DUSK x RWE: A Shoreditch Love Story

Epic rewards app DUSK is returning to Runway East! Originally in our OG Old Street site, they’re back and buzzing for our new Shoreditch space opening 1st July.

We’re sure you’ve heard of them, but just in case you’ve been living under a rock… DUSK offers rewards for going out. Spending money at a cool bar? The app gives you free drinks and great rewards so you can keep the party going.

We caught up with the legendary team at DUSK to find out how they’ve been getting on while we’ve been away (from Shoreditch).

RWE: No one wants to mention the C-word, but how’ve you been since the pandemic?

DUSK: I’m not going to sugar coat it, the pandemic was a pretty bleak time for us. As a company in the nightlife and hospitality space, we effectively shuttered for two years, but we’ve taken the time to build some super innovative tech and re-focus.

Because of this, we’ve been really ambitious with our goals for this year. So we’ll be hustling hard to hit these over the next 12 months. We’re looking to get record numbers of free drinks into users hands and we’re operating at a national scale now, so we’re focused on getting our name out there as we expand into new geographies.

RWE: Now things are open again, what does this year look like?

DUSK: We’ve got an insanely busy 2022-2023 planned with back-to-back activations in the pipeline. From a huge summer spritz campaign with Pimm’s to some exciting plans with Johnnie Walker, it’s shaping up to be our biggest year ever.

People are clearly in the mood for a post-pandemic party!

We’re so excited to see London, and UK nightlife as a whole, come back to life. There are so many innovative people in this industry working hard to help a struggling sector back on its feet, and it’s great to be a real driver in that. We’re just excited to get people out there, drinking and trying new things — and having fun.

We’ve expanded UK-wide which is really exciting, and we recently launched our Rewards platform which sees us linking up with our huge network of bars across the country to reward our users for going out. So in addition to getting free drinks, people can earn points every time they spend at the bar, and use those points to unlock exclusive rewards from the coolest brands.

RWE: Talking about cool brands (cough cough), what are you most looking forward to about moving back in with us?

DUSK: There was an edge to Runway East, we always felt like we were just working with another start-up.

There was never a ‘computer says no’ corporate response.

It was just real people working together to solve problems and get stuff done. It feels like we’ve grown up together.

There’s a real community focus too, unlike some other co-working spaces. We moved out of Runway East 3+ years ago and not only do we still bump into friendly faces, but we’ve also built long-lasting partnerships with companies we met there.

On that note, we’re super excited to bring back the return of Runway Beast—our regular social takeovers where we get everyone together for happy hour and then out to a nearby bar for their first drink free on Dusk. Those nights were wild, and we’re hoping we can bring some more of that magic to the new Shoreditch site.

We’re coming back home in a way, having started our Dusk journey across several former Runway East sites from Finsbury Square to Old Street. It’ll be good to be back!

RWE: And what is it about Shoreditch you love so much?

DUSK: Most of our team call this part of town home. It’s young, cool and there’s a big tech scene here so it feels like the perfect fit for DUSK.

Shoreditch has always been a no-brainer for us.

We’re super close to most of our clients over in Soho, minutes away from the City, and it’s got some of the best nightlife in the UK for both work and “research” purposes.

RWE: Finally, what advice would you give the DUSK team back in their first year?

DUSK: Every obstacle will end up becoming a MAJOR opportunity for something bigger and better, so heads up. Work hard, play hard (this has always been our motto) and believe in the product, because it’s a great one!

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