In the bustling world of coworking, the community is the beating heart that makes it all click. And guess what? Events are the secret sauce that brings that community to life.
But hold on, even though hosting stellar networking events might sound a tad intimidating, especially if you're just dipping your toes into the coworking waters, fear not! We've got your back with some nifty ideas to kick-start your journey.
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Why Should You Care About Coworking Events Anyway?
Events in coworking spaces are pivotal in fostering community and collaboration. The Global Coworking Survey reveals that 82% of members expanded their professional networks in these shared spaces. Deskmag reports that spaces hosting over one event monthly see a 13% higher member retention. Whether virtual meetups or in-person gatherings, coworking events are the ultimate tool to cultivate that unique sense of togetherness.
These events can:
Coworking spaces offer many event options to cater to diverse interests and foster a sense of community among members. Here are some key event categories that add vibrancy to the coworking experience:
1. Casual Events
These laid-back gatherings encourage spontaneous interactions among members. Coffee breaks, impromptu discussions, and get-together lunches create a relaxed networking and idea-exchange atmosphere.
2. VIP Events
Exclusive events are usually reserved for premium members or special guests. VIP events can include private workshops, personalized networking sessions, or access to industry influencers.
3. Networking and Professional Events
These events are designed to connect professionals and entrepreneurs, ranging from speed networking sessions to structured meetups. They facilitate meaningful connections and collaborations.
4. Night Events
Evening events bring a different energy to coworking spaces. These events allow members to unwind and socialize, from after-hours mixers to themed parties.
5. Themed Events
Themed events revolve around tech innovation, sustainable practices, or personal development. They offer focused discussions and learning opportunities.
6. Work-Life Balance Events
Promoting well-being, these events encompass fitness classes, mindfulness workshops, and stress-relief activities. They encourage members to prioritize self-care alongside their work.
7. Learning Workshops
Interactive workshops on various subjects, from digital marketing to leadership skills, empower members to acquire new knowledge and enhance their professional capabilities.
8. Pitch and Demo Sessions
Entrepreneurs can showcase their startups and receive valuable feedback from peers and mentors, fostering growth and refining their pitches.
9. Artistic and Creative Events
Events like painting sessions, writing workshops, and photography contests encourage members to express their creativity and engage in non-work-related pursuits.
10. Community Service Initiatives
Collaborative efforts for social good, such as volunteering at local charities or organizing donation drives, allow members to contribute positively to their surroundings.
11. Industry-specific Meetups
Tailored events catering to specific industries or niches provide a platform for professionals to discuss industry trends, challenges, and innovations.
12. Skill-sharing Sessions
Members can host sessions to share their expertise or learn from others, creating an atmosphere of collaborative learning and skill enhancement.
13. Wellness Retreats
Intensive wellness events that might span a full day or weekend, offering a comprehensive retreat focused on physical, mental, and emotional rejuvenation.
14. Entrepreneurial Workshops
These workshops that delve into the nitty-gritty of launching and growing a business, covering topics like funding, marketing, and scaling.
Spice up your coworking vibe with these awesome event ideas.
Embarking on your coworking event journey? The key lies in understanding your members' desires. Start by directly asking them through a coworking survey, uncovering insights that pave the way for crafting events tailored to their preferences. Let's explore how to kick off your event planning process!
Generating standout coworking space events begins with understanding your members' preferences. Start by unlocking their desires, a secret easily unveiled through direct communication. Send out a friendly coworking survey and pose queries like:
Armed with these insights, sculpt coworking events that cater to your members' tastes – whether it's a virtual happy hour or a captivating networking soirée.
Look beyond professional roles when fostering community bonds. Instead of another work-related event, consider diverse interests. Members might prefer a wine tasting or relaxing yoga over a marketing workshop. Blend professional and personal interests for variety.
Consider their lifestyles too: family responsibilities, sports routines, or commutes. Events must fit into their lives. Parents juggling chores might need advanced planning. Fitness enthusiasts might opt for workout-related events.
Adapting to members' lifestyles and interests creates a more appealing and well-attended event experience.
