Category: Real Estate

Based in Stockholm, Skanska Commercial Development Europe counts among the biggest Real Estate Development company in Europe. Skanska owns Business Link, a fast growing coworking brand in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), currently operating 5 locations, in Poland and in the Czech Republic. We have interviewed Jaroslaw Bator, Managing Director at Business Link & Business Development Director.  Jaroslaw will be a speaker at the upcoming Coworking Europe 2019 conference, to take place in Warsaw, on November 13-15.

Hi Jaroslaw. Can you introduce Business Link to us?

Jarosław Bator

The Business Link brand was created in 2011, based on the Academic Entrepreneurship Incubator Foundation – an NGO supporting Polish entrepreneurship. The growing scale of the project sparked Skanska’s interest, which in 2017 together with the Foundation as a joint venture, developed the concept much more boldly and directed it to professionals, who expect the best locations, a chique design and perfect customer service. Currently, Business Link is a brand wholly owned by Skanska, an unparalleled model of cooperation between a key developer and an operator of flexible work spaces.

You have plans to open up a total of 50.000 sqm of coworking space in Central Europe. Is the region ready to absorb such an increase?

The attractiveness of the CEE region has already attracted many players in the flexible work space sector. We are slowly beginning to observe market segmentation. We found our niche within – remarkably designed and operated spaces. Therefore, at present, our priority is to further professionalize our current locations, rather than aggressive expansion. Nevertheless, we’re carefully monitoring other CEE markets, noticing in them potential for further growth, fuelled primarily by the professionalization of personnel and increasingly frequent decisions to base business operations in these countries.

We are slowly beginning to observe market segmentation. We found our niche.

Why did a major regional Real Estate operator like Skanska jump into the coworking business directly?

Business Link Astoria (Warsaw)

Every enterprise expecting dynamic growth on the market needs an ambitious strategy and to adopt emerging trends to achieve business success in a changing world. Investment in a new, rapidly growing real estate segment seems to be the natural step forward. Additionally, flexible spaces complement Skanska’s portfolio. This is not about creating a façade about a wide range of services – Business Link truly responds to the needs of other Skanska customers who, for example, underestimated the number of workplaces required or need to diversify their job portfolio, guaranteeing their employees the ability to choose a place at any time outside of the main office.

This is not about creating a façade – Business Link truly responds to the needs of other Skanska customers who, for example, underestimated the number of workplaces required.

Why did it make sense to Skanska to take full ownership, and not keep it as a joint-venture?

Synergy is the key word here – Skanska decided to take full advantage of cooperation with Business Link to more effectively combine a traditional developer’s space leasing operations with the offer of flex space. It is worth noting here that this situation is not frequently encountered – flex spaces are most often managed by relatively young entities without a well-established organizational culture, which is why we believe that Business Link can gain a lot by observing processes and models.

Flex spaces are most often managed by relatively young entities without a well-established organizational culture, which is why we believe that Business Link can gain a lot by observing processes and models.

Isn’t the move cannibalizing the traditional office long term lease market you are in too?

Business Link High5ive (Cracow)

Skanska offers excellent space for the entire company in a traditional lease formula. As Business Link, we supplement this portfolio by providing a more flexible product that can be used as the main office – a solution chosen by small companies, as well as larger teams exceeding a hundred people. An office such as this facilitates communication and enables efficient work coordination, whilst guaranteeing excellent conditions for all employees. We can also offer our clients a design office – used only for a specific time or an office dedicated to remote work outside the company’s main office. Diversification of office space within one organization is one of the most important office trends. Users of such a model are companies wishing to offer more flexibility than the one resulting from the possibility of remote work, e.g. from a home or a cafe.

Diversification of office space within one organization is one of the most important office trends.

What is “coworking 2.0” (name coined in some of your communication material)? Some other players would call themselves business center or serviced office…

Coworking today – in business terms – is an outdated model. Quite a bold statement, but reflected in the space designs of many players in this market. Please note that we can rarely find only open-space spaces or spaces only split up into private offices. Flex space is a model that combines these two formats. It is therefore a balancing act to allocate types of workplaces within the operator’s space – on one hand, in each location, responding to local demand, and on the other hand – ensuring financial viability of the location. It is difficult to build a community without having a penny.

Coworking today – in business terms – is an outdated model. Quite a bold statement, but reflected in the space designs of many players in this market.

You now speak a lot about ecosystem, engagement, green surroundings… Are hospitality and service more important than technology and facility, nowadays?

Business Link High5ive (Cracow)

Business Link today, above all, we think, has the largest customer service team on the market, providing comprehensive support and service at the highest level. Our offices are located in buildings that meet the highest environmental standards, and the design and equipment offered to customers allows for the enjoyment of green surroundings – from the walls, covered with reindeer lichen, affecting the humidity of the air, to green terraces, guaranteeing rest among greenery in the heart of the city . We don’t try to be the driving force behind our clients’ free time at all costs – we focus on quality, not quantity. We will sooner choose a live film music concert, rather than a mentoring/educational event so popular on this market. We strive to give tools that will allow our clients to organize the work and leisure of their employees at their own discretion.

We strive to give tools that will allow our clients to organize the work and leisure of their employees at their own discretion.

The real estate world is full of the WeWork name. How do you position yourself as opposed to that kind of  big international player? 

Business Link Visionary (Prague)

Business Link offers customers splendidly designed prestigious spaces with an impeccably prepared customer service team, the most numerous on the market. The key to our market success is an individual approach, investing in the professionalism of the team, and responding effectively to the needs of small and large companies. The Business Link strategy is based on building strong business foundations on local markets in Central and Eastern Europe (currently 4 locations in Poland, and 1 in the Czech Republic). We prefer to measure our success with customer satisfaction rather than with geographical coverage. This specific specialization allows us to cater to the needs of the market that we know perfectly well.

We prefer to measure our success with customer satisfaction rather than with geographical coverage.

What are the differences you see between Poland, the Czech Republic and the situation of coworking in Western Europe?

In the real estate segment, including office space, the markets of Central and Eastern Europe are still emerging markets. The stability of these markets, proven during the recent financial crisis, makes them a natural place for investment, guaranteeing high rates of return. The Western European market is more saturated, and some natural market processes – such as the fulfillment of regional demand – having inevitably appeared there before. In the Central and Eastern European markets, in the segment of flexible offices, Business Link is a precursor of the network approach, allowing for the creation of business synergies amongst the large regional cities. At the same time, we’re observing how increasing supply causes gradual segmentation of the market, allowing to meet the needs of various types of customers.

