Agenda

Snag your badge, get a cup of coffee and get set for a crash course on coworking and the flexible workspace industry.

It’s GCUC time. Join us as we set the stage for a day. Whether you are already a landlord or developer with space or you are an entrepreneur looking for your next move, this programing is designed to give you the solid foundation you will need to operate a flex space with a thriving community. The pandemic accelerated the inevitable timeline of companies’ work from anywhere policies and the need for flexspace is skyrocketing. Now, the choice of workstation within the workplace structure is in the hands of the employee. Research shows they favor flexibility.

How do you differentiate your business and space from all of the rest? We will teach you. The objective of this session is for you to leave with an understand of what not only sets your business apart from the rest but how to market it to sell to others. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of how to create a highly-engaged and loyal customer base by harnessing the power of a strong mission and how this sets up a brand for growth.

The industry is evolving and so are the financing methods. Before you enter the space you need to get a good grasp on all of your options. Do you bootstrap, partner, buy outright, take investment or other creative options? Once you have that down, your proforma has to work. The objective of this session is for you to walk away knowing your options and feeling confident in creating a finacial model that will not only work for you but show you the path to profitability.

Grab a coffee from the Davinci coffee bar and check out our awesome sponsors.

Understanding how to structure the deal is imperative to the foundation of your flexspace. Whether you assume the risk and go it alone or seek out a partner to operate your space under a management agreement you will need to understand what is different about flex.

The objective of this session is for you to understand a management agreement structure and some possible scenarios. At the end you will have a good understanding of what a partnership agreement could look like and how it will differ from a management agreement. Finding the right partner can be complex, we will give you some things to think about and look for in a coworking/flex operator partner. Location is different in flex/coworking. We will talk about what you need to know and how to maximize your business.

Grab a plate and make a friend. Here at GCUC we believe in long lunches because some of the best connections are made when you break bread with one another, as a community.

Hate to say it- but its not just about the community. Community thrives in a well designed and activated space. The difference between a well designed and activated space and just another space that looks good is make or break. It’s not all spec suites and it most certainly is not all open workspace.

The objective of this session is for you to understand how flexible/coworking space design is different from just designing a space that looks good. You will have a new understanding of the importance of wellness and why you need to invest in and how you can monetize it. You will understand some of the new trends and practices coming your way and which ones you can put aside.

This session is brought to you by our partners at Satellite Deskworks.

Gotta keep you on your toes!

Member engagement and satisfaction is critical to your success as a flexspace owner. You will leave with an understanding of how the community aspect of coworking and flexspace sets it apart from traditional real estate offerings.

The objective of this session is for you to understand the “secret sauce” of coworking. You will understand what it takes to build community. You will learn why you need to invest in things like events, services and training that will activate the space, community and eventually your bottom line. This course hits the big 4: Hospitality, Amenities & services, Community and lastly People vs. space.
Here at GCUC, not only will we teach you to build it, we will immerse you in ours. How’s that for a real time demo?

This session brought to you by our partners at CloudVo.

Unless you are an IT guru- technology can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate (SO MANY OPTIONS).The business is complex and so are the systems to run it. Let’s talk about where to invest and where to tread lightly.

The objective of this session is for you to leave with a clear understanding of the product roadmap for flexible space. You will have a good understanding on where to invest and how to pick the right technology for your business. We will also cover the pit falls, “gotchas” and areas we wish we would have guidance when building out our own spaces. This is an in depth one. We will discuss software, hardware, maintenance, security, monitoring, documentation, planning, wifi strength and more. Come prepared to take notes (and adjust your tech budget)

This session brought to you by our partners at EVO.

Grab a beverage and check out our amazing partners.

We know we threw a whole lot of information at you and you probably have some questions (or at least you should). Write them down and get ready to ask some industry experts.

Session brought to you by the GCUC Community.

Quick wrap up before we send you off to hang with your new coworking friends.

Snag your badge, grab a cup of coffee and meet our awesome partners.

The last 18 months have been anything but normal. But working in our favor, the pandemic accelerated the inevitable timeline of companies’ work from anywhere policies and the need for flexspace is off the charts. Now, the choice of workstation is in the hands of the employee. Research shows they favor flexibility. As we move through the late stages of pandemic, we begin to unveil glimpses into the future. What will business look like in 1,5, 10 years? The Future is Flex.

What is the point of an office? That is the question that 18 months of a pandemic raises. We haven’t been in them, and largely we’ve kept on doing our business. Do we need them anymore? Do our customers need what we have to sell anymore? In many cases they don’t. But in many cases they do, and more so than ever. Offices that understand the wants, needs and desires of their customers and enable them to be happy, healthy AND productive will be in short supply and high demand. This talk will explain how to make this happen.

This session brought to you by essensys.

Grab a cup of coffee and meet our partners.

GSA, building on lessons in workplace flexibility learned during the pandemic, is giving the entire federal workforce new opportunities to keep working outside of their traditional offices…and into coworking spaces.

