Coworking's model of flexible membership, shared amenity and community is spreading well beyond the office. Meet three businesses running that playbook in completely different worlds: a members' wellbeing estate, a studio network for music and content creators, and neighbourhood coworking and childcare. Few would file themselves under coworking as the sector knows it, yet all sell belonging, flexibility and shared space. We'll explore what the sector can learn from them.
Thursday 8 October & Friday 9 October
Throughout the day: CameThru
Scan the QR on screen to see who else is in the room. Four quick fields, under a minute, opens in your browser, nothing to download. Your profile stays live after the day ends, so you don’t lose access to the room when everyone goes home. Completely optional.
The agenda is fluid and we reserve the right to adapt programming. Speakers are added as they are confirmed.
Event Schedule
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Guest Arrival & Breakfast
Info
Doors open and registration begins. Grab a coffee, collect your badge and settle in before the day gets underway. A relaxed window to arrive and start connecting with the room.
Got a coffee and a seat? Scan the CameThru code on screen and see who's already here. Under a minute, no app to download.
Session Sponsors
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Welcome to GCUC UK
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A short, energising welcome to open the day and set the tone for what's ahead. Join Emilie Lashmar, GCUC UK Director and Producer, alongside your co-MCs for the day, Tia Samuels and Luke Fellone of the Future Leaders of Coworking (FLOC) advisory council, as they kick off GCUC UK London and get you ready for a day of big ideas, honest conversations and proper coworking community.
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From Ten Definitions to One Conviction
Presentation
Our industry still trades on a WeWork-era story. Ask ten operators what we do and you'll get ten different answers. In this session, The Beautiful Truth share a number of practical frameworks for building a narrative worth rallying behind. Scott Barry Kaufman's reimagining of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and the Schwartz Values Wheel: both are methods for uncovering what genuinely motivates the people we serve. Attendees leave with a way to build a narrative the whole sector can tell with conviction.
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WIN, A Year On: The State of Flex
Presentation
A look back at where the flexible workspace sector has moved over the past year, and what the shifts mean for the year ahead. A grounded read on the trends shaping the industry right now.
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Places People Thrive In
Fireside Chat
A conversation about designing spaces where people genuinely want to spend time, and the partnerships that make them happen. We'll get into what good design and collaboration look like in practice.
Speakers
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Mid Morning Break
Info
A break to refuel and catch up with others in the room. Coffee and refreshments available before we head into the next session.
Scan the QR code on screen if you haven't yet.
Session Sponsors
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28 Countries, One Stack: Inside WeWork’s Tech Overhaul
Fireside Chat
WeWork's reinvention didn't just require a new business model, it required an entirely new technology foundation. In this fireside conversation, Yardi's Justin Harley speaks with Jigar Shah, CIO at WeWork, about the reality of consolidating a multitude of legacy systems across 28 countries into a single, modern platform.Jigar brings a rare dual perspective: more than two decades in real estate technology, including senior leadership at Yardi, followed by the challenge of transforming one of the world's most recognised flex workspace brands from the inside. Expect an honest conversation about what works, what doesn't, and what the industry can learn from WeWork's journey.Speakers
Session Sponsors
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Doom & Bloom: The Opportunity Hiding in the Chaos
Panel
New leadership, economic uncertainty, climate, conflict, AI, and a news cycle that only rewards the worst version of every story. If the last five years have felt like building a business on shifting sand, you're not imagining it.
Speakers
Session Sponsors
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Lunch
Info
Lunch is served, with plenty of time to eat, network and explore the venue. A longer break in the middle of the day to recharge before the afternoon programme.
Open CameThru, find the two or three people you came for, and go and eat with them. Not joined yet? Scan the code, four fields, under a minute.
Session Sponsors
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Same Playbook, Different Space: Membership, Flexibility and Community Beyond Coworking
Panel
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Five Leaders, No Script
Panel
Five leaders from some of the industry's most interesting operators. One stage. No moderator, no slides, no pre-agreed questions. Just an open conversation: how a fragmented industry comes together, the fight on business rates, and where the real opportunities are in flex and wider corporate real estate.
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Comfort Break
Info
A short break to stretch, grab a drink and move between rooms before the next round of sessions begins.
Twenty minutes. Someone you spoke to this morning and didn't swap details with is on CameThru. Find them now rather than after.