Are your plans limited to Central Europe or do you look beyond?

Our roots and specialization lie in the CEE region, which is why we would rather stay in our comfort zone.

Josh Fine is the COO of Focus Property Group, a real estate operator that not only builds and owns their buildings but operate the businesses that are contained within the building as well, including coworking. We have interviewed Josh Fine to learn more about his experience and knowledge on real estate and his way to understand the coworking and hospitality sector. An interview full of insights and vision on #futureofwork! Josh will also be a speaker at Coworking Europe 2019 this fall.

Hi Josh. Can you introduce the Focus Property Group?

Josh Fine

Focus Property Group has been investing in commercial real estate, primarily in downtown Denver, Colorado (USA), for the past three decades. We acquire, assemble and entitle development parcels, and we develop a wide variety of commercial real estate asset types, including office and coworking, retail centers, hotels, senior housing communities, industrial buildings, and self-storage facilities.

We are long term holders of real estate, meaning that once we develop and lease out our real estate, we continue to manage and own the assets. One unique aspect of our business model is our willingness to create, own and manage operating businesses within our real estate.

In other words, most real estate companies will build and own the buildings but not operate the businesses that are contained within the building. However, we enjoy the entrepreneurial aspect of operating companies. Therefore, rather than build, for example, a self storage facility and then hire a self storage management company to run the business, we created our own self storage brand, hire our own employees and run that business ourselves. It is the same with coworking. We created the Enterprise Coworking brand and all of the Enterprise Coworking employees are on our payroll.

You have been involved pretty early in the coworking wave while investing in hotel industry as well. To what extend are the lines between those “hospitality” driven activities blurring?

Enterprise Coworking, Denver

I am constantly telling our coworking staff that we are in the hospitality business. It has become a mantra of our company. Office space is not new. The innovation of coworking is that it introduces a hospitality or guest services aspect to office space. Our members don’t just want a convenient space to work. They want experiences that will enrich their lives and careers. They want concierge services to help them with all of the challenges that arise during the day so they can focus on what it is they came into the office to do. When a member approaches one of our community managers with an issue, I tell our team to imagine you are at the front desk of the Four Seasons Hotel. Hotel guests are often in disorienting, foreign environments and the hotels that truly shine are the ones where the team makes the guests feel welcome, at ease, and excited to dive in to all of the great things that brought the guest to that city in the first place. It is the same with coworking.

The hotels that truly shine are the ones where the team makes the guests feel welcome, at ease, and excited to dive in to all of the great things that brought the guest to that city in the first place. It is the same with coworking

The spaces that will separate themselves from the competition will have a guest services oriented staff that makes members feel welcome, well cared for, and excited to dive into the projects that brought them into their workspace. Because the service offering is so similar, it is true that lines are blurring between hospitality and coworking. For one, the skill sets overlap so much that many of our best hires come from hospitality. And you see hotels are increasingly getting into the coworking space. Pioneering hotels like the Ace Hotel in New York City, the Hotel Eaton in Washington DC, the Zoku Hotel in Amsterdam, and many others have full fledged coworking spaces and welcome the coworking public to consider the hotel as their living room or office, with free wifi, free-flowing (if not free) coffee and beer and other coworking-like amenities. Business is becoming increasingly nomadic and I predict that we will see more and more joint hotels & coworking spaces that co-locate, share amenities and staff, and synergistically energize each other’s vibes.

The spaces that will separate themselves from the competition will have a guest services oriented staff that makes members feel welcome, well cared for, and excited to dive into the projects that brought them into their workspace

Why does it make sense for a buildings owner company to operate coworking space itself ? Why not partner up with third parties operators?

It certainly doesn’t make sense for every building owner. Coworking is a complex operating business and many landlords simply don’t have the bandwidth or aptitude to run such an intensive operating business. However, the explosive growth of coworking has resulted in a spillover effect where traditional office tenants have come to expect more coworking-like amenities in their office buildings, and office building owners will need to more and more inch toward the type of offering that users can find in coworking spaces. Since office building owners will need to increase service offerings anyway to stay competitive, those who can figure out how to jump into the coworking business will be at an advantage and will also be able to benefit from two profit centers: the rent that the coworking operator pays to the landlord and the operating profit that the coworking operator earns from the members.

Those who can figure out how to jump into the coworking business will be at an advantage and will also be able to benefit from two profit centers: the rent that the coworking operator pays to the landlord and the operating profit that the coworking operator earns from the members.

Enterprise Coworking, Denver

A building owner who reserves part of their building for coworking will likely also benefit from higher overall occupancy. Companies in the building who “graduate” from coworking and want their own space may be able to rent another office space in the same building. And when tenants leave the building, the landlord always has the possibility of expanding the coworking space into the former tenant’s space and thereby gobble up any vacancy immediately. Once a landlord has a successful track record as a coworking operator, it makes it easier for a landlord to acquire or develop additional buildings, because the landlord will have a tenant in their “back pocket” (the coworking space) that can immediately occupy part of a new building.

From the operator’s side, the reason to own rather then rent space is very compelling. In traditional office leasing, there is generally an equilibrium of power between landlord and tenant. Office leases tend to be for shorter periods than retail leases. When it comes time for renewal, the landlord will need to be reasonable and will have to closely reflect market conditions because the tenant can move to a new office building if the landlord tries to increase rent too dramatically. It is certainly a hassle for a company to move, but a CEO can decide to do it and all of the employees will have to follow suit.

But coworking spaces are more like retail users – they are much more tied to their buildings. Just as it is difficult and much more risky for a retailer to move (because there is no guarantee that its customers will all move with it to the new location) so too it is extremely risky for a coworking space to move. The coworking operator can sign a new lease in a new building, but there is no guarantee that the members will follow suit. If the members do not follow, the operator will be starting to build the business all over again. Therefore while building ownership certainly comes with significant risks of its own, it mitigates a major risk of the coworking model.

Coworking spaces are more like retail users – they are much more tied to their buildings. Just as it is difficult and much more risky for a retailer to move, so too it is extremely risky for a coworking space to move.

Do you see a difference in the way coworking spaces are operated between the stand-alone supported-by-a-property-owner-company and franchised/brand coworking spaces? 

