Why a first European conference on Coworking ?

Berlin based online magazine Deskmag, one of our media partner, just published an article regarding the goals of the first European conference on Coworking. Here is an excerpt :

Should bureaucrats and bankers start setting up booths in coworking spaces? Jean-Yves Huwart thinks so. The coordinator of Coworking Europe 2010 conference says coworking spaces could become hubs for government agencies and institutions seeking to reach freelance workers and start-up businesses.

“In most cities, there is a lot of help provided by the authorities to starting companies,” Huwart observes, “But you can spend at least two months visiting support bodies for entrepreneurs. What if all those support bodies could gather in one place? At a coworking space. It would save so much time.”

Banks, too, should be interested in having a presence in a location where many young companies sprout. One of the sponsors of the European coworking conference is the Dutch bank ING, which wants to increase its reach to startups. Huwart believes other bankers will follow.

Coworking Spaces as hubs for international contacts

Coworking spaces also have a role to play as nodes of international interaction between small companies wanting to expand. […]

You can read the full article here, on Deskmag’s website

“Why I’m coworking in Brussels”

Pierre Duthoit is a product designer who used to work for Decathlon and other famous brands. He is now a member of The Hub Brussels, a Coworking space located in the centre of the capital of Europe. Here is an excerpt of what he tells about is experience :

“This place is a lovely huge open space where a lot of independent workers spend some times to escape their 4 walls desk room from home.
When you come in, you are very welcomed by the very happy host team. They make you feel like home in minutes. They encourage you to meet everyone and to introduce yourself and your work. If they think your work could interest some particular people they keep that in mind until they can introduce you to them”

Pierre’s blog is here

“When you’re starting out, you should absolutely not be spending money on renting a full office space”

Finding the right workspace is like dating — the Internet has made it a lot more complex. In essence, this means more options. Whereas the traditional office once served as the default choice for effective communication and collaboration between coworkers, today’s businesses can be just as productive by collaborating on the web. Entrepreneurs operate from coffee shops, kitchen tables, and coworking spaces.

Media Channel interviewed three entrepreneurs on where an starter should go to begins with a new activity.

According to Jason Fried, the founder of web-based software company 37signals, “when you’re starting out, you should absolutely not be spending money on rent [ing a full office space]. It’s a huge waste of money.”

Solution : find a proper coworking space.

Read the full article here