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
The agenda is fluid and we reserve the right to adapt programming. Speakers are added as they are confirmed.
Event Schedule
-
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.
-
Welcome to GCUC UK
Info
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.
Speakers
-
-
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.
Speakers
-
-
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.
Speakers
-
-
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
-
-
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.
-
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
-
-
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
-
-
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.
-
Same Playbook, Different Space: Membership, Flexibility and Community Beyond Coworking
Panel
-
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.
Speakers
-
-
Comfort Break
Info
A short break to stretch, grab a drink and move between rooms before the next round of sessions begins.
-
Why This Matters
Presentation
-
Think Tank
Workshop
Pick this one if you'd rather talk than listen. We're taking a single subject and working through it together, with everything the room says captured, run through The Beautiful Truth's frameworks and sent back to you afterwards. Your thinking goes in, the industry's thinking comes out.
-
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.
Speakers
-
-
Early Afternoon Break
Info
A final break of the afternoon to refuel and keep the conversations going before the closing sessions.
-
The Lightning Round
Presentation
A fast-paced session of short talks. Quick, punchy and to the point.
-
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.
Speakers
-
-
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.
-
Drinks Reception
Info
The day winds down with drinks and an open floor to carry on the conversations. A relaxed way to end things and make a few more connections before heading off.
