By Fenton Saward

Masterclass With SCA Alumni Ross Bailey

Last Friday we had SCA alumni Ross Bailey in. He gave, in my opinion the most inspiring masterclass of the year. 

I had just finished a long day at work In February last year. Working in retail i wasn’t particularly enjoying myself at that point, with my SCA interview coming up I was hoping for better opportunities. If had a long day so the plan was to get straight home amongst the rush hour and most likely go to sleep. Rinse and repeat. As I was walking through Old Street underground station I saw a crowded room that grabbed my attention. My grandad used to play in a Jazz band many years ago and I recognised the layout almost instantly. Drums, Saxophone, Bass and what I thought was a Xylophone but turned out to be a Vibraphone.

I started on the outside of the crowded room and slowly edged my way in. Acquired a seat toward the back, then another even closer and in no time I was right at the front. It was a welcome mental getaway from my day to just sit there and not really focus on anything but the music. The band playing I’d  never heard of before, they’re a four piece band called Empirical whose music I promptly purchased when home. When I got back instead of going to sleep or getting a ready meal, I cooked a meal whilst listening to Empircal, rekindling my love for unpredictable yet relaxing instrumentals. 

Now you’re probably beginning to wonder why I’m speaking about this in relation to Ross Bailey. 

Ross Bailey is the founder and CEO of Appear [Here]. His company allows businesses and small independent traders rent unused space for retail purpose within 48 hours, when it used to be 3-6 months. The experience I had last February wouldn’t of happened without Ross. Appear [Here] won the business to turn Old Street station into what it is today. 

Ross has been unbelievably successful when looked at from a business point of view. They have over 60,000 registered accounts with them and also have spaces in Paris and New York. But for me what’s so amazing about this is that it allows experiences to appear in unexpected and unused spaces, with ideas becoming concrete within 48 hours. These experiences can have impactful change on people’s life’s, whether thats through experiencing someone else’s idea or using it as a platform to execute your own. 

An idea that allows other people to make their ideas concrete is truly one of the best in my opinion.

This really opened my eyes to other avenues SCA can take us down if we have the drive.