Creating successful events requires careful consideration of pricing, timing, and venue selection. Keep it simple and engaging by following these tips:
By harmonizing pricing, timing, and venue selection, you create accessible, convenient, and engaging events that resonate with your community.
Nurturing an inclusive and vibrant coworking community involves finding the right harmony between events exclusively for your members and those that welcome everyone. Let's explore how these two approaches play out:
Ever put effort into planning a coworking event only to have a handful of attendees show up? We get it – it happens.
Coming up with exciting ideas and managing all the logistics isn't a cakewalk. Plus, getting people to attend can be a challenge.
Why do some events fall flat? Maybe your members didn't hear about it, or they were too tired after work to join. Don't worry; we've got you covered with tips to increase attendance.
Speaking of solutions, ever considered using an event management system? If it's part of your coworking software, you're in luck. No extra apps, just a one-stop solution for all your coworking needs, including boosting event participation.
Ready to create engaging coworking space community events? Let's go!
Managing event booking and ticketing is crucial for smooth operations. To simplify this task, an events management system comes to the rescue. Let's take the example of andcards.
Community managers can effortlessly curate an appealing event feed within the coworking space. Members immediately discover upcoming events, access all necessary details, and join with a simple click. The checkout process takes just two taps, providing members with beautiful passes for quick event entry.
Importantly, this process remains equally simple for members across various locations. Even non-members can participate if you choose to make your event visible to the general public. It's an effortless way to enhance engagement and streamline event attendance.
Now that you've automated event booking and ticketing, the next step is enabling smooth payment processing. On andcards, this becomes effortlessly seamless. When setting up your events, you have the flexibility to accept payments in either credits or real-world currency, providing an added layer of convenience for your members.
Here's how it works:
By integrating the option to pay with credits, you're not only simplifying payments for your events but also enhancing the overall member journey within your coworking space.
Once you've settled on your coworking event plans, the next step is to spread the word effectively. A well-executed promotion strategy can make all the difference in the success of your events.
The approach you take for event promotion will depend on factors such as the event's scale and whether it's open to the public. Here are some creative ways to promote your events:
Remember, the success of early events might not always be massive in terms of attendance. Focus on delivering a remarkable experience for your members, and word-of-mouth recommendations will eventually play a significant role in drawing more attendees to your future events.
Consistently updating your event calendar is essential to keep your members engaged and informed about the latest happenings. With the help of events management software, this process becomes seamless. Here's how you can ensure a vibrant event calendar:
By consistently updating your event calendar and leveraging the features of your events management software, you create an environment where members can effortlessly discover and participate in exciting events.
Maintaining those post-event vibes is easy when your coworking app seamlessly integrates event management. Thanks to this integration, you've got a direct line to all attendees. You can effortlessly stay connected, gather insights, and keep that sense of community alive even after the event wraps up.
But here's the thing, don't just rely on surveys. We get it, everyone's got a busy schedule, and surveys often end up buried in the digital abyss. Instead, shoot for face-to-face chats. Whether it's over a cup of coffee or a quick chat in the hallway, real conversations bring out the best insights.
And hey, being specific matters. When someone tells you they loved the last event, dig deeper. Ask them what exactly hit the right spot—was it the friendly atmosphere, the intriguing talks, or the new connections they made?
To give you an idea of where to start, we collect case studies of efficient approach to events. These examples offer a closer look at the planning, execution, and impact of successful events in coworking spaces across the globe.
Ìpàdé, a pioneering Black-owned coworking space nestled in Washington DC, thrives as a hub for Black women, women of color, and gender-expansive individuals of color. With a focus on collaborative growth and positive change, founder Elizabeth Gay established a haven that nurtures a vibrant community.
Since its inception in April 2022, Ìpàdé's mission has been clear. Elizabeth aimed to cultivate a meticulously managed space that placed events at its heart. Her objectives included:
andcards partnered with Elizabeth to enhance her vision through dynamic event management. Here's how andcards transformed Ìpàdé's event landscape:
1. Simplified Onboarding
With its user-friendly interface, andcards required no special training. Elizabeth swiftly integrated the platform, enabling swift event management from the outset.
