BOSTON – When your firm is named “Essential Design,” there’s a clear emphasis on “design” in what you do. That was the site of an event called Lunchspotting that is run by the Mass Technology Leadership Council, and it was in downtown Boston near South Station. I had the pleasure of attending the event.
The event was set up as a networking event, and it was held in space in the building the company recently acquired, with a nice setup for it. In the hour and a half it was run, it allowed for plenty of conversations, as well as time for some to give their thoughts on a couple of questions the company posed on a wall. A number of employees walked around and had conversations with attendees as well, before a few led attendees on a tour of their office.
The tour was informative, giving a feel for the wide range of design projects the team has worked on as well as the process from start to finish. They showed some of the end products right next to early concepts, showing how a handheld item might start out with a particular design but finish up with one a little different, as well as with an addition or two that does not show up right away. Many are shown in hallways connecting parts of the office, and workspaces are very open areas – sometimes areas of four with low walls, while a few work side-by-side against a wall. In other words, it’s far from your typical office, engineering or not.
Essential’s work crosses over into a number of different industries. They have been involved with medical devices, part of iRobot’s Roomba, an audio device, the food industry, and even sports technology. They are thinking about what lies ahead in technology as it becomes more a part of our everyday lives, especially with the Internet of Things becoming an active part of our lives.
MassTLC, who helped sponsor the event, is running the series, generally rotating in location between right in the city and in the suburbs. They are also the people behind the Boston TechJam, which was a successful event back in June, and have much more coming, including the ReDev B0st0n Conference and Career Fair at MIT next week.
In all, the event was well-run for all involved from the appearances. The turnout was very good and there were plenty of lively conversations, while Essential Design got to solicit some ideas and show off their growing facility.