We compete head-on with franchised coworking spaces and large brands and I do not believe that members in our space are looking for anything dramatically different. Most members are looking for a vibe that meshes well with their personality and work style, for a convenient location, for robust amenities and for a welcoming and engaging community. One difference I have noticed is that when you own your building there is no passing the buck. Any issue with the building becomes your issue. You cannot blame the building management, for example, if the temperature is too cold or if an elevator is out-of-service.

However, an advantage we have is that when you own the building, anything is possible in terms of dealing with a member issue. Sometimes a member complains about something that the coworking operator cannot control because it is the purview of the building owner and manager. For example, many office buildings have communal restrooms that are maintained by the building management. They may have a snack bar or coffee shop in the lobby. They may have a parking facility used by the tenants. If a member has an issue with any of these things, all the coworking operator can do is complain to their landlord to fix the problem. When you own the building, the buck stops with you. This is both a blessing and a curse. We have the power to fix any problem and can control more completely how our members experience our space. On the other hand, when there is a difficult issue we cannot look to others to address it.

If a member has an issue with any of these things, all the coworking operator can do is complain to their landlord to fix the problem. When you own the building, the buck stops with you. This is both a blessing and a curse.

In the short future, coworking growth is expected to be fueled by Small and Medium size businesses, not only by freelancers and startups. Do you see this evolution coming in Denver? 

Absolutely. The bulk of our membership is small companies with teams of 4-12 people. Freelancers are increasingly becoming a smaller and smaller minority of our membership base. There has been talk for the last several years of enterprise-level companies (with much larger teams of 50+ people) abandoning traditional office leases and moving into coworking. I don’t think we are there quite yet, although there have been some notable examples of large companies moving into coworking spaces in Denver. At our space, we do have some large companies, with our largest company topping out at about 80 employees. However, we have also seen companies move out of our space when they get to 20 or 25 people.

The bulk of our membership is small companies with teams of 4-12 people.

I think it very much depends on the personality of the company. Some companies will always want their own space and will move out of coworking once they reach a certain size. So I think there will always be a market for traditional office space and the obituaries of traditional office space are a bit premature. However, a few companies have grown to love coworking and will stay in a coworking space for as long as they can be accommodated. Spaces like ours that can accommodate large teams will be able to find companies that want to move in. Nonetheless, I think the bulk of the demand comes from small companies, and we are building out new spaces with a heavy emphasis on private suites for teams of 4-12 people.

Companies have grown to love coworking and will stay in a coworking space for as long as they can be accommodated.

In-house Gym, cafés,… We see a race to provide the most exciting, robust and unique amenities in order to distinguish from the competition. How far will it go?

Our flagship location in the RiNo neighborhood of Denver has both an in-house café and espresso bar as well as a fitness center. The types of amenities you need can depend largely on your location. If you have a trendy espresso bar next door, you may not need to offer one in your coworking space. I think the best way to choose which amenities to offer is to make sure there is a diversity of “types” of spaces.

There should be a quiet space for heads-down work where you won’t be disturbed. There should be a buzzing, social space. There should be a networking space that is conducive to impromptu meetings and making connections. In our flagship space, these needs are filled, respectively, by our library, our pub and game room (that we call the “rathskeller”), and our espresso shop. However, other coworking spaces can fulfill these needs with amenities that may be less space- and operationally-intensive.

Shall all those amenities be provided by the same operators? 

I mentioned earlier how coworking spaces and hotels are beginning to “blur” their boundaries and I think that coworking operators to remain competitive will need to learn to operate the same type of amenities as hotels. Just as a hotel doesn’t just need to know how to rent out hotel rooms, but also how to operate a restaurant, coffee shop, gym, pool, event space or conference center, so too will coworking operators needs to establish these competencies. I think that co-locating – especially hotels and coworking – could be a great solution to this operational challenge.

There is a huge overlap between the type of amenities that hotel guests and coworking members want. Shrewd coworking operators will partner with hotels – or join forces and completely merge their businesses – and thus have the scale to offer more robust amenities than either could on their own. Regarding the price, I think a hotel analogy is apt here as well. There is a huge diversity in hotels. You can stay at a one- or two-star motel that gives you very little other than a place to sleep, or a five-star resort that provides a slew of services, like multiple dining venues and bars, a spa and pool, and dramatic public spaces. Of course a guest will expect to pay a lot more for the latter. There will need to be similar differentiation in coworking spaces. However, an operator who wants to charge top-of-the-market pricing will need to offer five-star amenities to retain members.

Just as a hotel doesn’t just need to know how to rent out hotel rooms, but also how to operate a restaurant, coffee shop, gym, pool, event space or conference center, so too will coworking operators needs to establish these competencies.

Would you say it is US specific or are those trends reaching all continents from what you see?

We live in a global village and I am not even sure the trends I described originated in the United States. I just stayed at a hotel in Herzliya, Israel, which was connected to a vibrant coworking space. In the basement was a huge fitness center (much bigger and more elaborate than you would typically find in a small hotel) complete with a dry sauna and steam room. I went down to the fitness center in the morning and it was packed in equal parts by hotel guests and coworking members (as well as people in the community who simply bought a gym membership). This is the type of co-locating and amenity sharing concept that I think will become more commonplace as all of these businesses try to supersize their amenities in an increasingly competitive market.

Petr Boruta is the Marketing Manager at Spaceflow, a platform that provides a global tenant experience platform and community engagement as a service that uplift the experience for people in spaces and buildings. Petr is a well-informed expert of what is happening in the workplace market and below we share some of his thoughts, insights and experience.

Hi Petr. Why is Central Europe worth considering today, would you say, with respect to the evolution of the coworking market practices?

Globally, London, New York and Los Angeles are still the top three cities in the number of coworking centres. However, the coworking map, I would say, is evolving rapidly. In Europe, for instance Warsaw and Prague are now becoming  new hotbeds for shared offices. 

When I visited the CEE Summit (Central and Eastern Europe Summit) organized by Property EU and Poland Today magazine, what strucked me was how CEE is already progressive on topics that push boundaries in real estate. In the breakout session that covered current trends, people were mentioning how they enjoy being in coworking.

One of the participants said that he does not mind anymore to go to the « coworking » office during the weekend (if he has to) compared to his former (traditional) office. The motivation doesn’t come from the flexibility or from the physical amenities, like humming coffee machine – although they’re super convenient, don’t get me wrong. What’s appealing at coworking spaces is the possibility to meet people.

What learning do you take from the anecdote?

Humans are by nature social beings. Events, more breakout opportunities and random conversations in the kitchen. That’s where ideas sprout. As a matter of fact, participants of that conversation at the CEE Summit did not mention community in particular straight away. But when suggested, they all agreed it was the key factor.

