Key Takeaways from the Coworking Alliance Summit 2025

Gathering online for the Coworking Alliance Summit last week, members of global coworking alliances, coworking spaces, and community leaders came together to navigate global issues, strengthen ties across the coworking industry, and work collectively towards future goals. The event, proudly sponsored by Nexudus, was co-produced by coworking mavens, Ashley Proctor, Hector Kolonas, and Sam Poler. As one of this year’s best coworking events, the Coworking Alliance Summit 2025 celebrated how far the global movement has come. Let’s dive into the key takeaways from this coworking event. 

Collective resilience in coworking

Having launched in 2021 in the aftermath of the pandemic, the Coworking Alliance Summit was marking a milestone fifth event this year. Opening the Summit by reflecting on how much people needed coworking during the pandemic, the benefits of coworking were shared: dismantling loneliness, attracting and retaining local talent, increasing productivity, supporting businesses, and striving for inclusivity.

Despite the coworking industry being ahead of the future of work evolution, having embraced flexibility long before hybrid work policies became the norm, it wasn’t just the pandemic that sparked change. Introducing this year’s theme as “collective resilience,” recent global challenges were reflected on – from climate change to economic instabilities and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The coworking movement has not just survived but thrived, rallying support and embracing community in the face of adversity.

In 2025, the need for coworking is as essential as it was five years ago. The movement’s “collaboration over competition mindset,” is well-positioned to continue supporting people and places moving forward. Calling for greater placemaking skills, the industry must continue transforming third places into vibrant, healthy spaces that empower and inspire.   

Most notable for its thought-provoking format, the Coworking Alliance Summit agenda was co-created by event attendees, choosing a selection of topics to discuss during breakout sessions. It wasn’t possible to attend all these sessions, however, key discussions from two breakout sessions were captured. 

Marketing the movement

While coworking stakeholders often champion its benefits, the challenge remains: how can we expand awareness of coworking beyond the industry? Exploring how to ‘market the movement,’ one of the first breakout sessions explored best practices in marketing. Centering on member acquisition, participants were keen to explore effective ways to attract coworkers to their workspaces. 

The conversation emphasised the importance of "knowing your customer" (KYC). Tailoring coworking offerings to specific audiences allows operators to act under an ecosystem within their towns, even referring coworkers to other spaces if a better match exists. Despite this, it’s challenging not to be ‘all things to all people,’ and offer multiple solutions and membership types. 

Touching on the prominence of digital nomads in many communities, participants shared challenges around striking the balance of acquiring transient community members while taking into account their impact on the community once they’ve moved on. Aggregator platforms – services that connect users with a network of coworking spaces – can be seen as essential marketing tools that simplify a potential coworker’s ability to discover and choose spaces that meet their needs.

The group also highlighted the value of storytelling in marketing strategies. Celebrating community members through stories amplifies their voices. The group debated whether community-driven approaches could lead member acquisition efforts, but expressed concerns about inclusivity and members forming cliques.

Nonetheless, broader initiatives can help raise awareness of coworking. For example, European Coworking Day on 14th May invites coworking spaces to host events and open their doors to showcase the benefits of coworking to their wider communities. 

Diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) in coworking

The coworking industry is seen as one of the most empowering industries today, and a trailblazer for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). But, as it was acknowledged during the second breakout session, greater efforts are required before underrepresented coworking members and communities feel genuinely welcome and safe in shared spaces. 

This discussion comes at a pivotal time. Across the world, DEI policies are being reversed, leaving marginalised groups vulnerable. Additionally, the US coworking movement has faced a targeted smear campaign, and the broader flexible workspace sector is often criticised for lacking sufficient diversity, particularly in leadership positions.

A key issue was raised about the prevalence of tokenism – when leaders from underrepresented groups are invited to speak at events to give an appearance of equality, rather than representing real systemic change. Participants called for better intentions and meaningful actions. Highlighted as a step in the right direction, the People of Coworking mission invites individuals to pledge support of genuine DEI efforts. 

Despite these challenges, coworking remains ahead of the curve in promoting flexible work values as an alternative to rigid ‘return-to-office’ (RTO) policies enforced in many traditional workplaces. For example, the "work near home" movement supports people’s diverse needs alongside their professional lives, balancing caregiving, health priorities, and other commitments. Coworking spaces celebrate differences and offer greater autonomy, choice, and freedom. 

As a grassroots movement, coworking is well-positioned to champion DEI at a time when top-down support is lacking. However, participants acknowledged the need to approach these efforts thoughtfully, ensuring they avoid being dismissed as overly protest-driven. The focus should remain on building meaningful connections, embracing inclusivity and equitable opportunities, and empowering diverse voices within the industry.

The future of coworking alliances

As a rare occasion for global coworking alliances to unite across various time zones, the fifth Coworking Alliance Summit celebrated the progress of the coworking industry. Concluding with an open sharing session, where participants reflected on their learnings and personal highlights from the discussions, it was impossible to leave without feeling energised to continue the collective mission of building a more inclusive, connective, and innovative future for coworking.