Hi, I think that is really interesting. Would you say that today the ratio is the same?
Thanks! María El miércoles, 5 de diciembre de 2012 15:50:26 UTC+1, Alex Hillman escribió: > > Nope that's perfect, thanks Will! > > On Wednesday, December 5, 2012, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace wrote: > >> Hi Alex, >> >> That 70/31 number was referring to total member capacity (~ 70 members) >> and total desks (~31). Those numbers are based on the space being pretty >> close to maximum threshold already (every desk being used) with a little >> over 60 members. Actually, the day I wrote that post was the busiest day >> we've had, with every desk being used, and we only have 61 members, so I >> have to adjust the ratio down a little bit. The 31 desks refers to the >> number of comfortable sitting spaces we have, not including the couches, >> the kitchen, or the meeting room. We *could* have a few more desks, but it >> feels pretty packed with 31 people working here at one time. >> >> Let me know if there was something more you were trying to get at! >> >> Best, >> Will >> >> On Tuesday, December 4, 2012 2:34:15 PM UTC+1, Alex Hillman wrote: >>> >>> Beautiful summary Will, and I can confirm that I've seen these patterns >>> play out dozens of times, including a visitor making unsolicited >>> recommendations about changing your business model ;) >>> >>> I don't *think* I missed it, but do you have a feel for how much of >>> your total capacity you're using with 70 members and 31 desks? Could you >>> add more desks, more people, or both? What is your threshold based on? >>> >>> -Alex >>> >>> -- >>> /ah >>> indyhall.org >>> coworking in philadelphia >>> pre-order my new eBook, " <http://book.businessofcommunity.com/?email>the >>> business of community <http://book.businessofcommunity.com/?ref=email>" >>> >>> On Dec 4, 2012, at 5:32 AM, "Will Bennis, Locus Workspace" < >>> wmbe...@locusworkspace.com> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Matthew, >>> >>> 2012 numbers at the end. >>> >>> I realize your question is about membership types and how they break >>> down, but much of what's below will refer to member:desk ratios, since I >>> suspect that's a big part of what you're trying to figure out. >>> >>> Just to echo what Alex and Tom wrote, but in a slightly different way: >>> It depends on your members (Alex) and on your space (Tom). "Your space" >>> doesn't just mean the type of desks you offer (hot desks only or anchor >>> desks only), but also on how it's conceived and marketed and every choice >>> you make (desk sizes, membership-type pricing incentives, access hours, >>> gender ratios, types of events, quality and variety of meeting room space, >>> whether monitors are available or can be left in the space, what type of >>> work the founding members do, neighborhood, etc.). It also depends on what >>> country you're in and the cultural norms/expectations in that country. >>> >>> These effects don't just amount to rounding error. I read an article >>> about a successful writer's space in New York (maybe Paragraph, but I don't >>> remember; it was a long time ago) and it said they had 30 desks and 300 >>> members, where all members could use the space to write during opening >>> hours. I was a member of a different writer's space that was open to >>> freelancers and had maybe 15 desks, and it was usually empty or with just >>> one or two members in a beautiful space in a great Chicago neighborhood for >>> just $90/month with 24/7 access: I'd guess they were getting better than a >>> 10:1 ratio, though I don't know how many members they had. Though from the >>> perspective of a coworking space for freelancers, other than the lack of >>> regular members to give me a sense of community, it was as nice a place to >>> sit and work as most coworking spaces I've been in. A 10:1 member:desk >>> ratio! I've never heard of a coworking space oriented toward freelancers >>> having anything in that ballpark. Presumably writers joined these space >>> largely for features other than a great space to sit and write. Even though >>> at least the latter space was welcoming to non-writers. >>> >>> Our space has all hot desks, and originally we only offered full-time >>> membership at a very low cost (1500 Kc, about $75 / month). I thought >>> there'd be a lot of people joining who just needed the space occasionally >>> and who wanted to be part of the community, and I was hoping I'd get a 4:1 >>> member desk ratio, in the spirit of that writer's space, but recognizing my >>> members would mostly be freelancers working more hours in the space. As it >>> turned out, potential and actual members mostly pegged the value of >>> full-time use at the price I was asking ($75) and wanted less expensive >>> memberships if they were only going to use it part time. People who needed >>> the space full-time were joining, and other people weren't, and I was not >>> getting maybe a 1.5:1 member:desk ratio. I doubled the prices for full time >>> membership and introduced part-time memberships at slightly lower costs >>> (still more than the 1500 Kc). It worked great. People who didn't need >>> full-time often still signed up for it because they could see the extra >>> value in it relative to the part-time memberships, so I ended up getting a >>> better member/desk ratio even for just the full-time members than I >>> originally had been! >>> >>> Recently a visitor to my space recommended that I radically change my >>> business model. He described essentially exactly what I had originally >>> tried (and that hadn't worked for me), and then proceeded to tell me about >>> a thriving Amsterdam space that offered only full-time memberships at about >>> $90/month that more than a hundred members even though it only had about 20 >>> places to sit (these are ballpark numbers, I don't remember what he >>> specifically said). Go figure (no a members-only hash bar was not part of >>> the design :). >>> >>> So here are the numbers for Locus Workspace in the Czech Republic right >>> now, keeping in mind there's a large effect of historical options (a big >>> portion of my members joined when Full Time membership was the only option) >>> and my pricing structure rewards full-time membership: >>> >>> *Anchor* (Full-Time access with your own desk: CZK 6000 = ~ $300): 0 >>> members >>> [But I don't include the price on the website, just the option, and I >>> generally sell the virtues of not getting it to people interested:] >>> >>> *Full-Time* (24/7 access, no permanent desk: CZK 3600 = ~$180): 34 >>> members (55.7%) >>> >>> *10-Day / month *(same as Full-Time, but only 10 days use of the space >>> per month: CZK 2400 = ~$120): 16 members (26.2%) >>> >>> *Evenings & Weekends *(from 6pm to 9am, plus all day during the >>> weekends: CZK 1800 = ~$90): 1 member (1.6%)< >>> >>> -- >> Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Coworking" group. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> >> > > > -- > /ah > indyhall.org > coworking in philadelphia > -- Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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