So?

We think about community as something natural – but actually, it’s not easy to build it up from a random herd of people. According to CBRE 2018 Occupier Survey, more than 80% of tenants perceive amenities as integral to the employee experience and 65% think service-oriented amenities are more important than fixed space-based amenities. Delos, the founder of the WELL standard, is right when it stresses that creating a culture of health and wellness in which employees actively participate, is more than providing a gym and healthy items in the cafeteria or introducing a corporate challenge.

In another survey, respondents claim that they want their workspace to feel more like a community and that they expect landlords will participate in providing this experience.

That’s where flexible office spaces win it all with their workshops and social events. That’s also why, at Spaceflow, we encourage real estate players to think about curated content and community management in order to drive the engagement of people. It’s so important.

Would you say that real estate developers are now ready to figure out that people need more than just a roof and walls to work from?

Absolutely. Landlords and developers used to be rather sceptical about this serviced-office trend. That’s true. If they were to embrace it, then, they rather acquired a seasoned provider who was specialised in that. Nowadays, things are changing rapidly. We see more of those real estate players getting involved in building service by themselves, without much hassle.

In CEE, HB Reavis made a very clever move by starting a new brand, HubHub. Skanska acquired Business Link. In the US, Tishman Speyer has launched Studio. And then you have CBRE  which launched its own coworking brand, Hana, in the US and one cannot doubt they will be rolling-out to Europe.

“We see it expanding to 15% or 20% of the (global) market”, according to Andrew Kupiec, the CEO at Hana.

That being said, as Coworking Mag suggests, catching up with other players will be tough when you have competitors like WeWork, Regus and Knotel who have hundreds of coworking spaces already.

Who will take the juiciest slice of the market, do you think? Big international coworking brands or coworking services developed by Real Estate developers?

As participants of the aforementioned CEE Summit agreed, providing 100% of all their assets as coworking spaces would be too risky. Nevertheless, traditional real estate players are now moving into coworking business in CEE at the same speed or at an even more rapid pace as in other regions. Time will tell who’s going to be the winner but Asia Pacific region, where coworking is gainin  its true momentum, future-proofed that developers are successful with coming up with their own brands.

To come back on the market drives, do you see another reason for the rising popularity of flexible offices, aside of the appeal for communities and amenities?

Definitely: modern company structure. A typical small business life span is 4 years. 4 years! The average life span of 500 Fortune company has dropped from 60 years in the 1950s to about 15 years now. 99% of London companies employ less than 50 people. The simple truth is nobody can predict 5, 10, let alone 15 years ahead in this rapidly changing economy. As JLL puts in its 2017 Flexible Space report, “most organizations only have 24 months of revenue projections and 36 months of strategic planning”. Average lease agreement exceeding 5 years significantly is in sharp contrast with this.

Image source: JLL Flexible Space Report, 2017

It’s almost a no brainer for traditional real estate to build coworking themselves when you consider these numbers: CBRE says 45 % of corporations expect substantial to moderate usage of flexible space by 2020. JLL is forecasting revolution by predicting that by 2030, flexible space will comprise of up to 30% of all offices.

It means corporations will also have to embrace the coworking move, isn’t it?

Again, yes, The most staggering number is that 41% (!) of all leased or owned corporate office space in the U.S. is vacant but paid for. The cost of this is roughly 150 billion USD and what is even more surprising is that the percentages are pretty consistent internationally.

Something is happening and it’s here to stay. What’s clear is that we need a way more effective approach to how we use spaces, one that is more flexible to evolving business needs.

What if you have coffee places with underused premises and people can book a desk through an app for a few hours to work?. Or what if you have restaurants that fill with workers during the mornings. This isn’t sci-fi but a reality already taking place. It’s all just a question of scale.

Last week we talked to Adam Lis, in charge of flexible office solutions at JLL Poland. Adam is a real estate professional, with experience in coworking after having worked for Brain Embassy, a Polish coworking brand. We are happy to share below some of his thoughts, ideas and expertise and we also look forward to welcoming him in our Coworking Europe Conference as one of our 2019 speakers, in Warsaw.

Adam Lis

Hi Adam, what is your take on the relationship between Coworking and the real estate it is located in?

As has been pointed out in other articles, there is a big discussion on how coworking spaces – as tenants – influence yields on office properties. In our experience, landlords have started to see value in having a part of the building occupied by a coworking space and are oftentimes proactively looking to bring them on board. There are many theories on how big the influence is, but the market practice shows that having around 15-25% of an asset dedicated to flex operator has a positive impact on the value of the building, as it represents a desired amenity for other tenants.

Some new deals for corporate clients are already built on the paradigm of mixing traditional long-term lease agreements with flexible space arrangements to complement them. We at JLL have already started to tailor such hybrid solutions for corporate clients, mixing traditional offices with coworking capacity.

What is your experience of the evolution of flexible workspace in Poland?

As in the rest of Europe, the rise of flexible office spaces is the hottest trend on the market in Poland. The volume of operating and secured flexible spaces in major cities reached 250,000 sq m in the end of 2018. Naturally, as the capital and the most important business destination in the country, Warsaw accounts for over ¾ of this volume, but the overall trend is also becoming more and more influential in regional cities.

Like it has happened in other markets, the entrance of WeWork in the end of last year has acted as a catalyst for the flex segment, kickstarting its development and forcing the competition to expand faster. Flex operators have leased an astonishing 112,000 m² in Warsaw last year, which accounts for 13% of the total office space demand. Interestingly, over half of it came from just two players: WeWork and IWG (Regus & Spaces).

Have revenue share deals already arrived in Poland?

Revenue share deals between flexible office providers and landlords are still scarce in Poland. It’s mainly due to the risk aversion of the latter, as well as their strong position, given the vacancy rate in Warsaw’s Central zones now stands at ca. 5%, which is the lowest since 2009. This means that availability of lease options in existing developments here is extremely limited. Therefore landlords don’t see the need to try out new business models. Management agreements seem, however, to work better at less attractive locations and buildings, where landlords are pushed to be more innovative in order to lease their assets.

Where do you see the market moving? Can small boutique spaces survive against international chains?

