Does your coworking space have an events programme?
As well as providing your space with a little extra income, hosting events can help you expand your network and engage with the wider community.
If you’re yet to venture into the world of coworking events or if you’re just looking for a few ideas, you’ve come to the right place: we’ll guide you through how to choose an event and how to get the description right.
We’ve also included some intriguing coworking events that Nexudus users are hosting in November. Could they inspire your own events calendar?
It’s important not to rush into hosting an event without giving it some thought.
First, establish what type of event your space can realistically facilitate. The size of your workspace will determine how many people you can accommodate, for instance.
You could also ask your members what events they want. Would they be interested in a wellbeing workshop? A networking event? Something non-work related?
Consider who you’d like to attend. Are you going to open up events to non-members?
Hosting an event for the benefit of the local community can act as a catalyst for word of mouth referrals. It can also help you integrate with other local organisations.
Coworking events tend to fall into one of the following four categories:
Networking events, whether they’re formal occasions or informal gatherings, are a must for all coworking spaces. They provide new members with the opportunity to get to know people and others with a chance to strengthen their connections.
Why not host an informal networking breakfast once a month or partner with a local networking organisation to expand your reach?
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for some of us to separate work from life.
To encourage members to switch off from the former, aside from encouraging them to leave at a reasonable time, consider hosting something fun once a month such as a film night, or get local musicians and theatre groups to perform in your venue outside of working hours.
How many community organisations near your coworking space can you name? If the answer is none or just one or two, it’s time to a) do your research and b) reach out.
Make the first move by asking local organisations and community groups what they need, and consider how you can help. From hosting fundraising events to renting out your space for community meetups, there are so many things you can do.
Equip your members with the skills they need to achieve a sense of wellbeing. You could host yoga and meditation sessions, financial wellness workshops, career coaching and mentoring initiatives and charity walks, to name just a few examples.
Ask yourself: does your event:
Benefit members, the wider community (or both)?
Align with your coworking space’s values?
Disrupt members’ ability to work?
Offer virtual as well as in-person access?
Promote inclusivity?
Require additional staffing?
Make financial sense?
We didn’t have to look far to find examples of inspiring coworking events. From mindfulness sessions to pitching workshops, check out what the following Nexudus users are doing:
HRKNSScowork used Nexudus’ Zoom integration to transition from in-person to virtual events during the pandemic.
Even though in-person events are on the agenda again, they’ve decided to run hybrid events to enable anyone to join, regardless of their workplace situation.
Attendees can join 1 Million Cups at The Hotel Concord or on Zoom.
“1 Million Cups Central New Hampshire is a monthly entrepreneur-focused event developed by the Kauffman Foundation and brought to Concord through a collaborative effort between UNH Cooperative Extension, Making Matters NH, and HRKNSScowork.
“The goal is to develop a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs to each other and their local communities so they can receive support, develop their ideas, and collaboratively solve the challenges they face.”
Established in 2007, The Melting Pot in Edinburgh is one of the world’s longest-running coworking spaces. It’s specifically designed for people working in the charity sector.
As well as gaining access to a productive work environment, members pool resources, make connections and receive valuable support.
Every month The Melting Pot adopts a theme. November’s is ACTIVISM, and their upcoming event is for anyone who wants to make the world a better place.
With over 100 locations in more than 50 countries, Impact Hub is a household name in the world of coworking and entrepreneurship.
Each individual coworking space under the Impact Hub umbrella has its own identity though and is founded by local innovators who want to have a positive impact on their community.
This November Impact Hub in King’s Cross is facilitating a mindfulness event led by one of its members, the entrepreneur-turned-coach, Ashmeet Kapoor.
The event will equip attendees with strategies to overcome conflict and will explore why simple mindfulness inspired practices, like pausing for 3 seconds, can completely transform situations of conflict.
Level39, owned by the Canary Wharf Group, helps fast-growth tech companies scale by providing them with access to space, support, talent and infrastructure. Its events calendar is jam-packed with expert-led sessions like this Pitching Masterclass:
Fusebox coworking space is run by Wired Sussex, a not-for-profit membership organisation in Brighton. It supports companies operating in the digital, tech and media sectors through a variety of industry events, meetups, job postings, and access to flexible desk space.
The upcoming event below is designed for technologists and UX designers who have an interest in live music events. The panel and networking get together will explore how new technologies - including virtual reality and 5G - could affect the way we engage with gigs.
A well-crafted event description will help you to entice attendees from outside of your coworking membership body and could also lead to local or industry media coverage.
Event descriptions, particularly ones that include information about renowned speakers, provide PR teams with content to work with and journalists with leads for potential stories.
Here are a few ingredients for success:
Make your event title short, snappy and attention grabbing.
Include the best bits in a summary at the start - what’s going to happen and what makes it so interesting?
Don’t forget the time, date, location, cost and any Covid measures
Provide information about your speakers - who are they and what are their credentials?
Include a captivating image - a photo of the speaker(s) or an image that represents the subject of your event could work
Make it more searchable online by including relevant keywords, e.g. “business growth”, “mindfulness” or “coding skills”.
Coworking software platforms like Nexudus make it easier for coworking operators to manage their events programme.
You can use Nexudus to create an events section on your website that allows members and non-members to purchase tickets with ease. You can also use it to promote events and keep track of how many people attended.
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