What does this mean for us? How will federal workers pick their spaces? How does my community participate?  When does this take effect? This exciting announcement has led to a whole lot of questions. We have gathered a few of the key players who made this landmark agreement possible to help us find the answers.

The ‘hybrid’ work model has emerged as the most desirable way forward for companies as both employees and managers want to retain the flexibility to choose where they get their work done at least 1-2 days per week. With the influx of company employees now utilizing shared workspaces, learn exactly what these teams look for when choosing workspaces, how to navigate their sales process and get to their decision makers, what their booking patterns are and most importantly: how you can prepare for and attract hybrid teams to your workspace.

This session brought to you by Deskpass.

For 18 months we experienced a world of no to low touch. Face to face interaction was limited and in person connection throttled. Now, as we begin to reemerge in the late stage pandemic world we pose the question “how do we keep that high touch hospitality in a low touch post pandemic world”. The answer might surprise you.

This session brought to you by Industrious.

Grab a plate and make a friend. Here at GCUC we believe in long lunches because some of the best connections are made when you break bread with one another, as a community.

Real raw and unfiltered. It’s time we get candid and address the hesitations around flexspace, misconceptions about deals, what a developer really wants in a partner and more.

This session brought to you by Liquidspace.

Building the workplace of tomorrow can be daunting. How do you make sure that your brand is inclusive, wellness focused, sustainability minded, profitable and well respected by the end user? The objective of this session is to discuss just that. You will walk away with actionable takeaways that you can implement in your own business immediately.

It’s time to refuel. Grab a beverage, check out our partners and expand your community.

Niche flexspaces and HQ’s with hub and spoke workplace models are going to be key players in market bounce back. Between the sharing of resources, cowarehousing, sharing of facility costs, businesses built in the pandemic need space but so will businesses that took a direct hit. Your company let go of their own office? No problem, come use ours. Many businesses going to need the assistance of the rising tide and shared economy that they might not have considered otherwise.

This session brought to you by Workspace Geek.

It’s coming. You may already feel it but the corporations (not big and scary, just a company of lots of individual humans) are headed your way.

Stick around for drinks and fun courtesy of our partners at Vari.

Location: Bond Collective- 55 Broadway 3rd floor, New York, NY 10006

Option A – Fundraising for Growth (followed by a tour of bond collective)
Location: Bond Collective- 55 Broadway 3rd floor, New York, NY 10006

Option B – Wellness walk- Battery Park
Location: The group with meet at the New York City Police memorial on the Esplande on the southwest side of Brookfield place, across from Pump House park.

Enjoy some time outside with your Coworking friends on this 1.2 mile trail The Esplanade runs the entire length of Battery Park City, along the Hudson River. With its views of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the New Jersey shoreline, the Esplanade is a pedestrian paradise. Parks and gardens line the entire route, along with numerous sculptures and public art installations.

Option C – Coworking worksprint (drop-in workspace)
Location: Primary – 26 Broadway, New York, NY 1004 (8th floor)

Option A – Design Tour with ROOM: Meet & Greet with Co-Founders + Discussion on Flexible Design
Location: ROOM NYC (space limited, must sign up ahead of time)

Option B – Walking tour of coworking spaces
Locations:

• Bond Collective (Financial District)- 55 Broadway 3rd floor, New York, NY 10006
• Primary (Financial District)- 26 Broadway, New York, NY 10004
• The Yard: 116 Nassau St, New York, NY 10038
• Cubico: 72 Grand St, New York, NY 10013  (tours available 10-12)

Option C – Coworking Worksprint (Drop in workspace)
Location: Bond Collective Flatiron- 115 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

NYC is such a bustling and cool city. Grab some friends and check out some of the local cuisine.

Option A – How to scale your virtual mail operation overnight with Piloto 151 (followed by a tour of Soho Works)
Location: Soho Works Dumbo (Signup required)

Snail mail is not your problem, it’s your opportunity. As remote work sets in and members become more nomadic, how can your mail operations factor into your growth strategy? Virtual offices and mailing share one thing in common – a physical address (your physical address, to be exact!). Increasing your virtual membership’s stickiness via snail mail handling paves the way for greater monetization from your most scalable revenue stream. Learn how to grow your virtual office membership, unlock new revenue streams, and increase member satisfaction through an optimized snail mail operation.

Option B – Tour Iconic NYC
Locations: Statue of liberty and Ellis island via ferry
This is a self guided tour of the historic American icons of immigration. The group will meet at Statue Cruises, across from the Castle Clinton National monument in Battery Park. Ferry tickets are ~$25 and include access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Ferry Departs 1:15 and 1:40. More info or to reserve tickets ahead of time: https://www.statueofliberty.org/

Option C – Coworking Worksprint (drop in workspace)
Location: Premiere Workspace: 521 5th Ave 17th floor, New York, NY 10175