What makes for a successful co-working space?
Co-working spaces are different from other rental properties. Their attractiveness to new members is not just based on the facilities and amenities. Their completion for members is wider and more varied than you would think. The members could be working at the library, or coffee shop, or even on their kitchen table. There must be more than just space offered. That thing is community. A successful co-working space offers a community for the members to belong to. Otherwise people might as well be at the coffee shop or all-night diner.
This community could be built up around the space or pulled in from an existing organization. Our local co-working space, Spark Plaza pulls from the successful local group, Geek South. This group has been around for years serving to bring together a mix of technology and entrepreneurs. You could not have chosen a more complementary pair.
The other option is to build a community around the space. Members could be recruited from the local entrepreneurial base. This would require developing some method of contacting them and offering them benefits that they value. It can be done but this is the harder option.
Co-working spaces have a lot in common with clubs. The members interact with one another and must feel comfortable working there. If the membership is not from an established club it may take some time to develop a core community. However once that happens you have a successful operation that will draw people to it.
Spark Plaza www.sparkplaza.com
Geek South www.geeksouth.com
Quest On…