The Romsey Chamber of Commerce’s latest Brew & Business networking event broke from tradition last week, trading the familiar Town Hall for the raw energy of OBX Boxing Gym on Budds Lane Industrial Estate. From 7:30am to 9am, local business leaders swapped coffee for gloves, discovering how a boxing gym could redefine networking and community engagement.
Newly elected chamber president Rita Kohli launched the initiative to take the bi-monthly meetings “on the road,” hosting each session at a different local business to foster unexpected opportunities. This month’s venue choice drew 30 attendees, including town councillor John Parker and Romsey Mayor Cllr Colin Burgess, who praised the fresh setting for sparking ideas beyond the usual boardroom discussions.
Key Points
- ✅ OBX Boxing Gym hosted Romsey Chamber’s Brew & Business for the first time
- ⚡ New president Rita Kohli moved events off-site to spur fresh networking
- 💡 Aneta’s sparring demo and police youth engagement proposal stole the show
The event took an unconventional turn when OBX staff member Aneta demonstrated boxing’s discipline benefits for Romsey’s youth, followed by a surprise sparring exhibition. Her pitch highlighted how the gym could serve as a hub for mentorship, with local police already eyeing OBX as a potential site for youth engagement programs to reduce misbehavior.
| Aspect | Brew & Business at Town Hall | Brew & Business at OBX Gym |
|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere | Formal, predictable | Dynamic, interactive |
| Networking style | Traditional introductions | Unexpected skill-sharing |
| Community impact | Limited outreach | Youth engagement proposals |
Andrew Cox of Romsey Beggars Fair used the platform to tease the town’s upcoming summer event, revealing how such collaborations could amplify local cultural initiatives. The conversation quickly pivoted to practical solutions, with Cllr Burgess suggesting a partnership between the gym, police, and youth services to channel recreational opportunities into social development.
📋 By The Numbers
- 30 — Attendees at the OBX Boxing Gym event
- 2 hours — Networking window from 7:30am to 9am
- 1 surprise — Spontaneous sparring demonstration by Aneta
Kohli confirmed the chamber’s next Brew & Business will move again in July, this time to Lemon & Jinja, a sustainable restaurant in Belbins Industrial Estate off Cupernham Lane. The shift signals a broader strategy to embed the chamber’s events in the town’s evolving business landscape, with future venues targeting sectors like hospitality and green technology.
💡 Pro Tip
For business leaders looking to break routine networking, rotating venues forces creative problem-solving—whether it’s a gym, a farm, or a makerspace. The key is to match the location to a fresh angle, like community impact or skill-sharing.
The OBX experiment proved that unconventional settings can yield more than just handshakes—they can redefine how a town’s business community interacts with its wider social fabric. With July’s sustainable restaurant meetup on the horizon, Romsey’s chamber is betting big on location as the next frontier of networking.
- July 2024 — Next Brew & Business at Lemon & Jinja, Belbins Industrial Estate
- 7:30–9am — Standard meeting window for future events
- Rita Kohli — President driving the venue rotation strategy