While the team is working hard to secure a suitable new venue, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on the journey so far and how far we’ve come in what have been a chaotic couple of months. This time last year, Spotlight Indie wasn’t even a thing. It was still just an idea.

It was in May 2024 that I walked into NERDY Café, armed with a notepad, pen and a plan. After meeting with their management staff, I had a place. From the get-go, NERDY café has been a huge part of the Spotlight identity as we’ve grown from one slightly neurotic indie writer with a clipboard (that would be me) to a six person team with a website, YouTube channel, socials and more events planned. I’ve worked on many events and too often, a venue is just a venue.

To us – and many others – NERDY Café was so much more. It has felt like a home for Spotlight Indie. More than that, it was a place for people who needed a safe and welcoming refuge from the world. One of those rare places were community came first, and you were accepted, no matter how different, quirky, introverted or ‘nerdy’ you were.

Right now, the world feels like a pretty horrific place. Places like NERDY are vital right now. For those who are scared, for those who feel alone, for those who are marginalised and made to feel like they don’t belong. Whether you were heading in for a three-hour Warhammer session or just for a coffee, NERDY was where you could feel safe, supported and celebrated.

That’s why we chose it for our venue. Because those are the exact same values we want at the heart of Spotlight Indie. People ask me what my favourite part of the 2024 event was – it was hearing indie authors telling me that they felt like they mattered. That they belonged. It was seeing them excited to be creative and to bring their stories into a world that so sorely needs them right now.

It’s also why we’ve made the decision to delay our next event until we can find a new venue that shares the same values, community spirit and passion for lifting others as the NERDY café did. It would be easy for us to find a venue quickly, but finding the right venue will take a little longer. We don’t want to be just another event. We want to feel like a home for our speakers, attendees and supporters – filled with people who will champion each other, uplift each other and celebrate creativity and individuality in all its forms.