Program

Panel –

The rise of remote work and hybrid work models has allowed workers to break free from the constraints of location and work from anywhere. However, as the number of remote workers continues to increase, new challenges emerged. How to integrate these workers into local communities? How to promote inclusion? How can coworking address and promote cultural diversity? How can they help integrate remote and hybrid workers into local communities? Shall coworking spaces communicate about the net economic good international workers bring or shall it remain a task for the authorities? Can skilled refugees find a local coworking space safe spot? 

D. Maria Room

Panel

How are coworking spaces tackling the issue of climate change through innovative strategies and sustainable practices? Green building design, renewable energy sources, waste reduction, and how to foster a culture of sustainability within the coworking community.

• Leon Reiner (Impact Hub Berlin),
• Val Pietri (Apocapoc),
• Raquel Traba Galisteo (TRIPLE)

Moderated by Pauline Roussel

D. Luis Room

Panel – As the coworking industry continues to grow and evolve, operators are faced with various real estate models to choose from when establishing their workspace without having to source too much capital. From leasing to revenue-sharing, join-venture, shared agreement, build-to-suit, and franchising, each model comes with its unique advantages and long-term implications that coworking operators need to consider carefully. What are the long-term implications of different real estate models for coworking spaces? How to find the right balance between short-term gains and long-term costs? How to surround yourself with the right legal support? What is the guarantee level to reach to be able to start a fruitful discussion with a conservative landlord? This conversation will be about the practices and arguments that maximize the chance to sign up a mutually meaningful deal between a landlord and an operator.

D Maria Room

This session will be discussing the art of building a community strategy that strikes the right balance of engagement. It will look at community-building best practices through physical event organization as well as with online engaging actions. What are the effective engagement tactics? How to spot the right event topics for your community and the communities around? How to use technology smartly to generate weak and strong links between members, or between members and outsiders? What to pay attention to to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all? How to keep in touch with people and follow up with those who bring value to the space and community? How to become a magnet for the local ecosystem?

S Joao Hall

Second topic collectively voted for in the beginning of the day.

Peer group conversation

Take a break & network!

Panel – Independent coworking operators still represent, by far, the biggest portion of the coworking offering in Europe. As the flex workspace market matures, national and international bigger players are taking more market shares. They develop networks and standards that become appealing to all kinds of member tenants. What can the independent operators do to keep a competitive advantage on their local level? How can they differentiate, in terms of marketing, positioning, tactics, and strategy? Is the focus on a geographical backyard the key? Or is a vertical niche strategy the best option, regardless of the geography?

• Carlos Goncalves, (Avilla Spaces)
• Sarah Travers, (Workbar)

The D. Maria Room

As the coworking industry expands beyond urban centers, remote and rural coworking models are gaining traction. This panel will invite leaders in the rural movement to share their insights and strategies on how to create economically viable coworking spaces in remote and rural areas, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities associated with these locations.

Panel

• Hans-Peter Sander (CoworkLand)
• Maria Svensson Wiklander (Gomoronn)
• Joao Mendes (DNA Portugal)

D. Luis Room

Access management, booking, ordering, billing, communication… With a lot of operational tasks, running a coworking space can be repetitive and low in terms of added value. Technologies have entered the lives of many spaces a long time ago. What is the state of the art in terms of technology enablers? What about the integration with all-in-one management tools? Aside from technology, are there process best practices to implement to level productivity up and avoid redundancies? Will AI applications help in the future? hat about data management to improve space allocation? Event production and community management: are there ways to make things faster and better? What to outsource and what to keep in-house? Can technology support upsell and revenue per user average increase? This panel will look at different levels of automation that streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance customer experience.

Keynote + Q&A

• Ben Kolp (The Living Room)
• TBD

S Joao Hall

Third topic collectively voted for in the beginning of the day.

Peer group conversation

Oprah Room

Eat something & network!

Keynote + Q&A

Looking at how The Social Hub integrates itself into foreign markets. What did they learn from the experiences of setting up spaces in Portugal, Spain, and Germany? How do they build experiences across the different locations?

• Jason Steere (The Social Hub)
• Maria Piovano (The Social Hub)

The D. Luis Room 

Learn more on the new way of running coworking spaces with a seamless and delightful user experience.

The S. Joao Room

Fourth topic collectively voted for in the beginning of the day – Peer group conversation

Panel 

The global pandemic has accelerated the shift towards flexible and remote work, leading to the rise of hybrid working models and an increase in digital nomads seeking to work and live in new locations. Coworking spaces have been quick to adapt to this new reality, leveraging hybrid working and nomad visas to attract and retain members. Which coworking spaces that are leading the way in this regard and what strategies have they adopted to cater to the changing needs of the workforce? Is it really good economic value for local operators? How to have to make integrate and benefit the whole ecosystem?

• Matthias Zeitler (Coworking Bansko)
• TBD

The D. Maria Room

 A focus on how to create a successfully merged entity looking at strategies, best practices, and considerations for successfully merging between coworking operators, including navigating cultural differences, operational integration, member retention, branding, legal and financial considerations, leadership, and lessons learned.

Keynotes with Q&A

• Joao Simoes (IDEA Spaces) /
• Thom Wernke (StartDock)

The D. Luis Room

Fifth topic collectively voted for in the beginning of the day.

Peer group conversation

Take a break & network!

Keynote + Q&A

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the way we work, with many organizations transitioning to remote work or adopting hybrid models. There is a growing demand for flexible and collaborative workspaces that can help employees safely and comfortably return to the workplace. What are the key elements of designing an open workplace in 2023? What is currently becoming a must or a nice to have to meet workers’ demands? Francisco Vazquez works with a lot of corporates and keeps track of the change in needs they are experiencing. How can it be translated into the Flex workspace offering of today?

• Francisco Vasquez Medem (3g Group)

The D. Luis Room

The D. Maria Room

Sixth topic collectively voted for in the beginning of the day.

Peer group conversation

 Room

Short presentation of the findings of the unconference and say good bye.

Last words and interactive last say session