Image Sourse: Hotel Schani Wien – coworking lobby

The whole office market is rapidly changing as big players expand and grow the market, especially by attracting corporate clients. Smaller ones on the other hand emerge and push from the bottom. We see some landlords and developers experimenting with their own coworking concepts. Hotels and shopping malls are trying to find their place in this new segment too. I believe that the market will become more and more competitive, but also that there will be enough space for a variety of highly specialized niche providers. It seems like the market is heading towards a world where coworking is becoming the new workplace.

I believe that the market will become more and more competitive, but also that there will be enough space for a variety of highly specialized niche providers.

Innv8 is among the first coworking brand launched in India. Last month, the company was bought by one of the biggest Indian hotel platform, OYO, for a total of 31 millions US$. Meanwhile, OYO announced the takeover of two other coworking brands (PowerStation, for corporations, and Workflow, more focused on startups), demonstrating a strong will to develop its position in the coworking field. Interesting to note, OYO is supported by Softbank, one of WeWork’s main investors. Innov8 is the fourth coworking acquisition by OYO. We interviewed Ritesh Malik, Innov8‘s founder, who used to be a speaker at the Coworking India conference organized by SocialWorkplaces.com, about the vision behind the deal.

Hi Ritesh. Can you tell us the story behind Innov8?

We launched our first centre at the Heart of New Delhi- Connaught in December 2015. We wanted to revolutionise how Indian work. Innov8 is not just a place for people to work, it’s a place for people to connect. We at Innov8 want to transform real estate into a beautiful and premium workspace designed to encourage community engagement for the creators and innovators. In June 2016, US-based fund Y-Combinator backed Innov8 for its investment in the coworking industry.

We were hoping to create a collaborative community where business opportunities and activities can take place freely. We were committed to delivering excellence through design, experience, and services. Our Vision was to revolutionize real estate into beautifully designed, experience centers to empower the process and journey of creating meaningful work. Our Mission: to be World’s Most Loved Workspace brand through excellence in design, experience and delivering value.

Innov8 is now taken over by OYO. Why are the two companies complementary?

Ritesh Malik, Innov8

Innov8 and OYO are both in the business of real estate and hospitality. It’s a perfectly complementary business. OYO already has a strong play in the real estate market worldwide both as a tenant and as a supplier, with existing offerings like OYO Home, OYO LIFE, Weddigz.in and MICE offerings. Also, OYO already has thousands of corporate customers that help generate over 30% of OYO’s business. Additionally, in India, OYO works with over 8.000 asset owners, and many of them have ready space available for commercial business. The decision to, therefore, open managed workspaces is a natural transition and step forward. With vast experience of acquiring properties, creating processes and great user experiences, it will be great backing on Innov8 scalability.

With vast experience of acquiring properties, creating processes and great user experiences, it will be great backing on Innov8 scalability.

OYO is known in India as a hotel booking platform. Coworking seems quite far away from their focus, no? 

Firstly, OYO is not a hotel booking platform. OYO is a full-scale tech-driven hospitality company that operates over 18.000 franchised and leased hotels across 10 countries and 500+ cities globally. Interestingly, the company has globally leased or franchised over 200 million square feet of real estate, and have emerged as a preferred tenant of choice. Thousands of real estate owners around the world work with OYO and respect the company’s ability to upgrade all forms of real estate and deliver good quality experiences. OYO is also amongst the most preferred lesses and franchisors of real estate yields worldwide.

Over the last six years, OYO has invested heavily in building key competencies, where our operational expertise in supply acquisition and management, renovation, operations, revenue management, and distribution, through both offline and online channels, that has helped the company gain significant momentum, and emerge as the most preferred brand in the budget to mid-segment hospitality space in several markets like India and China.

We are certain that OYO’s existing competencies and international reach, will help us seamlessly deliver great quality experiences to our real estate customers as well. We are all therefore excited about our plans to create and deliver chic workspaces that will be designed to provide a hassle-free, comfortable and productive experience to coworkers, and cost-effective workspace solutions to corporates.

According to you, what does the transaction say about the office and workplace industry moving to a hospitality and services model?

The managed office space industry is inherently a unique combination of hospitality led real estate experience. With this transaction, it is a huge validation for Innov8 and the whole industry. The industry is extremely positive with the potential of office spaces market.

How would you define hospitality in the workplace world?

More than desks, chairs, coffee and office infrastructure, workspaces should provide the environment and support to make every company and coworkers grow and do their best work. Our community and value-added services make Innov8 a second home; creating an ethos of happiness at the workplace.

Would you say the Indian market is specific for this kind of approach?

Indian market is ripe for managed office spaces. India is one of the most penetrated markets by managed offices.

Startups are driving the coworking demand in India. Do you see or expect coworking to become a solution for SME and bigger corporations? Is it already happening? What’s Innov8 experience on those regards?

It is already happening. SME and bigger corporates now accepting the trend and it is beneficial for both the industry. Managed offices are the way to go for any workspace needs. At Innov8, we have already been focussing on and catering to ME and corporation. Majority of our clients are SME or corporates.

What are the specific challenges Indian coworking players have to face, nowadays, to keep up with the pace of growth?

Identify prime properties, capital, and speed of scale.

Lately, we are reading that big international players such as Airbnb are also looking towards the coworking business. Do you think this can work? Why?

The coworking or managed office market is huge with rooms for different price points and variation of the product/ service.

Do OYO and Innov8 have plans to grow beyond India?

We plan to expand and cater to the huge Indian market first.

In general, Indian coworking brands are not very active outside India, yet. Do you expect it to change? 

Yes, most definitely. There is a lot of potential. Having said that, we are currently focused on strengthening our business in India. Once we have nailed it, then the sky’s the limit.

GKRE, a UK based flexible workspace specialist, could be a kind of new operator in the market: a matchmaker between real estate owners, on the one hand, coworking and flexible workplace operators, on the other hand. GKRE advises landlords and building owners throughout the UK on their flexible workspace options and opportunities to partner with flexible workspace providers. The company has recently been involved in the merger and acquisition of businesses worth over GBP 40 million, in some 50 buildings.

Will Kinnear

We interviewed Will Kinnear, Chartered Surveyor specialising in the flexible workspace industry.

Hi Will, could you introduce yourself and tell us about GKRE?

I started as a consultant to Regus acquiring multiple sites throughout the UK on their behalf. Since the creation of GKRE with Douglas Green in 2013, we have acquired more than 450.000 square feet (42.000 m2) of new sites for the UK’s leading operators throughout London and the UK. Clients include operators and landlords across the UK, from major PLCs to independent companies.

The flexible workspace market has grown fast in the last recent years. What are the reasons for this growth, according to you?

