TOYOTA CONNECT
OPEN (FOR BUSINESS) The OPEN team tried hosting formal
networking events, but realised that it’s better to adopt a lower-touch, informal approach that creates areas for spontaneous encounters than contrive meeting opportunities. It therefore adapted its design ethos to include innovations such as sitting staircases, cafés in each location and chill areas that are casual enough to make people feel comfortable chatting and connecting. It’s also important for the owners
THE CORNER OFFICE Collaborative workspaces are as varied as
the people who use them, from national or even international businesses to family-run start-ups like The Corner Office in Gillitts, a once-sleepy hollow outside Hillcrest, Durban. This collaboration between a family
of designers, creators and architects created a space that was not only professional and practical, but also comfortable, with a great feeling to it. Here you aren’t just grabbing a desk or an office, but being welcomed into a community. Used by entrepreneurs, freelancers and small businesses from a variety of industries as their primary base, or as a remote office, the facility contains
a healthy mix of professions which has promoted great collaboration and referral opportunities. This mix is true of most collaborative
spaces, where informal networking is often as much a benefit as great coffee or the non-negotiable good Internet access. While the spaces are recognised as working environments and not as social clubs, casual encounters over a coffee or in a breakaway area are often the spark needed to get a meaningful network going.
and creators of collaborative spaces to create a canvas for their users, rather than prescribing how furniture and spaces should be used. The most popular environments are those where furniture can be moved around to allow personalisation of space – even if it’s just for an afternoon of brainstorming or huddling down on a comfy couch with a great view. OPEN has noted that many people
who’ve wanted dedicated offices within the broader environments see what the shared spaces are all about and then realise their benefits. “People used to share space until they could afford their own office,” notes co-founder Paul Keurston. “That’s all changed. Successful businesses with unlimited budgets are now actively seeking shared spaces because they can see how innovation, ideas and creativity flow in fresh and evolving workspaces.”
LET’S TALK ABOUT CASH, BABY
While it’s difficult to measure the
pulse of an often-transient workforce, understanding the needs of a
collaborative workspace’s population is key to its success. The Corner Office
team is aware of Durbanites’ notorious commitment phobia and therefore offers short-stay options with the option to convert to longer contracts.
OPEN, which has co-working spaces
in Johannesburg and Cape Town, offers use-based costings that incentivise longer stays and support growing businesses. If users commit to using
more time per month, their daily cost is lower and monthly membership costs reduce as commitment’s extended.
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© OPEN-Maboneng_south corner coworking
© The Corner Office, Gillitts
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