2. Member-Centric Engagement
Members embraced the app's intuitive design, readily adopting its features for event discovery, RSVPs, payments, and seamless communication.
3. Amplifying Community Connection
Leveraging andcards' suite of tools, including Event Showcase and Community Feed, Ìpàdé cultivated a thriving community hub centered around impactful events.
4. Seamless Administrative Automation
Administrative tasks were streamlined, from event creation to attendee management. Members could easily navigate event participation, leaving administrators with more time to focus on event innovation.
The results of this collaborative effort spoke volumes:
By aligning with andcards, Ìpàdé's event strategy has transformed into a cornerstone of its vibrant community. The Ìpàdé journey underscores the pivotal role of innovative solutions in reshaping coworking spaces into dynamic event hubs, fostering deep connections and sustainable growth through impactful experiences.
Read full success story of Ìpàdé: andcards Helps Ipade Automate Workflows & Make Members Self-sufficient
Nestled in Asheville's vibrant landscape, Hatchworks Coworking transcends conventional workspace boundaries. More than just a place to work, it serves as a community hub that thrives on cultivating connections. Set in the South French Broad neighborhood, Hatchworks is a haven of natural light, lush greenery, and complimentary local coffee. But its true essence lies in its ability to unite members and the local Asheville community.
Hatchworks embraced andcards as their tech partner, harnessing its power to reshape their event landscape:
1. Event Empowerment: Among other community-centered features, andcards automates ticketing, community feeds, and direct chat with members.. This allowed Hatchworks to amplify its event offerings, catering to both members and the broader community.
2. Effortless Engagement: Members seamlessly discovered, joined, and managed events through the intuitive andcards app. The platform's notifications ensured no participants slipped under their radar.
3. Eased Administration: andcards simplified event management for administrators. Tracking attendees, managing capacities, and automating ticketing streamlined the process.
4. Inclusive Reach: The platform's public event feature opened doors to non-members. This expanded their reach, fostering engagement while generating revenue.
5. Seamless Onboarding: Hatchworks effortlessly onboarded members into their event ecosystem, enabling them to seamlessly explore and register for activities.
6. Vibrant Community Interaction: andcards' community feed feature kindled interaction among members. It became a hub for sharing insights, coordinating meetups, and nurturing a sense of belonging.
Hatchworks' partnership with andcards illuminated a path of remarkable outcomes:
Read full success story of Hatchworks Coworking: How Hatchworks Coworking Doubled in Size in Just Six Months
FoundrSpace, a dynamic coworking community in California with locations in Rancho Cucamonga and Pasadena, has masterfully harnessed the power of events to foster a sense of belonging, drive innovation, and enrich their members' experiences. By strategically using events to strengthen their community, FoundrSpace has elevated itself beyond a traditional workspace provider.
FoundrSpace recognized that events go beyond mere gatherings; they're catalysts for collaboration, learning, and networking. To differentiate themselves, they embraced an event-centric approach that blends professional development, networking, and entertainment.
To streamline event management and enhance the attendee experience, FoundrSpace turned to andcards. With andcards, they simplified event registration, communication, and coordination, ensuring seamless operations.
FoundrSpace's event-centric strategy has yielded impressive results:
FoundrSpace's strategic approach to events, powered by andcards, has transformed it from a traditional coworking space into a thriving ecosystem of collaboration, growth, and meaningful connections. By prioritizing events, FoundrSpace has set itself apart, creating a vibrant community that resonates with members and continually reinforces its position as a leader in the coworking industry.
Read full success story of FoundrSpace: From Optix to andcards: How FoundrSpace Achieved 99% Subscription Automation
Looking ahead, the future of coworking space events is promising. As the demand for flexible work environments continues to rise, events will remain a cornerstone of coworking culture. They will evolve to cater to diverse interests, facilitating deeper interactions and collaboration among members.
As coworking spaces adapt to changing needs, events will continue to shape the coworking community, nurturing an environment where professionals can learn, grow, and thrive together. If you're eager to explore how technology can streamline your event management and enhance your coworking space experience, schedule a demo call with an andcards product expert today. Discover the possibilities that await your coworking space's event journey.