Today mobility is not just a trend, it is becoming a way of life for more and more people. Exploring the world while working is easier than ever and this isn’t valid for freelancers and digital nomads only, but applies to companies and teams from any size and industry. With the increased mobility, the tech and communication advancement comes the rise of the so called shared economy or community market places and its brilliant examples such as Uber, Airbnb and the co-working movement. Starting as a service only for individuals, the concept is quickly enlarging its scope and today there are more and more online platforms adopting the communal principles and offering solutions to businesses. Here we have selected 6 leading platforms for renting a shared office space when on the go – with your team or alone, the international assignments and collaboration are quick and hassle free.
Starting with one of the largest networks of office and co-working spaces around the world DropDesk – almost 5000 locations in 660 cities across 40 countries is quite impressive. DropDesk provides a threefold service – not only super flexible conditions for renting out office and meeting spaces but also support for serviced office providers as well as Optix – a specially developed plug-and-play tool for workplace management solutions, suitable for serviced commercial spaces, venue chains, and coworking spaces. Optix is a cloud-based system that manages all operational aspects of running a shared or serviced office venue. Being vastly spread mainly around the United States and Australia DropDesk provides a wide choice of serviced office and co-working locations around the main European countries as well – France, Germany, Italy or Spain – you name it. A good thing about DropDesk is also that the locations are not concentrated in the capitals only, so you and your team can explore a new country without compensating with the productivity and efficiency of your work.
The next gem in our selection is Instant Offices. Their uniqueness hides in three main features:
#1 – they are not one of the largest but The Largest offices broking service in the whole world, listing more than 10 000 spaces.
#2 – with so many locations Instant Offices is giving the opportunity to base your team not only around Europe but also somewhere really exotic like Azerbaijan or Botswana for example and still be able to benefit from a full stack office service, featuring all necessities.
#3 – they are really proud with their team and there is a reason for that. Instant Offices recruits exceptional staff of professionals that will make everything possible to assure a high-end service so you and your company can focus peacefully on your tasks and prioritise accordingly.
One more of the Big Ones is eOffice – they are concentrated mainly around Europe but feature locations on other continents as well. In the total their portfolio lists more than 250 offices across 60 countries and 120 cities. Their main target group are start-ups and innovation companies but you can still opt to work with them even if your company doesn’t fall into this criteria. What distinguishes eOffice the most is the option to customize the space you are renting out so it could reflect your brand values and radiate the inspirational mood you want your team to work in. Another interesting feature is the eOffice card – a simple tool assuring a priority treatment and benefits up to 8% discount on meeting spaces.
Another representative in the list with a global scope is SpaceWorks. Started in Amsterdam the network now reaches over 19 countries in all parts of the world and aims to offer cosy and inspirational atmosphere. The SpaceWorks’ team is dedicated to please you and your team by any means – not just assuring comfortable interior and all needed facilities but they’ve reached to extend by offering coffee served by a professional barista – how would one resist that? SpaceWorks is putting a great value on ideas, development and growth and targets progressive companies and teams, so they can make sure a strong community is build up and the good mood, collaboration and support are well spread across all the spaces they manage.
Our #5 is somehow different – DesksNear.me is a web platform that plays as a meeting point for companies with excessive office that are willing to rent out some of the space and other companies or individuals that are looking for an office space to rent. Their geographical scope is quite wide as well and covers various cities in Unites States, India, Europe and so on. To list your space in DesksNear.me is free of charge and also provides the opportunity to set selection criteria to the people you would like to attract in the community inhabiting your office space. The options to rent a space are really diverse – ranging from a single desk to a full serviced office or just a meeting room, to an executive suite or a public space. DesksNear.me allows anyone to list or book a space in thousands of cities worldwide quick and easy.
We’ve reserved the last spot in this selection for another unique platform – BuroClub. They have 25 year experience offering office spaces to entrepreneurs and start ups and what makes them stand out is the fact that they invest into building business centres from scratch. BuroClub have established 95 business centres in France, Belgium, Algeria, Germany, Luxemburg, Switzerland and Portugal – all of them providing flexible conditions and complete equipment, assuring you have everything you need in the very moment you need it – virtual office, meeting rooms, video conferencing as well as outsourced secretarial service. The cherry on the top is that they provide multi-location service with a single contract, making it a convenient choice by many multi-national companies as well.
The current list is far from being complete. Having in mind that he shared working spaces industry is growing by a minute, the offering is becoming more and more diverse and complex, aiming to answer the bigger and more sophisticated demand.