Over the past few years, the demand for coworking spaces has significantly increased, with more remote workers, digital nomads, and freelancers choosing to work from shared offices. Coworking spaces offer incredible potential for community building. They’re not just shared offices: they can become vibrant hubs where professionals collaborate and socialize. Building a strong community in a coworking space can bring many advantages to members, such as networking opportunities, increased productivity, and enhanced motivation. The owner of our coworking space, Mathias, has recently given a presentation about the importance of community building at Coworking Spain Conference. Read further to discover Mathias’ four main tips for building a thriving community, based on his experience as a former member and now owner of Locus Workspace.
Ensuring every new member feels welcome is the first key step in building a solid community in a coworking space. Community Managers play a crucial role in making everyone feel included and at home in a space tailored to the members’ needs. The space should be comfortable, cozy, and should enhance productivity. For this reason, it is essential to divide it into different areas with specific functions: a main area for focused work, a shared kitchen with necessary amenities, meeting rooms and call booths to make sure the main area remains quiet, and a lounge spot with sofas or bean bags where members can take a break.
At Locus Workspace, the space belongs to the members: we actively ask for feedback through “community meetings” and always make sure members can express their opinions when the design of the coworking space needs to be changed. We believe our members should feel integral to our project and journey. Therefore, we highly value their contributions to our space. We welcome them to help decorate the office with their creations, whether they are photos they have taken or paintings they have made.
Community Managers are essential to a coworking space. They drive the community by fostering a friendly and inclusive environment. To ensure everyone feels included, Community Managers connect members with similar interests and backgrounds, especially new members. Over time, members learn from the Community Managers and begin to foster connections on their own. Groups on platforms like WhatsApp and Slack also enable members to organize activities together and socialize outside of working hours.
In our coworking space, the space design significantly contributes to community building. The open layout with multiple levels and the arrangement of desks, including community desks where multiple members can sit together, encourages collaboration and interaction among members.
Hosting events is crucial for fostering a community within a coworking space. Events stimulate active engagement and participation among members, as well as a feeling of belonging. At Locus, we organize both weekly events – such as weekly lunches at a nearby restaurant, coffee breaks, yoga classes – and monthly events, like pub nights and book club meetings. We also make sure to organize an outdoor event every month, during which members get the chance to socialize and try out a new activity together.
While leisure activities are a fun way to build a community, it’s also important to plan events that help members grow professionally. Workshops and seminars on time management, productivity, and goal achievement are examples of events aimed at providing members with useful resources to boost their career and do networking.
Last but not least, members should feel part of a community they can contribute to and of a space they can shape. To achieve that, Community Managers should provide members with full support to explore their interests. If a member is working on a new project, organizing a presentation where they can introduce it to the community helps them feel empowered and supported. Turning a member’s passion into a regular activity is another way to share interests with everyone in the office.
At Locus, we actively encourage members to come up with their own ideas for new events. For example, if somebody is learning Spanish and wants to practice with other learners or native speakers, we’re more than happy to set up a language lunch or practice classes. Plus, members have the opportunity to host their own events and workshops in our meeting rooms. These activities range from creative writing sessions to bead-weaving workshops and are open to everyone.
Building a solid community not only makes a coworking space more successful and inviting but also creates a thriving and friendly environment for everyone. By following these 4 main tips – creating a safe and welcoming environment, actively connecting members with each other, giving them lots of opportunities to meet as well as providing them with full support to contribute to the community – you can transform a shared office into a vibrant space where everyone feels valued and included.
If you’re eager to join a dynamic international community or you simply want to see how we put these tips in action, come spend a day at Locus and try out the space for free. Reserve your spot here!
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