[1] Are you concerned about copycat corporate businesses popping up?
[2] Has this already started happening in some areas?
[3] Could a "corporate" version of coworking even survive?
John,
as someone who has managed the "corporate" shared office (years ago
now) I can share a quick history of how this group looks at coworking.
HQ and Regus were the 2 "big guns" in this shared office/executive
suite niche. Still only accounting for 4% of the global total
(approximately 4,000 executive suite locations in North America
alone) They mutually declared bankruptcy somewhere in 2001/2002, then
officially merged in 2003/2004 migrating eventually to the Regus name.
(I left in early 2000)
The former CEO of HQ then went to Kinko's as CEO (Gary Kusin) and
floated the idea of providing a couple of cubes and conference spaces
in each Kinko's. The one I use in Chicago is a horrible fit for that
concept. First impression is the office supplies everywhere and
having to walk through the store to get to the conference room for a
meeting? Tacky in my 'hood. I don't go to Kinko's (now FedEX/
Kinko's) for that purpose. I believe Gary Kusin is no longer with
FedEx/Kinko's.
so my response to [1] and [2] is - Unless and until FedEx/Kinko's can
provide a separate entrance/vibe for this purpose, I don't think it
will be huge for them. Regus actually owns the Laptop Lanes at the
airports so they see a viability for this concept on some level. They
are less nimble, however. There are a few franchises out there in the
executive suite world - including The Intelligent Office as Trevor
mentioned earlier. Intelligent Office uses a smaller model (7,500
s.f.) vs. a typical size of 15,000 s.f.+ . There are a lot of
developers throughout the country looking to start-up suites in this
economy. In their case, their competitive advantage is that they own
the real estate. This can make a substantial difference to their
future.
[3] the "corporate" version? As others have so aptly put it - we are
developing a community, not just providing office space. Creatives
and younger folks really gravitate to our message. (I'm an older
folk) I also think that once you initiate the community, it will take
on a life of its own. How do you franchise that? There is still a
sense of isolation and "working with the door closed" approach in the
corporate shared spaces. Very few of them provide cubes or open work
areas. The majority of the space is divided into offices.
As I see it, the future of the workplace is open plan, communal,
transient - whether you're working for a Fortune 1,000 or in start-
up. As Baby Boomers migrate out of the workforce they are being
replaced by a workforce with a new dynamic and philosophy. (based on
the current economic scenario, I think that's still 15 years away)
my 2 cents
Wendy
SITE REsolutions real estate
Chicago
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