Agenda Manchester

Connect with our team, grab your lanyard, dive into roundtable sign-ups, explore our sponsors, greet fellow attendees, and recharge with a cup of coffee. Let the event excitement begin!

Welcome from GCUC UK Producer, Emilie Lashmar.

We’re delighted to have Heather Gray, Sales Director at Clockwise as our host for the day.

In recent years, there has been a remarkable shift in how people work and where they choose to work. With the rise of remote work and flexible arrangements, regional and commuter towns have emerged as hotspots for professionals seeking a better work-life balance outside major urban centres.

Join us as we uncover the unique challenges and opportunities facing regional and commuter towns and discuss strategies to harness the power of coworking and flexible workspaces to breathe new life into the heartlands of our communities.

A dynamic panel session challenging the notion that boutique, indie or affordable spaces are destined to struggle amidst the changing landscape of the industry. While the coworking landscape encompasses a spectrum ranging from intimate community hubs to sprawling corporate real estate, there is ample space for diverse players to thrive. Our discussion will emphasise the importance of focusing on members and serving their unique needs, rather than succumbing to rivalry or overshadowing concerns about commodification.

In this session, we’ll explore how boutique, indie or affordable spaces coworking spaces can leverage their inherent strengths – such as fostering genuine connections, promoting collaboration, and nurturing vibrant communities – to carve out a niche and make a lasting impact. By embracing their authenticity and staying true to their values, “small” operators can navigate challenges such as sustainability, pandemic recovery, and competition from larger entities.

Recharge with a cup of coffee or tea, water, soft drinks and snacks for those any time breaks.

Don’t forget to mingle with sponsors and connect with fellow attendees to make the most of your day!

Do you need to be a B Corp, BREEAM or other? This debate will explore the need for certifications like B Corp in the workspace and flex industry. It will provide an opportunity for members to express what they require and the moderator will guide the discussion. Initially, the audience will vote on the topic. This will be followed by presentations of arguments both in favour of and against the motion. Finally, a second vote will be cast by the audience. The purpose of this structured debate is to offer a deeper understanding of the role and necessity of such certifications in promoting sustainability and impact goals.

Help yourself to a delicious lunch, mingle and check out our sponsors.

Participants will collaborate and gain valuable insights into the world of coworking. There will be 3 separate sessions, each group will focus on a specific challenge or question related to coworking, allowing participants to discuss and share their expertise as well as make deeper connections.

Group 1 | Building Successful Flexspaces: The Balance of Emotion and Data Analytics
Hosted by Edward Crabtree – Director, Business Development, technologywithin

Join technologywithin for a conversation about the need to use both heart and head to combine great hospitality with the scalable business model needed to build a successful flexspace empire.

What data sources have the most impact on your day-to-day running of your space and how do you utilise those to make decisions?
What is your balance of gut feel and data on making key decisions about managing your space?
How do you prioritise client feedback against financial goals? And does that change with the maturity of the business?
What data do you already have that you could make better use of to create data-driven operational efficiency?
What client requests should you say no to in order to protect your bottom line?
Do you need to invest more or less in your brand as you grow?

Group 2 | “Think bigger than a beer fridge: How to grow a community and your bottom line”
Hosted by Jordan Stachini – Founder, co&co

Join Jordan Stachini, founder of specialist strategy, activation and branding agency co&co, for an intimate round table discussion, as she explains why building a community has become so important in the commercial world – and why beer fridges and pizza Fridays just won’t cut it. During her talk, Jordan will also dive into how building a community can not only measured, but can also drive revenue – and profit – for commercial operators across the private office and co-work space. Listen as Jordan discusses the importance of having a brand wrap and strong visual identity around your offering, and why the businesses who place value and budget into building a community, ultimately come out on top. If long-term customer loyalty and additional revenue is what you are looking for, then this is a talk you can’t afford to miss.

Group 3 | Revenue
Hosted by Keke Patissier – Founder, Koho

Recharge with a cup of coffee or tea, water, soft drinks and snacks for those any time breaks.

Don’t forget to mingle with sponsors and connect with fellow attendees to make the most of your day!

Join us for a dynamic fireside chat with Justin Harley, Regional Director of Yardi, leading the questions to Rupert Dean, CEO of x+why, where we explore the essential strategies for scaling your coworking business.

Gain insights on building a strong brand, embracing sustainability, and navigating financing options, all while maintaining a people-centric approach. Learn about investor expectations, tech requirements, and operational efficiencies as you expand from one to multiple locations.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain practical advice and unlock new pathways for sustainable expansion while elevating your brand in the coworking industry.

Recharge with a cup of coffee or tea, water, soft drinks and snacks for those any time breaks.

Don’t forget to mingle with sponsors and connect with fellow attendees to make the most of your day!