Session Sponsors
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Why This Matters
Presentation
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Think Tank
Workshop
Pick this one if you'd rather talk than listen. We take a single subject and work through it together. Every contribution is captured, run through The Beautiful Truth's frameworks, and sent back to you afterwards. Your experience goes in; the industry's collective thinking comes out.
Speakers
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Workshops and Roundtables
Workshop
A range of workshops and roundtables, with room to dig into the detail, swap notes, and get specific. Bring a real problem. Get real input.
with Amanda Perry
Building neuroinclusive spaces are no longer a nice-to-have, and yet the challenge can feel overwhelming. Amanda breaks down the 5 areas that need to be considered and the simple steps that we can all take to address them.
with Cat Johnson
Community is one of the most talked about, and least defined, ideas in coworking.
Drawing on research in belonging, social connection, and human behavior, this interactive roundtable explores a different question: What actually helps people move from simply sharing a workspace to genuinely feeling like they belong?
Together, we’ll examine why occupancy doesn’t automatically create connection, why different members need different pathways into community, red flags preventing connection in your space, and how coworking operators can intentionally design environments where meaningful relationships are more likely to emerge.
There’s only so much revenue you can generate from physical space. So what happens when you start thinking beyond the desk?
In this interactive roundtable, we’ll explore how virtual offices can create scalable, recurring revenue from the space, teams and infrastructure you already have. We’ll look at what makes a virtual office model profitable and efficient, where automation can do more of the heavy lifting, and how to build a service that works as it grows.
For many operators, the opportunity is clear, but knowing where to start with AML and compliance can feel like a barrier. We’ll simplify what’s required and explore how the right technology, systems and processes can take away much of the complexity and build compliance into your virtual office model from the start.
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Afternoon Break
Info
A final break of the afternoon to refuel and keep the conversations going before the closing sessions.
Last break before the close. If there's someone you've been meaning to catch all day, CameThru will tell you whether they're still here.
Session Sponsors
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Community as a Competitive Advantage: How to Build a Strategy that Pays Back in Footfall, Retention and Growth
Presentation
Community is the word everyone uses and few convert into ROI. Named one of The Sunday Times' Top 100 Disruptive Entrepreneurs, Pip Jamieson, Founder and CEO of The Dots, makes the commercial case for community as your strongest competitive advantage.
The Dots powers the private social networks behind some of the most respected names in the industry: Soho Works, x+why and Pavilion, plus brands like Apple, The Conduit and the United Nations, giving Pip a rare, data-led view of what makes members stay, refer and spend.
Drawing on the knowledge built by powering 60-plus communities, she'll share a practical strategy for turning scattered activity into an engine for footfall, retention and growth.
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Close
Info
A few closing words to wrap up the day and send everyone into the evening. A moment to reflect on what we've covered before happy hour.
Don't lose access to the room. Your CameThru profile stays live after today, so anyone you didn't get to is still a message away. Haven't added yours? Scan the code now, it takes under a minute.
Session Sponsors
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Happy Hour Pub Quiz: The Ultimate Coworking Trivia Challenge
Info
Join GCUC UK, This Week in Coworking (TWIC) and FLOC for Happy Hour drinks, snacks and a lively pub-style trivia quiz!
Scan the QR code, gather your team and put your coworking knowledge to the test, covering industry history, headlines, and what’s happening right now. Hosted by FLOC Ambassadors, it’s the perfect way to unwind, share a few laughs and end the day with some friendly competition.
There’ll be a winning team, a gracious loser and plenty of fun along the way. Think you know coworking? Come and prove it!
Before the quiz starts, one last look at CameThru. Find your team, or find the person you want on it.
Session Sponsors
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Let the Fun Continue with technologywithin: GCUC Afterparty at Clays
Info
At GCUC, the fun is part of it all, so the day doesn't end when the sessions do. And this year, our friends at technologywithin are making sure of it.
technologywithin are hosting the official GCUC Afterparty at Clays in Soho, and they've pulled out all the stops. Taxis will collect guests from TOGETHER at 7:30 PM and whisk us across town for an evening of games, food, drinks and plenty of friendly competition.
It's the perfect way to unwind, keep the conversations flowing and get to know the people who keep the connectivity behind the workspace industry running. Come and raise a glass with them.
Big thanks to technologywithin for hosting. See you at Clays!
Session Sponsors
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