:
Innovations and innovators: Ensors’ James Francis and Jayson Lawson on the keys to success
Patient capital delivers results
Fluidic Analytics: Proteins and the machinery of life
