Hackspaces / Coworking

[portseven]

Has anyone rented a desk in one of the backspaces / co-working places?

Examples are SpaceportX, and Elevator in Manchester

While I am not exactly a startup, I generally have blue-chip clients, I wonder if these places would be good for networking / upskilling / finding new work.

As long as current clients don't mind you working in these places, and you dont share any confidential info...

[clearedforlanding]

Has anyone rented a desk in one of the backspaces / co-working places?

Examples are SpaceportX, and Elevator in Manchester

While I am not exactly a startup, I generally have blue-chip clients, I wonder if these places would be good for networking / upskilling / finding new work.

As long as current clients don't mind you working in these places, and you dont share any confidential info...

They can be fun, but ageist. Starbucks serve this function in the US.

You are not going to be networking with a blue chip crowd, but the start up crowd. Success rate is 5% on start ups, so unless you are specifically looking at joining the startup crowd, if you want to network & find new work a golf club membership might be a better investment.

Or throw a school reunion. The most lucrative networking move I ever made was to throw my school years 25th reunion. 5 different direct to client gigs that I could run concurrently for a few years.

[northernladuk]

Get a private membership at a members only club.

You've got Club Brass in Hotel Gotham in Manchester.

Brass Club, Hotel Gotham

http://clubbrass.hotelgotham.co.uk/d...pBrassClub.pdf

That will impress the clients and not expensive at £750 for the year. Take a picture of your accountants face when you put that one through though

[oliverson]

They can be fun, but ageist. Starbucks serve this function in the US.

You are not going to be networking with a blue chip crowd, but the start up crowd. Success rate is 5% on start ups, so unless you are specifically looking at joining the startup crowd, if you want to network & find new work a golf club membership might be a better investment.

Or throw a school reunion. The most lucrative networking move I ever made was to throw my school years 25th reunion. 5 different direct to client gigs that I could run concurrently for a few years.

Wonder if golf club membership for marketing purposes is a claimable expense :-D

[clearedforlanding]

Wonder if golf club membership for marketing purposes is a claimable expense :-D

I have claimed it but more plausible places might include the CCR at T5 & BA001/BA002, the latter particularly if in FS as they appear to be JP Morgan social clubs at 30,000 FT. Flights to get the BA CCR card are easily expensed but can add up . Might be a lot cheaper to turn up to the annual BA Flyertalk do on the 30th of Sept where the entire CCR empties out to a hospital of all places for an evenings of drinks, food and wittering over the merits of different airlines amenity kits and repositioning to OSL, DUB, JER or SVN .

All joking aside, business travel is a fantastic networking opportunity, with the caveat that you must be interesting - but that applies anywhere.

[TykeMerc]

I have claimed it but more plausible places might include the CCR at T5 & BA001/BA002, the latter particularly if in FS as they appear to be JP Morgan social clubs at 30,000 FT. Flights to get the BA CCR card are easily expensed but can add up . Might be a lot cheaper to turn up to the annual BA Flyertalk do on the 30th of Sept where the entire CCR empties out to a hospital of all places for an evenings of drinks, food and wittering over the merits of different airlines amenity kits and repositioning to OSL, DUB, JER or SVN .

All joking aside, business travel is a fantastic networking opportunity, with the caveat that you must be interesting - but that applies anywhere.

Let me get this right, you're advocating taking business class flights for the purposes of networking?

1. What planet do you originate from?
2. How is that approach ever supposed to be financially sensible?
3. As a "new" poster on the forum do you like movies about gladiators?
4. Please be aware that you shouldn't start posting in General until you've hit a postcount of 100+, that way you add "credibility" to the posting ID.

[clearedforlanding]

Let me get this right, you're advocating taking business class flights for the purposes of networking?

1. What planet do you originate from?
2. How is that approach ever supposed to be financially sensible?
3. As a "new" poster on the forum do you like movies about gladiators?
4. Please be aware that you shouldn't start posting in General until you've hit a postcount of 100+, that way you add "credibility" to the posting ID.

Re read the post. Take note of the "all joking aside" statement after the outlandish suggestion.

I am not suggesting taking business class flights. I am however suggesting that business travel is a great place to network. People who you might never meet in professional circumstances might be sitting next to you on a plane or train.

You'll have to explain point 4 for me. Perhaps you are confusing this with the General forum?

[Boo]

Has anyone rented a desk in one of the backspaces / co-working places?

Examples are SpaceportX, and Elevator in Manchester

While I am not exactly a startup, I generally have blue-chip clients, I wonder if these places would be good for networking / upskilling / finding new work.

As long as current clients don't mind you working in these places, and you dont share any confidential info...

What's the deal with business rates at these places ?

Boo

[SueEllen]

You'll have to explain point 4 for me. Perhaps you are confusing this with the General forum?

He's just being an a***

However you are right - you need to network everywhere as everyone knows someone.

Though some male IT people are very good at killing off network opportunities for others.

[redgiant]

A friend of mine used to use the private members area at the top of the Gherkin in London for working when he was in the City meeting clients - plenty of free good quality biscuits and tea & coffee to add to the view. I think that was about £750-800 p/a for membership but get got a lot of use out of it.