The growth of the market has been driven by a number of factors: the demand from occupiers for more flexible ways of working; technology in the form of laptops and mobile phones allowing people to work from anywhere; the explosion of small businesses and freelancers. Traditionally, flexible workspace operators were quick to seize on the demand for flexibility and, by offering something alternative to the traditional leasing model, grew their portfolio of sites steadily on the back of this. In the past three to four years, flexible ways of working have become commonplace for SMEs and even corporates, who have looked to operators to provide them with workspaces that meet their growing demand for dynamic and flexible ways of working. This, in turn, has driven operators and property owners to expand their offerings exponentially to the extent that the flexible workspace sector is no longer a secondary sector in the property market.

 In the past three to four years, flexible ways of working have become commonplace for SMEs and even corporates.

How do property owners look at the flexible model of space renting? Do they come to you? If so, why?

Property owners have had to look at the product being offered by operators given that demand for flexible working from occupiers has continued to grow. We are actively being approached by landlords and developers who want to understand better how the model works and how they can make the most of this growing trend. This is challenging the way property owners look at what they offer tenants.

Would you say that commercial property owners are starting to consider to partner up with flexible workspace operators, the same way property owners deal with hotel chains?

Yes, they are. Historically, flexible workspace operators have been at the forefront of this growing sector. However, over the past two years, there has been a distinct increase in property owners and developers wanting to enter the sector. Flexible workspace operators traditionally have taken lease deals where they have control over the space within a building and their clients. Partnership and management agreements between property owners and operators have allowed property owners to share in the upside and desirability of the sector while leaving the operator to the day-to-day running of the centre. We are currently working with a number of property owners who are considering their options. These may include working with an operator on a partnership basis or running their own operation.

Partnership and management agreements between property owners and operators have allowed property owners to share in the upside and desirability of the sector while leaving the operator to the day-to-day running of the centre.

Is the shared revenue model the future, in this kind of partnership?

It may be in some circumstances. Some property owners have assets within a portfolio that simply aren’t set up to enter into a shared revenue model. They will, therefore, have to let space on a traditional basis to an operator so that they are able to fulfil any requirement they have to provide flexible workspace within their mix of properties. They can also, of course, choose to run their own operation under their own brand. The shared revenue model will be attractive to both property owners and operators in some locations where both parties see a mutual benefit to providing a flexible workspace product. Going forward, we see opportunities for all kinds of models including leasehold, freehold and partnerships arrangements. We expect plenty of variety throughout the UK, and the model chosen will be driven to a large extent by the location, the property owner’s view of the market and the operator’s desire for a foothold in a particular area.

The model chosen will be driven to a large extent by the location, the property owner’s view of the market and the operator’s desire for a foothold in a particular area.

Some real estate owners fear that partnering with flexible workspace operators means they will lose direct contact with their traditional tenant customers. On the longer term, it could be detrimental to them, as they will be reliant on the flexible operator. Are they right?

This is a genuine concern for some owners as the end user will usually only have day-to-day contact and dialogue with the operator. To get round this and retain control of and connection with the end user, several property owners are looking to run their own operations, or, partner with operators but run the centres under their own brand.

Would you recommend property owners to create their own flexible workspace customer brand?

Possibly, but in every case, we would look at a property owner’s requirements in order to give them the best possible advice. Depending on what product they want to provide, the levels of service make these operations highly management intensive and for this reason not every property owner has the setup or desire to do it themselves. In these instances, we will work with a property owner to ascertain what options are available to them access the flexible workspace market.

Business Centres, Coworking, startup-friendly environment… How do you deal with the different services and positioning in today’s market?

Every operator thinks of their business in a different way and will position their product in the way that they best think sells it to potential occupiers. Often, an operator will offer a blend of options within a centre in order to maximise revenue.

What are your real estate predictions for the flexible workspace market in the UK the next five years?

We believe the market will continue its excellent growth. We expect to see more property owner-based operations in the market along with more all-inclusive managed products as landlords offer further flexibility in order to meet what occupiers are looking for. The new accounting rules coming into force in January next year are already impacting on demand as companies seek to take long-term leasehold premises off their balance sheets. We also expect to see retail and corporate occupiers offering flexible space. Industry data suggests that flexible workspace could account for 10% of the occupier market within 10 years across the UK.

Industry data suggests that flexible workspace could account for 10% of the occupier market within 10 years across the UK.

Ben Gattie, the co-founder, and CEO at The Working Capitol wanted to nurture creative work environments in his home country of Singapore. After working for a real estate developer focused on SoHo loft conversions in New York City, Ben returned to Singapore about 8 years ago and set up The Bamboo Group, a boutique real estate company specializing in the redevelopment of neighborhood shop houses. Deciding to enter a more meaningful and multifaceted industry centered around creating inspired work environments for companies big and small, Gattie co-founded The Working Capitol with his sister, Saranta.

Today the professional landscape in Singapore is changing, and it’s all thanks to places like The Working Capitol. We caught up with Ben to discuss these changes and how his work is enabling more open and flexible work environments.

Hi, Ben. What is work culture like in Singapore? Have people embraced social workspaces? 

It was quite conventional in a lot of ways until a few years ago with the mainstream emphasizing job security and working out of the central business district. Singapore has made a conscious effort to decentralize, and independent operators such as ourselves have legitimized fringe locations and social workspaces. Thankfully, Singapore is accustomed to change at an aggressive pace and is very adaptable to new things. Singapore apparently has over 60+ co-working spaces so I certainly hope this means people have embraced social workspaces! That said, in our earlier days, it was essential to educate people about what we were doing and to adopt a genuine spirit of giving before we could expect to get in return.

Does TWC aim to promote shared work culture and if so, how?

Ben Gatti

Definitely. We try to promote shared work culture across as many touch points as possible. The design of our space is research backed to promote varied types of interactions, ensuring there are different environments suited for different types of work or social engagement.

We want all our members to feel a sense of ownership of the entire building regardless if they may have signed up for a dedicated workspace. Our events and programming ensure that people come together across different points of interest, which we populate according to the verticals of arts and culture, personal and business development, health and wellness and lifestyle and entertainment.

Furthermore, our team is genuinely interested in what our members do and aims to facilitate interactions and connections whenever possible.

When TWC was being developed, was special attention paid to design? 

Yes. Design with intention is key  i.e understanding why the spaces exist and for what purpose it serves. Design is always best when it puts the member experience first and naturally weaves these human experiences into the built environment.

