Media City venue Social 7 has adapted to the outbreak of Covid-19 by hiring its space out to major broadcasters BBC and ITV for filming in recent weeks.
The independent business would conventionally serve food, provide a space for business meetings and host events but had to alter how it uses its seventh-floor space in The Landing building as it cannot open to the public until next year.
It’s meant that their backdrops and rooms on the floor have recently been used for popular shows such as BBC’s The Voice explained Social 7 Owner Carla Taylor.
“We had a choice to adapt or die really,” she said.
“So, we’ve adapted the space. It’s being used as a filming and location space for the BBC and ITV.”
Due to the pandemic, the business hasn’t been able to open properly again to the public since March.
Although it’s been three quarters of a year since normal day-to-day operations at Social 7, Carla and her team that have returned are just grateful to be back in the building doing their bit.
She said: “It’s nothing like it was before, but it gives us something to do. Some of the staff said they would do anything as they needed a routine.
“To go from being fast-paced and whizzing around everywhere to zero is really hard. We’re really fortunate just to be getting back to something.”
Has anyone else noticed our updated sign? A little giggle for you all 😄 https://t.co/laBzmeh5a0
— Social 7 (@social7mc) September 23, 2020
Launched in Salford in 2018 by Carla off the back of her success with sister business Penelope’s deli, also located in MediaCity, Social 7 pride themselves on helping local businesses to thrive.
Carla says the Media City community also did their bit to help them recently during the pandemic.
“People here, if they could put any business our way they did,” she said.
“Once the word got around about location filming, it kind of snowballed from there.”
Looking ahead to the new year, she has high aspirations for both Social 7, along with Penelope’s deli, off the back of a year in which they have been able to stay on their feet through the help of emergency funding.
“I ran the businesses we have here with buffers for six years that if they needed emergency funding they’d always be safe so I’m happy I did that and put a bit of money aside should the businesses ever need it. So we’ve just been using that.
“We’re going to open fully when the world’s more open. I want to either go for it fully or not at all. We’re just waiting for things to get back to normal.
“From the new year, we’ve got lots of exciting things coming that have been proposed that I may not have had time to do before. It’s exciting to see what we’ll do next.”
You can find out more about Social 7 here.
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