Last week, the HQFlex team traveled to Porto to attend the Coworking Europe Conference. The event took place in a unique venue that encapsulates the essence of Porto, the Alfandega do Porto. The city’s charm merged with the innovation of flexible spaces, creating an inspiring atmosphere for the conference.
Discoveries at the Coworking Europe Conference:
New insights into the flexible industry: Instant Group shared findings from their recent study, “EMEA State of the Market 2023.” With the trend towards hybrid work and office return policies still being defined, office space utilization is in a constant state of flux. The study reflects that users increasingly opt for flexible offices, expansion decisions are made considering more reliable market information, and the supply of coworking and flexible offices will be driven by landlords and investors.
Innovations in Property Management: The rise of Property Management was highlighted, with insights into the models adopted by various operators. The importance of finding intermediate properties and the challenges associated with such contracts were also discussed.
Commitment to Sustainability: Numerous spaces shared sustainability initiatives, focusing on BCorp certification as a marketing tool. There was also an expression of the need for sustainability certificates specific to the sector.
Trends in Coliving and Coworking: Some speakers expanded their initial coliving or coworking activities, exposing the challenges of each model and the key skills and processes for this growing integration.
Finally, new industry providers landed in Europe, standing alongside more established providers in the sector. Software innovations, such as dynamic pricing by Flexspace.io, were also presented.
Outside conference sessions, we enjoyed afterwork activities that strengthened our connections with other industry professionals. These informal moments provided excellent opportunities to exchange ideas and build relationships. In addition to conference sessions, a coworking tour of some city spaces was organized the day before.
We sincerely thank the organizers for an enriching and well-coordinated experience. The Coworking Europe Conference 2023 was not only informative but also a celebration of the dynamic world of flexible workspaces