In your experience, what type of design promotes a better work culture, while also increasing productivity?

Specifically, in the case of The Working Capitol, the flow of one space into another, the incorporation of natural light, a lively color palette and ensuring there are different types of micro-environments suited for different types of work made accessible to everyone have been major contributors to our unique energy.

Do you believe that the physical design of a shared workspace is an essential part of the model? 

It is an essential part of the model. It directly influences not only how well we can perform operationally, but how successful we can be at creating the right energy and interactions. If the hardware is poorly designed, it makes it that much more challenging for our team and all their efforts to bring the space to life successfully, ensuring people are inspired to do their best work.

What types of members do you attract? For example are you focused on the local community or do does TWC extend themselves to digital nomads? 

Our members truly span a broad cross section. Being fortunate enough to have an international upbringing and exposure to different cultures, it was extremely important for us to champion diversity in terms of the type of industries we cater to, as well as different stages of development. We welcome everyone from solo-preneurs to large companies. That diversity can only help to provide different perspectives and learnings to local businesses in Singapore and enable people to grow in both business and personally.

On that same note, do you have corporate members or business partners? If so, why do you think that they are drawn to a place like TWC?

Our corporate members tell us the main draw has been to attract and retain the best talent. They want to provide their teams with access to inspiring spaces, access to amenities and opportunities to engage with other members and companies.

CHECK OUT SOCIALWORKPLACES.COM UPCOMING EVENTS

Ashley Proctor runs both Creative Blueprint and Foundery in the vibrant city of Toronto, Canada. The newly renovated 15,000 sq ft community hub is an accessible venue run by Ashley and her business partner, Jake Koseleci, who also owns the property and leases space to Creative Blueprint and Foundery, in addition to a Starbucks.

Established in 2006, Creative Blueprint is a pioneer and leader in Toronto’s arts and coworking communities. Creative Blueprint provides studios, services and support for artists and entrepreneurs. The CB Studios in downtown Toronto are home to practicing visual artists, designers, makers and creative entrepreneurs.

We caught up with Ashley to talk about what it was like to partner with Starbucks and how coffee culture can help coworking spaces grow.

Hi, Ashley. Can you please tell us a bit about the current state of Foundery and Creative Blueprint?

Established in 2010, Foundery currently operates two Coworking and Event Spaces within The Foundery Buildings. Foundery is one of Toronto’s first coworking spaces and we are home to a diverse and vibrant community of passionate, independent freelancers and artists. Foundery provides 2 unique shared coworking environments in addition to private offices and meeting rooms.

In the new year, we are planning to launch an exchange program with our newest Creative Blueprint location in Seattle, Washington (in partnership with Office Nomads).

Why did you decide to partner with Starbucks rather than opening your own coffee shop? 

My original plans for a coworking space included art studios, as well as an art gallery and cafe. The businesses are all complimentary and they support each other. The Foundery Buildings were the first venue where we could open all of these elements under one roof. Yet, we had an entire building to renovate and a mortgage to cover, so we decided that it would be a good idea to partner with an established anchor tenant that we didn’t feel bad about charging market rental rates.

Ashley Proctor

At the time when we bought the building, there was construction on the street and we needed to increase foot traffic. Also, coworking was not as popular as it is today and many people were still unfamiliar with the concept. Thus, the cafe gave people a reason to come by and check out the newly renovated building.

Do you feel that this partnership brought Foundery more opportunity?

Yes. Overall, it’s really events, coffee and casual opportunities that make connections and what helped to introduce the community to our space and to the coworking movement.

It has been a great way to find and to introduce people who need a community to the coworking concept. The partnership also offers a secure stream of patrons for the cafe and a secure revenue stream for the building. It also works out well when we need breakfast or coffee for our in-house workshops and events!

What are some of the specific benefits of having a partnership with Starbucks and what does it bring to the tenants and to the space owners?

Our members love coffee. We drink coffee all day and we also like snacks. Since we have our own desks next door, we don’t take up precious real-estate in Starbucks.

As a coworking space operator, I also visit the cafe to tell those people who are working on laptops that there is a better option that’s right next door. I’ve actually invited many cafe customers in for a trial day at Foundery and that worked out well both for Starbucks and for us.

Does having a partnership outside of the space provide the ability to impact the greater community on the whole as you have a wider reach?

Our reach was initially wider with Starbucks as a tenant, but now we have since established our location and our own community. Today, our events and members attract new visitors, like the CB Gallery, which is open to the public during exhibitions and we also participate in many city-wide initiatives that open our doors to the community.

Have you found that there could be a potential risk that your members would want to work in Starbucks, rather than your space?

Quite the opposite. Many people who came to work at the cafe discovered Foundery and decided that the coworking environment was a much better solution. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy going out for coffee, but I’d rather work from the Foundery rooftop patio or in my studio with friends. I’m so much more efficient and productive in a coworking space than I could be in any cafe.

What would convince you to have your own cafe? 

Now that we have established the model at this location, we’d like to see another service provider operating in the space. We are actually in the process of replacing the Starbucks with an independent operator that is more in line with our vision and mission for the space and community.

As we are a building full of independent artists and entrepreneurs, so it would be nice to see our peers using the space. Yet, we are taking our time in looking for the right cafe partner or collaborator who can provide amazing coffee, healthy food options and catering options for our members and many events.

In 2012, Dragos Roua launched an event called Open Connect. Using Starbucks as a platform, Dragos transformed the coffee shop into an environment that nurtured connection, where individuals could communicate and give feedback to one another. According to Dragos, this type of environment was missing in Romania, and this was an attempt to change the scene.

Yet, even though the coworking structure was pretty much non-existent at the time, a lot of people showed up, leading to 4 more years of meet ups and eventually in 2014, Connect Hub was born. We caught up with Dragos to learn more about Romania’s coworking growth.

Hi, Dragos. Please tell us a bit more about the story of the initial meet up leading to the birth of Connect Hub.

When I launched the first event in 2012, I wanted to create an environment where people would easily give feedback to each other, something which was lacking at that time in the online scene and, to some extent, still is. To my surprise, a bunch of people showed up, and over the last 4 years, a community of more than 5000 people grew around the event.

In addition to a community, a lot of business started to happen between them, from partnerships, clients exchange, service exchange. It was a vibrant community and in 2014 2 angel investors helped us to make Connect Hub a reality. Today, the coworking space has grown beyond the initial community, although we still have Open Connects each Thursday.