We’ve gathered community leaders for a lightning-speed round of insights. Each leader will showcase their ‘Best of Hospitality’ perspectives with just a few slides, offering a rapid-fire glimpse into the strategies, practices, or experiences that define top-tier hospitality in coworking spaces.

From member engagement tactics to design elements, our dynamic panel will share their game-changing approaches to elevate the hospitality quotient in shared workspaces. Join us for a whirlwind of wisdom, glean practical takeaways, and witness a diverse array of perspectives.

Join us for an insightful discussion on the key factors shaping the design and construction of productive and sustainable coworking spaces. Our panel of industry experts will explore the evolving landscape of coworking, addressing critical questions at the intersection of sustainability, flexibility, and community impact.

This panel will delve into the critical aspects of designing and building coworking spaces that not only meet the changing needs of the workforce but also prioritise sustainability and community engagement. From innovative furniture design to architectural strategies for maximising flexibility, our panellists will provide valuable insights into creating coworking spaces that are environmentally conscious, socially inclusive, and economically viable.

Cap off the conference with a splash of relaxation! Join us for rooftop reception drinks—an opportunity to unwind, network, and savour the success of a day well spent, as well as gaze at the Manchester skyline. Cheers to connections made and ideas shared.

To be announced.

You’ll need to be a GCUC UK ticket holder to attend, please bring your lanyard.

We’ll meet at our first stop, Orega here, there will be coffee, pastries and a brief session from technologywithin.

9:30am – 10:30am | Orega Tour

Orega is one of the UK’s most established flexible workspace brands. Founded in 2001, we now operate 25 centres across the UK. Orega offers stylish, flexible workspace without the headaches of old-fashioned leases. Over the last 20 years, we’ve provided over 10,000 clients with modern serviced office spaces, run by brilliant teams and powered by supercharged technology.

10:45 – 11:15 | Clockwise Tour

When work is more than just a job, you need more than just an office We create environments and experiences that are as personal as they are professional. Whether you’re flying solo, starting up, growing steadily, scaling rapidly or spinning out something new. Whether you have solid local roots or serious global ambitions. Whether you need to meet face to face, dial in, log on or do it all at once. Whether you’re expanding your team or chasing your dream. Whether your HQ is too far away or working from home is too hard to handle. We provide flexible workspaces with all the functionality, simplicity and service, community and connectivity you need to make it happen.

11:45 – 12:15 | Industrious Tour

OUR MISSION Meet people where they are to deliver a better work experience. Thoroughly professional and thoughtfully designed, Industrious’ flexible workspaces support companies of all sizes and stages. 160+ locations Members can work from Industrious locations all over the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Asia. 65+ cities globally Industrious’ international network helps connects teams spread across cities and countries. #1 customer satisfaction Industrious has some of the industry’s highest member satisfaction ratings on Google and Yelp.

You’ll need to be a GCUC UK ticket holder to attend, please bring your lanyard.

We’ll meet at our first stop, Cubo here, there will be coffee, pastries and a brief session from Yardi.

9:30am – 10:30am | Cubo Tour

As the leading provider of premium flexible office space for enterprise customers in the UK, Cubo has rapidly expanded across 10 major regional cities with its unique offer of Grade A flexible workspaces in super prime buildings and locations in Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow.

Cubo now has 5,000 desks across the country and has a further pipeline of four new sites which will open in 2024, taking it to around 7,000 desks by the end of the year.

11:00am – 11:30am | Huckletree Tour

Huckletree was founded in 2014 with a vision to build workspaces that help the world’s most innovative companies thrive – from rapidly expanding scale-ups to established global businesses. Since opening our first workspace in Clerkenwell, London Huckletree has scaled into a provider with a footprint close to 300,000 square feet across 10+ locations; with over 4000 members calling our spaces home.

But we are so much more than just a workspace; we are an ecosystem. Joining Huckletree means joining a network of people who can help you and your business to thrive. Here, networking is more than a chance encounter at the coffee machine, we can help to connect you to our network of member businesses, entrepreneurs, venture partners and ambassadors.

What companies need is always changing so what we offer is always evolving. We’re not just creating spaces to get work done; we’re building environments for innovation. Being at Huckletree means knowing you aren’t just investing in a workspace for your business, you’re investing in your people. Our curated events programme is there to connect, inspire and guide you and your employees, both professionally and personally. And with our human, passionate and fun approach to hospitality you will enjoy calling Huckletree home.

11:45 – 12:15 | Colony Tour

COLONY is an expanding network of flexible workspaces in Manchester — full of creatives, entrepreneurs, freelancers, start-ups and established companies. Spaces where everyone exists together, where ideas pollinate and businesses flourish.

Whether you’re starting your business journey, or rethinking your workspace requirements, you can find a home for your team here at COLONY.