Thank you, Jeannine! This helps me think about it a lot. And I completely agree with you about the importance of community focus. Just not sure if I can swing it in that kind of context, which of course can't really be answered till I go there and try to figure out a relatively reliable way to ask. :)
What do you mean by "showrooming" and "reverse showrooming"? On Thursday, October 23, 2014 12:05:49 PM UTC+2, Jeannine wrote: > > I think it's wonderful, Will, really wonderful. Throw away that box for > a sec, it doesn't have to be just a laptop parking lot. :-) > > In the Netherlands they have Seats2Meet in the train stations, in London > they have a coworkng space on a bus. I feel confident that it can be done > in a mall. Particularly as you say since the Euro-version of mall and the > associations with same are not exactly then same as the US vesion. > > My experience in building coworking community in nontraditional venues has > been that you have to start with the location and be true to it in some > weird, spiritual way. :-) As a gut feeling i would go with companies in > retail/online services and one ring around it as a starter. > > I would look at showrooming and reverse showrooming as well. > > But I disagree on one thing: I think the community aspect is the most > important; shared space in retail has been quite hot here in the NL but if > the coworkers lack long term relationships other than with the space > itself, they die off pretty fast. > > Any help, support, brainstorming, cheerleading you may beed, please please > do not hesitate to call on me, you know where to find me. I think it's > really exciting! > > Cheers, > > Jeannine > > On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 12:15:05 PM UTC+2, Will Bennis, Locus > Workspace wrote: >> >> Hi All, >> >> Recently a shopping mall realtor approached me about opening a coworking >> space in their closed gaming zone/internet cafe. I'd love to hear opinions >> about this, pros and cons. Before you completely ignore this post as coming >> from someone who is clearly not from the same coworking planet, here is why >> I'm even considering it: >> >> (1) *With respect to the fact that mall real estate goes for a premium: *At >> least where I am, a lot of shopping malls are trying to build in >> community/space quality features that make going to the mall (which lets >> face it, most people in urban areas sometimes do) a more human experience: >> space-taking areas like open art galleries, free indoor playgrounds, >> exhibition space, gardens, etc. These spaces add value/traffic to the mall >> as a whole, making the rentable space more valuable. This means that the >> mall owner may be willing to partially fund a coworking space if it adds >> value to the mall as a whole. >> >> (2) *With regard to the importance of community and quality of the work >> environment: *Sure, malls are horrific. But they're also a reality. >> Wouldn't creating coworking spaces in the horrific reality of a shopping >> mall make malls a little less horrific? To the extent you could contribute >> to the reinvention of malls as more human, community-focused spaces, >> wouldn't it be a good thing to promote the development of a coworking space >> in a mall? >> >> (3) *With respect to the objection that it wouldn't be sustainable; the >> kind of people drawn to coworking would not want to do it in a mall: *The >> malls where I am right now have many fast food restaurants (McDonalds, KFC, >> etc.) with free bad wifi and people working away on their laptops or in >> business meetings, or higher end cafes where laptop workers aren't as >> welcome and places to work aren't comfortable or well suited for meaningful >> work or quality meetings. I would guess many of the people who work in the >> area or who are just there while their partners are shopping or their kids >> are at the movies would love a more human space to work. Yes, they're not >> the people traditionally drawn to coworking, but is there room for >> something in between? >> >> My big question I guess is whether there would be a way to do this that >> would create more than the equivalent of a hotel "business center" or an >> internet cafe? Would there value or demand for a community-focused >> workspace in a mall? >> >> Clearly this couldn't be an ideal community-focused and community-driven >> coworking space. But is there room for something between the ideal and the >> "business center" in a shopping mall (or airport or highway >> gas-station/restaurant off-ramp for that matter)? Something that would help >> build the sense of community and humanity in these largely community-less >> spaces? Could it bear the *coworking *name? >> >> I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. >> >> Best, >> Will >> > -- 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. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
