Highlights from Coworking Europe: My top 5 insights

Coming back from the Coworking Europe Conference in Porto, despite the rainy weather, my head is still spinning with excitement and inspiration.

It's been another gathering of Coworking, Maker Space, Co-Living, Flex Office operators, researchers and experts - but first and foremost a gathering of inspiring people.

Apart from being a gathering of the global expert community, this conference is also an opportunity to get the latest insights and benchmarks on coworking, flex-office and community-led businesses.

Here are my top five takeaways:

1. Community Building Challenges

2. The Return of Coworking Culture

3. Navigating Member Experiences

4. The Rise of Coworking Aggregators

1. community building challenges

Everyone agrees on the importance of community building - and data shows it's the key to attracting new members. Yet, it's a struggle. Many operators can't spend enough time with customers (just 51%), and almost half offer fewer community activities. It's a balancing act.

2. the return of coworking culture

It took a solid three years since the pandemic hit for the coworking community vibe to bounce back. Community Managers, like Teelke of Betahaus HH, noticed less interaction frequency but a significant boost in quality, intensity, and member appreciation when it comes to community events. This finding was backed by many more Community Managers during the panel discussion "Community Management - Best Practices for Socially Engaging Environments" perfectly hosted by Claire Carpenter.

3 Navigating Member Experiences

Successful communities view member engagement as a journey. Maria Piovano and Jason Steere gave great insight into how the The Social Hub builds communities. Having started out "freestyling" their way to their early successes, they are now actively managing the process of building community as a lifecycle. Their ambassador program not only enhances future clubhouses but also reduces the risk of empty spaces post-opening. Again Community Building is at the heart of a successful Community Business here.

I found these insights especially interesting as they confirm the strategy that we developed and applied at the Hafven Innovation Community over the past years (shout out to my Co-Founder Hannes Buchholz 🙌).

4 The Rise of Coworking Aggregators

Think of them as the "Airbnbs" of coworking. They're growing in number (1.5 new ones annually since 2010) and pose challenges. These aggregators often bring employees who didn't choose their memberships themselves, leading to a drop in community activity. Plus, onboarding these occasional coworkers often costs more than the revenue gained for community-focused operators. However, they are a driving force for the wider adoption of the coworking culture that I love so much.

By the way: I met Tjeerd and Yuuri, some of the founders (thanks for sharing the ride) of Wezoo. A promising new startup in this space from the Netherlands, so check them out.

You are looking for more fresh data on the coworking and flex space industry?

These three presented their latest research at Coworking Europe 2023. Just follow the links to learn more - you're welcome.

1. Emma Swinnerton of Cushman & Wakefield

2. Carsten Förtsch of Deskmag & Coworkingstats.com

3. James Rankin of The Instant Group

Rest assured these takeaways are just the tip of the iceberg. Huge thanks to Jean-Yves Huwart and Pauline Roussel, Robert Faulhaber and everyone else for organizing this fantastic event. I can't wait to dive back in next year, continuing these conversations and adding to the innovative spirit that drives our community-focused ventures.

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