by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Downtown hosted the first North Florida attempt at one of global business’s latest trends this week when a fourth-floor office space at AT&T Tower was set up for “Coworking Week.”
The concept involves making temporary office space available, in increments as small as an hour or two and amenities limited to a chair, enough desk space for a laptop computer and Wi-Fi.
Co-working appeals to people who don’t work in a traditional office environment. That includes graphic designers, freelance writers and marketers, for example. Many people in those fields have in the past worked in their homes, or maybe a cafe or coffee shop when the isolation of working alone became an issue.
A co-working environment offers the opportunity to be around like-minded people with similar professional lives and interests. With a coffee maker running all day, one of the requirements for a properly maintained co-working space, it’s like setting up shop at Starbucks but without the barista.
Marketing entrepreneur Elton Rivas, one of the founders of zeroconfines.com, organized the five-day experiment in partnership with Downtown Vision Inc. He said his company has helped launch co-working sites in California, Washington, D.C., and the Pacific Northwest.
“This is the first step. The goal is to create a permanent co-working space,” he said. Rivas said more than 60 potential co-workers registered for the week at AT&T Tower and as many as 20 have been working at the same time.
Even though the space was open for just a few days, people quickly started using the environment, said Ron Hubbard, a graphic designer and one of the organizers of Coworking Week.
“People are liking being able to just grab a chair, open up their laptop and go to work. Some people have even met clients here this week,” he said.
DVI Executive Director Terry Lorince said Coworking Week was the culmination of something that started more than a year ago when the “Off the Grid” art gallery initiative began.
Artists and groups of artists who were looking for space to work and exhibit have connected with property owners wanting to energize empty storefronts to open 14 Off the Grid galleries Downtown.
Lorince said that as soon as the program was made available, DVI started to receive inquiries from people in other endeavors who were interested in a similar arrangement.
“We were getting calls from Web designers, IT people, architects, interior designers and other creative types. For many people, all they need is Wi-Fi and a cell phone to be in business,” said Lorince.
She sees it as a way to create more vibrancy in another segment of Downtown’s commercial real estate market.
“We want art galleries on the street level, but above the street, there are offices available,” said Lorince.
DVI contacted property owners and invited them to visit Coworking Week to see what it’s all about and consider it as an option to fill empty office space. Lorince said several owners expressed interest in moving forward toward establishing a more permanent co-working site.
“We know it won’t be as visible as Off the Grid, but it appeals to talented, creative people. That’s the culture we’re building Downtown,” she said.
Late Thursday afternoon, the decision was made to make Coworking Week “Coworking Two Weeks.” Users and visitors are welcome through 4 p.m. next Friday. The suite is on the fourth floor of AT&T Tower 301.
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