Webinar: the coworking and flex space trends to watch in 2027

Workthere’s latest operator survey puts global flex occupancy at a record 85%. In the same year, IWG reported record half-year revenue and a 44% drop in operating profit. Full buildings and thinner margins, at the same time: that’s the market flex operators are taking into 2027.

On Monday, December 14, we’re putting 3 people who see that market from very different places on 1 panel: a global flex advisor, an operator with 20 years in hospitality who runs 8 canal-house buildings in Amsterdam, and the head of Sweden’s coworking association. They’ll tell you which trends will shape 2027 and what they’d act on first.

When and how to join

The panel goes live on Zoom on Monday, December 14, 2026, at 11:00 AM ET (4:00 PM London). It runs about 80 minutes: the panel discussion, a short product session, and an open Q&A with all the speakers.

Everyone who registers gets a PDF report with the extended version of the trends from the panel.

Meet the people you’ll hear from

All 3 panelists spoke at Coworking Europe 2026 in Paris in November, so they’ll come to December 14 with a month of fresh conversations with operators, brokers and landlords.

Cal Lee is Global Head of Workthere and Co-head of Savills Flex. Workthere runs Flexmark, one of the largest operator surveys in the sector, and Cal tracks flex demand across markets from London to Singapore.

Maudy Westerveld is Director of EBC Amsterdam, which has rented flexible offices for nearly 50 years and now runs 8 historic buildings on the Keizersgracht. She joined EBC 14 years ago as a temp while finishing her degree, worked her way up to running it, and led the acquisition of EBC’s 8th location in 2024. In Paris, she facilitated a panel on which business models work for flex in tier 2 cities, suburbs and regional markets, and spoke on another about hiring and keeping the right people in flex teams. She’ll bring the operator’s view: what clients ask for at the front desk, often before it shows up in a report.

Pernilla Ytterbring has run SOCK, the Swedish association for coworking and serviced offices, since January 2026. She also chairs Quick Office, which she led as CEO from 2022 to 2025, and she specializes in pre-opening projects and change management. In Paris, she facilitated 2 sessions: one on whether small, local and independent coworking spaces can compete with scale, and one, with Cal on the panel, on how brokers can speed up flex deals. That first question is the one she’ll open on December 14.

Crispin Piney, Managing Director, UK & I at OfficeRnD, will be the host, and Ivailo Ivanov, VP of Product at OfficeRnD, leads the short technology section.

What we’ll talk about

1. Why members are staying for years

Workthere’s Flexmark 2026 survey found corporate occupiers stay in flex space for 3.9 years on average, against 2.6 years for start-ups and SMEs. The panel will discuss what those members pay for when they stay that long, and whether “flex” still describes what operators sell.

A member who stays 4 years renews at least once or twice. If nobody reviews the contract 60 to 90 days before the end date, a 6-person office can stay on its 2023 rate into 2027.

2. Which jobs to hand to AI, and which to keep

In our 2026 Flex Space Tech Stack Report, 18% of 334 flex operators said they use AI tools and 51% said they’re considering them. The 2026 question was worded more strictly than in 2025, so the 2 years don’t compare directly. The panel will cover which jobs in a flex space to hand to AI first and which to keep with your team.

Don’t switch on an AI agent until your inventory and prices in the system are correct. It will quote a wrong rate to a prospect at 9 pm on a Friday, and nobody will see it until Monday.

If you want to see how that plays out in practice, here’s what happened when a 2-site operator let AI answer its enquiries.

3. How people find and book space now

More prospects now start their search by asking an AI assistant. SOCi’s 2026 Local Visibility Index, which covered more than 350,000 business locations, found ChatGPT recommends only 1.2% of local business locations.

The panel will discuss how occupiers find and shortlist space today, and how far self-serve booking can go, from selling day passes and meeting rooms online to private offices.

4. What it takes to stay independent when margins get tight

Large operators are growing revenue faster than profit. IWG’s H1 2026 results showed revenue up 6% to a record $2.0 billion and operating profit down 44% to $38 million.

Our own platform data points the same way. Across more than 3,500 flex locations on OfficeRnD, our FlexIndex benchmark shows RevPAD (revenue per available desk, which counts empty desks too) rising from $362.46 in Q1 2025 to $379.98 in Q4 2025, up 4.8%. Desk occupancy moved 0.27 percentage points to 73.05%. In 2025, the operators who earned more did it through pricing and revenue capture, with occupancy almost flat.

Pernilla will open this topic: is independence an advantage or a liability in 2027, and what do landlords and investors ask an independent operator for first?

After the panel: a look at what we’re building

After the panel, Ivailo Ivanov will spend 15 to 20 minutes on the OfficeRnD Flex roadmap and how it answers the trends the panel raised. That includes OfficeRnD AI Hub, which already runs an AI agent that answers web chat around the clock.

The last 15 minutes are open Q&A with all speakers.

A report for everyone who signs up

Every registrant receives a PDF report with the extended version of the trends discussed on the webinar: the data behind each trend, the speakers’ views, and what operators can act on in Q1 2027. It goes to everyone who signs up, so register even if December 14 doesn’t work for you.

See you on December 14

FAQ

Will there be a recording of the webinar if I can’t watch it live?

Yes, we will send the recording to all registrants, usually 1-2 days after the event.

What time is the webinar in my time zone?

The webinar starts at 11:00 AM ET on Monday, December 14, 2026. That’s 4:00 PM in London, 5:00 PM in Amsterdam, Stockholm and Berlin, and 6:00 PM in Sofia and Athens. In Asia Pacific, it falls overnight: midnight in Singapore and 3:00 AM in Sydney on Tuesday, December 15. If that’s too late, register anyway to receive the PDF report.

Do I have to attend live to get the trends report?

No. The PDF report with the extended version of the trends goes to everyone who registers, whether they attend or not. Attending live gives you the panel discussion and the chance to put your own questions to the speakers during the 15-minute Q&A.

Is this webinar useful if I run a single location?

Yes. Most of the topics affect small operators first. In the 2026 Tech Stack Report survey, invoicing, billing, and payments were the top time sink named by operators overall, at 27% of answers. Pricing, renewals, and online sales are the levers a 1-site operator can change fastest, and the panel will discuss all 3.

I’m a landlord considering flex space. Is this for me?

It is. Cal Lee advises landlords and operators on flex deals, including management agreements, through Workthere and Savills Flex. The topic on independent operators covers what landlords and investors ask operators for first. If you’re deciding whether to run flex in-house or with a partner, bring that question to the Q&A.

Can I send questions to the speakers?

Yes. The last 15 minutes are open Q&A, and you can type questions into the Zoom Q&A box at any point during the session. The host will direct each question to the speaker best placed to answer it.