Looking for ways to bring people into your space at less busy times of the day or week?

WIth Covid 19 there has been a major shift in the way we work. More and more people want to embrace a hybrid working model with local coworking a few days of the week or ‘the 15-minute commute‘ Many coworking spaces are only really busy at certain times of the week.

The rest of the time they’re under-utilised which isn’t great for business. Yet, with our ability to now work on the move, many people – both freelancers and company employees – are out and about, armed with a laptop, looking for somewhere to hang out and work.

Sounds like a match made in heaven doesn’t it?

Well yes, potentially it is.

But as anyone who’s lived the life of a ‘Digital Nomad’ for any length of time will tell you, it’s the practicalities of a space (or lack of), that make it appealing and somewhere they’d be happy to go back to.

Here are our top 10 niggles, and things to think about if you’re thinking of opening up your space to this new potential market:

1. WiFi

Can’t do their jobs without it, so access to decent wi-fi is a must. What’s the code? How will you let them know what it is?

2. Power

That damned iPhone battery is failing again – if they can’t charge phones and laptops easily and still use them whilst they’re charging, then it’s never going to work well for them. Access to sockets and extension leads will both need to be considered

3. Coffee!

OK so it doesn’t have to be coffee – some strange folk also drink tea, but access to refreshments is definitely required – will you charge, or will it be free?

4. Food!

We can’t create great masterpieces on coffee alone – are you OK with them bringing food into your venue? If not, what can you offer that works for both you and them during the day?

5. A Host

You don’t need to be fussing around them all day, but you do need somebody there that’s expecting people to turn up, and who will point them in the direction of fellow co-workers and any facilities that you have available to them. Nurture your co-working community, in the early days at least, and it will build and support itself

6. Noise

Banging out the tunes in your evening venue may be entirely appropriate, but you need to think about how appropriate this is for daytime working. Can you turn it down or think about your soundtrack? Do you have a separate area that you could dedicate to co- working?

7. Temperature

Maybe the heating wouldn’t normally be on during the day whilst you’re there running around doing prep for the evening, but if people are going to be sitting and working then you will need to think about keeping them comfy. As Goldilocks would say…. not too hot, not too cold, but just right….

8. Seating

Nobody wants to spend the whole day perching on a stool, or crouching over their laptop. So you need to think about where they’re going to sit, and how you could get them comfy – are there things you could provide or loan out to make this easier for them?

9. Lighting

It’s a very personal thing, but the cosy evening lighting might not work during the day, so how can you add additional lighting if needs be?

10. Security

Is there somebody watching over their laptops and bags? Nobody wants to have to pack everything up every time they need the loo. So what could you do to address this?

So there you have it – all simple practicalities really, but they may be make or break when it comes to people using, recommending, and coming back to your space.