As you might know, coworking spaces have exploded in popularity over the last decade or so. Independent workers and freelancers love using coworking spaces to collaborate and network away from home or a traditional office.
It might seem that the pandemic caused this surge in coworking spaces but that isn’t completely accurate. Even before COVID-19 hit the world, coworking spaces were the fast-growing office space in the commercial sector.
Quick Summary: Here’s a list of the 12 coworking space event ideas later found in this article:
With the rise of individuals in the coworking community, the advent of coworking space events has also gained steam. You get a captive audience for launch parties, panel discussions, demo days, and more.
According to Clutch, 94% of these spaces have additional amenities like a gym, snacks, coffee, and networking events. In addition, 72% note that working remotely had a positive impact on their physical and mental health.
For anyone who owns a coworking space in the local community, having some coworking space event ideas can go a long way.
We’ll share several below that can get you started with imagining your next calendar of events. In addition, we will give you some pointers to get started with your upcoming events.
Let’s dive right in.
Coworking events are an excellent way to add additional value to current members of the space. It’s now considered normal to have events at coworking spaces to build community.
There are several benefits to holding an event for the coworking community. A few of them include:
Whether you hold weekly morning breakfasts or build community with leadership workshops, there are many benefits to enjoy. Undoubtedly, the best thing to have in place to make this a cinch is proper coworking management software.
The most important thing to consider when building a coworking space event is to know your members’ interests. You need to know what paying members are into and what things would benefit them the most. That will help you generate more revenue.
A coworking survey is an excellent idea to gain information about workspace members. There are many questions you can ask, but a few sample options include:
Once you have this information from paying members, you can start to move forward. This gives you a lot of information that helps you decide which coworking event ideas are ideal to host moving forward.
According to Desk Mag, the limiting factor for 44% of coworking facilities is attracting new people. These events can help you expand your membership and success.
After you decide on what events to host in the coworking space, you also want to make sure everyone is aware of them. This can include non-members, existing members, and people in the community.
It’s essential to have a great promotion strategy before moving forward. It is the best way to host events that people are interested in. This will ensure the event is successful and will allow you to accelerate your space sales pipeline.
The exact methods used to promote the event will vary based on how large it will be and whether the public is allowed to attend. However, a few good practices to promote your demo day or entrepreneur talks include:
The important thing is to invite members and make people aware that these events are available. As a related resource, you can check our article on the 5 lead-generation tools for coworking spaces.
We’ve found that the first few events may not bring in a ton of people. However, if you create an exciting and interesting event, word of mouth can help you move forward with additional attendees to future events.
There are tons of events that can be used to engage existing members and interest prospective members who might enjoy spending the day in a coworking space.
Everything from leadership workshops to tech talks can be a part of the event calendar. Below, we’ll delve into some of our favorite coworking event ideas. Use these ideas to brainstorm your own.
A launch party is a great way to allow members starting new ventures to celebrate this exciting time.
It can be a great way to find out how many members are interested in a product or service. It also builds companionship. Going interactive is a must with this type of coworking event option. If you want to learn more about the hottest coworking trends, check out our article that explains what coworking will be like in 2023.
As someone who owns a coworking space, free pass days are a convenient way to show what you have to offer for non-members. You can reflect on things members forget and bring emphasis to your amenities, whatever they might be. This is a casual option that won’t take a ton of time or effort to create.
Open houses or free day passes are excellent as a coworking event that brings in internal and external people.
Some benefits include:
This is a great time to have old and new members invite friends and colleagues. Add a raffle or drinks and you’re sure to do well.
Some events are all about learning but others can be about having fun. Consider game nights every month or so to break up the focus on work. This is an excellent way to bring workers together for a happy hour-type experience. This can involve board games, video games, or a combination.
Watch the video below to learn what are the best board games of the century so far.
When you host a panel discussion, guest speakers can come in and talk about subjects that are trending in the market. This might include everything from how to be productive in a coworking space to how to scale or how to get financing.
This type of event will bring members a chance to learn something new and cut away from the constant productivity that may be associated with a dull coworking space.
Lots of tech enthusiasts and other members will appreciate having the chance to speak with an investor. After all, most startups need to get financing to move forward.
If you have an investor within your network, talk to them about a Q&A as a short event. Make sure to be clear that the investor has no pressure and is there simply to answer questions.
There are two options here and both of them are used to bring members in. The first is to have a happy hour every Friday (or another day). Just make sure your beer fridge is stocked.
The other option is to have the event at a nearby bar or pub. Everyone can head there after a long week to socialize and network.
Throwing a Lunch and Learn can be fun and useful at the same time. This great idea involves having a 30 to 60-minute learning session with staff or members while enjoying lunch. Hire a food truck to sit outside to make it even more convenient.
Mornings tend to be productive while things ebb around lunch.
This is an excellent way to share ideas and keep people going as they move into the afternoon. A few benefits of this event include:
A great way to start off the lunch & learn is with a quick icebreaker to get people engaged and communicating.
On the weekend, there may be fewer people in the space. One of the ways to create purposeful networking is through a hackathon or a design challenge. Teams can come together to solve a problem.
After the weekend is over, a panel of judges will take a look at all the solutions.
This might require more intensive planning than some events, but it is sure to bring in people. Whether someone is already in software development or just looking to learn something new, it’s a great intro to your space.
Work with some of your existing members to support the event and consider giving them a discount on the next month’s invoice as a thank you.
Anyone looking to bring in people in tech, project management experts, or freelance designers should make sure this event is on the calendar.
If you want something smaller but still related to tech, consider hosting programming language demo days.
We’ve noticed that many people enjoy reading, whether about a work topic or just for fun. Adding a book club lets people meet others who have the same passion for the written word.
All you need to do is make a group, choose a book for everyone to read, and then enjoy drinks and discussion once the month is over.
Having a mindfulness group is a common practice for coworking spaces. When there is a scheduled time to get together to practice mindfulness, people are more likely to engage in the practice.
Just because the coworking space is hosting this event, that doesn’t mean it needs to take place there. If there are nice outdoor areas nearby, try those. Implement a free platform helping members get into the flow while improving their health.
There’s nothing better than doing something with your own hands. It can be relaxing and a way to increase your skill set. Bring in a lead instructor but let people experiment and learn as they like.
This is a coworking event without pressure and only for fun. None of the typical socializing or networking has to play a part in this event.
Everyone likes to eat so why not have monthly classes that result in a meal? Members will learn more about nutrients and how to craft a delicious meal.
Not only will cooking lessons improve skills, but members can learn new concepts, eat great food, and have positive moments together.
Having healthy snacks and coffee available is an easy way to improve a coworking space. A good layout and comfortable chairs and desks will also help. Create a method for networking and collaboration moving forward.
Community, access to coffee, the ability to print documents, and a good location are all essential to coworking spaces. However, you can improve the space through security, privacy, and special amenities not found at other coworking spaces.
The benefits of coworking space events are many. You let people build new connections with others, promote thinking outside of the box, encourage improving and learning skills, and boost the confidence of businesses and employees.
Having the data needed to ensure successful events can be challenging. Not having enough time or not having enough people show up can also be a challenge. An insufficient budget or a lack of registration can also lead to issues. Another major challenge is promoting the event so that more people show up.
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