COWORKING – Top 5 Trends for 2015
1 :: Growth, growth, growth
This trend is topical every year since the coworking culture entered the mindset of freelancers, entrepreneurs, startups and small to medium size companies. A few are aware that the first coworking space was launched 50 years ago in California and since then the concept has gained momentum and exponential growth over the past years. Featured on the front page of On Office’s latest issue – a design magazine about workspace, coworking has become an independent and established sector within the workplace industry. In comparison to 2014, which ended with 5.800 coworking spaces worldwide, in 2015 it is predicted their number to rise to 9.700. Yet another year with imminent growth.
2 :: Coworking goes countryside
One of the popular topics at last year’s Coworking Europe Conference in Lisbon was the emergence of coworking places in villages and smaller, rural towns. This trend will also further prompt the emergence of the so-called nomad workers – freelancers able to work from anywhere. In 2015 we would be noticing more and more freelancers moving to a less populated areas or warmer, tropical islands in order to increase quality of lifestyle and decrease expenses. Who wouldn’t want to be based in a coworking space in Bali?
3 :: Investments on the way
WeWork did it! Who is next? After securing $335M in funding, investors and opinion makers have a different eye on the coworking/ shared office industry. Realizing the potential and the steady growth, investments will start pouring into some of the leading as well as some of the ‘raw diamonds’ of this sector.
4 :: Coworking for the niche
As the coworking market grows, coworking spaces become more specialized trying to attract and appeal to a special niche market. At Coworking Europe Conference our eOffice team met a person who launched coworking space with farming. Another one had a space just for professionals within the music industry. Many are segmented by industry – tech, creative, retail. There is even one specially dedicated for people with a knitting passion or mums with babies and young kids. And in 2015 we will be seeing more of those specialized types of coworking spaces.
5 :: Coworking not defined by space
The concept of coworking has gone beyond the boundaries of the office building. Today you can see people unintentionally transforming all types of places for coworking purposes. Pass by the The Hoxton Hotel on High Holborn Street and you will find it hard to find a free spot. The lobby of the trendy hotel has been completely taken over by people coming on a regular basis to work as well as cowork with others. Coworking places are also popping up in libraries, gyms and airports. Just take your pick.
