Are We Back In Our Deskside Era?

Short and strategic, simple and sustainable – there’s a lot going for the humble deskside. But I don’t think functional need mean no-frills.

Some recent desksides I’ve experienced have felt just as low-key fancy as a meeting can in, say, Rose Bakery or The Monocle Café (and not only because our reception at the ‘House of Hearst’ is actually kinda chic). I’ve been greeted at these meetings with handcrafted cookies, champagne and posies of flowers – as well as equally appealing article ideas and product demos.

Of course, I would never expect a PR to come to an office meeting armed with anything more than samples and stories from the brands they’re representing. But I want to confirm that desksides needn’t – and shouldn’t – feel like second/third/fourth best behind other one-to-one meetings that generally cost you or your clients much more.

And, regardless of my recent elevated experiences with them, the format feels more useful than ever for reasons of time efficiency. This year, brand event invites have exploded, yet the general intensification of work we’re all experiencing means it’s impossible to accept even half of them. What can feel just as valuable is a quick preview, or debrief, of a launch (or better yet – launches) with a PR.

I have nothing against a virtual version, too, and have had many useful Zoom catch-ups with related products posted out to me beforehand. Here, geography isn’t an inhibitor to the deskside – which is a bonus for those who aren’t in London every day. What is it they say – ‘work smarter, not harder’? The simplicity of a deskside is one way we can do that.