I’d have to agree with Alex. We’re already talking about how we can set up some “outside” space for coworkers. We’ve been brainstorming some café styled tables for outside our front entrance to allow folks to “relocate” outside for part of the day when the sun is out and the weather is beautiful. Getting them power and wifi shouldn’t be an issue, and I think it would not only be fun for them but also a good tool to grab some interest from passersby.
We’re also discussing some ideas for lunch hour games outside. Cornhole <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole> , Washers <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washer_pitching> , or ladder golf <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder_Toss> are quick and easy to set up, don’t take long to play, and build some fun competition into what could be a tough day working inside. For a little more fun, make it a summer tournament and post brackets in your “coworking Olympics”. That will keep them coming back if they know they have to play someone from the space for the cornhole semi-finals! Regardless, use a little marketing judo to win this battle. Don’t fight against summer, use its own power to keep your space the center of attention. Thanks & God Bless, Joel Bennett Chief Dreamchaser Veel Hoeden, LLC [email protected] <http://veelhoeden.posterous.com/> http://veelhoeden.posterous.com/ <http://www.twitter.com/veelhoeden> http://www.twitter.com/veelhoeden From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Thiago Leite Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 2:05 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Coworking] Re: Coworking - dealing with summer specials Wow, nice suggestion there Alex. I've never thought about Coworking management that way. In fact it goes hand-in-hand with the idea that what matters isn't the "product" 'Coworking Space' but its core concept. That concept can be adapted to anywhere anytime as long as there are supporters of the coworking ideal together. If you can do that, coworkers will likely be more interested in your space and whatever it is that you have to offer them. -- Thiago Leite +55 (81) 9185-5193 @thiagovnc On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 3:55 PM, Alex Hillman <[email protected]> wrote: If people don't want to be in the office during the summer, embrace it. Organize BBQs, "Cowork-outs" (coworking outdoors, from parks, etc), any opportunity to keep coworkers present with each other, not just in your space. This is an important key to coworking's longevity: if you take away the desks, what are you left with? Odds are, assuming there's anything left at all, it's something you can do no matter what the seasonal trends are, and without requiring them to set foot inside the office. That'll likely encourage them to spend a little more time in the office, too, since the biggest contributor I've found to people's "falling off the coworking bandwagon" is simply a lack of contact with coworkers. Improve that, and everything else starts to improve on its own. I said a bit more about this topic (loosely) in this recent interview: http://www.deskmag.com/en/is-there-a-life-cycle-for-coworking-spaces-189 At Indy Hall, we've gotten increasingly better at weathering our seasonal growths and lulls to the point where they're less noticeable by thinking about things this way and making sure that workspace isn't our only offering. -Alex /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 2:45 PM, Jacob Sayles <[email protected]> wrote: We've seen a consistent summer slump for all 3 summers we've been around. It changes if we have more sun but basically the first 2 months with good sun folks don't come into the office less. Sometimes that's June/July, sometimes it's July/August. If we get a lot of sun they start to get bored with it and come into the office. Of course if it gets REALLY hot we get a boost as most folks in Seattle don't have AC. As for what to do about it, I'm not sure yet. Susan and I are talking and making plans now to see if we can be more proactive this year. We won't know if it's successful until fall. Jacob --- Office Nomads - Individuality without Isolation http://www.officenomads.com - (206) 323-6500 <tel:%28206%29%20323-6500> On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 9:21 AM, Angel Kwiatkowski <[email protected]> wrote: Our membership levels out during the summer months. Members don't un- join but we see far fewer people trying it out or buying memberships. Attendance also drops off as people scatter to the mountains and go camping, climbing, hiking etc. Summer can be a great time for the space owner to work on cleaning up processes, systematizing, and setting strategies for the upcoming fall/winter. It's also an easy season to staff with interns so that you, the space owner, can take much needed vacation time too! -Angel On Mar 28, 5:13 am, Flambard <[email protected]> wrote: > This is going to be the first summer for Mutinerie Coworking in Paris > and we are wondering how to adapt our space. Although our space is > currently unavailable to us :( , we hope that we will have a place > soon (the former one or another), and we are wondering about summer > specificities. How do you stay attractive when the weather in nice and > when people goes on holiday? > > 1/ What is the average drop in memberships that you've seen in your > spaces? > 2/ What is the most dead time period? > 3/ What special activities do you propose on summer? > > We'd be very grateful if we can have some feeback on this special > issue. > > Thanks > > Antoinewww.mutinerie.org -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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