What are some of your other projects you are working on connected to the space?

I have written a book, titled: “Being A Digital Nomad“, which tells the story of Open Connect.

How familiar are people with coworking spaces in Romania? 

Connect Hub was actually the third coworking space in Bucharest to open and since 2014 at least 10 more have opened.

Did people embrace the concept ? Or were there some challenges in the beginning? 

I would say the concept was very well received. The first hub was opened in 2009, but it wasn’t until 2012 that things really picked up, so it took some time.

Dragos Roua, Connect Hub

What kind of community do you foster?

We are a generalist hub. Everybody who has a business can come to work and enjoy the community. We have e-commerce consultants, public speaking coaches, raw vegan fast food owners, programmers, web designers, marketers, professional photographers.

Would you say that Connect Hub played a role in changing people’s opinions about coworking in the region?

Coworking was already a reality when Connect Hub launched. Our presence may have been accelerated the adoption of the phenomenon and also contributed to the launch of other, more specialized, hubs.

Are there more spaces popping up and do you yourself collaborate with them? 

Yes, we have many hubs opening. Although because of the hype, the concept was somehow diluted. For example, if you have some office space to rent, then it is understood as being cool to name yourself a “hub”. But, sometimes we do collaborate with other coworking spaces.

If so, what are some of your projects that involve connecting the Romanian community with the greater European one?

There is a Romanian Association of Coworking Spaces in the works right now, and Connect Hub is one of the co-founders of that association. Things are moving a bit slow at the moment, but eventually, we’ll get there.

Are there any specific struggles in Romania, economically and socially that coworking can help to alleviate? Can you give some examples, if so? 

As a matter of fact, Romania had the highest GDP growth in Europe, which was at 5% in 2016 and it’s expected to keep that position in 2017 as well, with a 3.2% growth.

But, coworking is still in its nascent stages, so there is a lot of room to grow. There is potential for many wonderful things to happen, and the most important among them may be the apparition of the first real incubation / acceleration programs centered around the reality of Romanian economy and culture.

Is there an increasing freelance population in Romania? If so, why do you think that is and do you think it is positive?

Yes, freelancing is becoming quite popular. While I salute the trend, I don’t see it necessarily as a good thing, because I am more interested in the next level of freelancing, which is entrepreneurship. We’re still experiencing a lot of short-comings in this area, as freelancing is not very conducive to economic growth in the long term in the way that entrepreneurship can be.

Currently, the mindset is still frozen, and that is something that has to change in the coming years.

Has coworking in Romania helped other business sectors improve/become more innovative, such as real estate?

Not necessarily real estate, but for consultants, it has been an interesting and innovative way to expand their business.

Finding a place to work in a major metropolis like New York City can be a challenge and an expensive one at that. At first glance, options may seem limited, but if you look a little closer, maybe the perfect place to work was there all along. Preston Pesek, co-founder of Spacious Coworking, saw past property challenges and found that there was actually plenty of space, depending on how you look at it.

Setting up coworking spaces the City’s restaurants during the day, Spacious takes a novel approach to how we get the most out of urban landscapes. Realizing that many of these top eateries are pretty much empty until 5PM, until the after work rush, Spacious aims to combine business and pleasure.

Hi, Preston. What inspired you to start Spacious?

I have a background in commercial real estate. It was through this lens that I began to realize that beautifully furnished, street-level retail space, which often stays closed until 5:00pm or later, is actually some of the highest value property that has been programmed the least efficiently.

With the rise of an independent workforce, in the context of a technological culture where people can stay productive and connected from anywhere, the opportunity to tap into the potential of these under-used spaces quickly became obvious.

Does the coworking element offer any specific benefits to the restaurants, such as financial incentives?

Not only do we share our profits with our restaurant partners, but they also benefit from greater visibility through our digital marketing efforts. In addition to more exposure, the restaurants can also serve food and drinks to our members during the day as well if they want. In most cases, our partners are very excited about the opportunity to serve small plates during the day, and our members love it too.

How long do you occupy each restaurant? And, does the offer change after a certain time, or do you have a set network of restaurants ?

We open at 9:00am, and for anyone who lingers after the restaurant opens, can simply choose to stay and order from the menu, or from the bar. Most of our restaurant partners like to have a few early customers to jumpstart the evening.

When we add a new partner, we expect that it remains in the network through the remainder of the restaurant partner’s lease. The network grows over time, so we will be continually adding new locations, resulting in increasing network coverage in each city where we operate.

Coworking communities rely on their hosts to help members integrate and build community. Since your hosts aren’t with the coworkers for an extended period of time, is it harder for them to connect with members?

On the contrary, the hosts who greet and  help to check-in our members are dedicated Spacious employees, so they are there every day. They get to know our members quite well, and as they are with them throughout the day, they act as a friendly concierge and reception for both our members and their guests. All of our hosts know almost everyone by name, creating a friendly and hospitable experience.

Are these hosts already experienced coworkers or are they also new to the concept?

The Spacious hosts are a diverse mix of independent freelancers, theater and film actors, designers, etc. who understand the need for an affordable place to meet and work that also acts as a social space. Some of them are new to Spacious, of course (because we are new), but everyone already has previous knowledge and experience with coworking.

Who are your typical members? What are their professions? 

We have a diverse membership. We have independent designers, makers, and developers, as well as members of small to startup teams. We even have employees coming from larger organizations who have a “work from anywhere” corporate policy, who enjoy the fact that Spacious offers an experience that is more hospitable than the typical office.

Do they work from home, or are they also experienced coworkers?

Many of our members have also worked out of other coworking communities before joining us. The value of what we can offer, because of our unique business model, matched with high-touch quality experience, is something that sets us apart from many others in the space. Not many other coworking spaces can say that they are connected to a Michelin star kitchen.

What are some of the things that professionals in NYC need but doesn’t have access to through the established coworking networks?

Objectively, we solve the problem of finding a reliable network of places to host face-to-face meetings. While we don’t offer a permanent workstation where you can leave your computer overnight, we do offer a network of places where you can meet with others in a space suitable for any client, colleague, or friend. At Spacious you can choose to stay quietly productive at a table of your own, or engage in collaborative conversations in a space that is designed for social interaction.

Of course, you can also choose to stay quietly productive at a table of your own, or engage in collaborative conversations as we create an atmosphere designed for social interaction.

NYC has a lot of coworking spaces already, what did it take for you to realize a concept that would stand out and ultimately thrive amongst the competition?

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