ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON COWORKINGEUROPE.NET

Essensys is a leader in building software for workspace operators throughout the world. The platform aims at powering every workspace operator’s business, allowing them to grow by automating processes from lead to cash and everything in between. The Essensys software also provides an active community interface that serves as a global networking and member directory, a social feed, and a communication tool for events, announcements, and operator-to-member and member-to-member messaging.

We interviewed Steve Eveleigh, CMO of Essensys, one of the main partners for this year’s Coworking Europe conference.

Hi, Steve. You provide a digital workplace management platform. How do you make sure that your tool remains as “human-centric” as possible?

There is a misconception that technology removes the human element.

In our ten years’ experience, we’ve seen operators hindered by the complexity of running their workspaces. Consumed by manual billing and invoicing, mundane administrative tasks and clunky IT management, operators spend little time in the workspace with their members. Our platform resolves the problem of inefficient processes and the need to juggle multiple vendors, contracts and systems in a way that gives operators more time to focus on their customer relationships and the member experience in their center.  

Our software not only makes managing the coworking space easier and more efficient so operators can spend more time with their members. It also provides a digital community platform for all. Members can take ownership and initiative in building the community that they want with the ability to connect and grow relationships within their workspace community platform.

Connecting, co-collaborating and building professional and social bonds is easier and more human-centric than ever.

This year’s GWA brought together new members, new vendors and old friends under the bright lights of Sin City. We’re taking a stand against the cliché whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. We took it all with us and want to share our 10 key takeaways from this year’s 30^th Annual GWA Conference.

1. New Faces to the Industry

It was great to see so many new operators at GWA 2016. We spoke with many new members at the welcome events and later during the breakout sessions and it was refreshing to see new faces, ideas and investment beginning to proliferate through our industry. Not only are there new members who have been running spaces, but we met a slew of future-operators attending the GWA to get the guidance and know-how from industry experts.

There is an entire market out there seeking interactive environments to grow and nurture their business objectives. This goes for professionals in creative industries as much as it does for TMT industries. At GWA 2016 we saw new and existing Operators keen to optimize on this and deliver customized space and services to their membership.

2. Co-working is Dominating Discussions

There is no doubt that coworking is booming – but almost all of the new operators I spoke to at GWA 2016 were operating coworking spaces. Many were still in the early stage and had big ideas of how they can scale their business and grow their membership and number of sites. Many were looking to find out how they could integrate technology into their operation and to their portfolio.

After a successful week at GWA 2016 in Las Vegas, it’s time to reflect. Not about the amount of money lost at the tables but about what it takes to be a successful workspace operator. This year there was a lot of discussion around how to monetize services and provide upsell and cross-sell opportunities in both coworking spaces, business centers, and executive suites.

With the event held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Resort in Vegas, it occurred to me that there is a huge amount that flexible workspace operators could learn from Sin City. So, here are my thoughts on the top five things that workspace operators can learn from Las Vegas:

Flexible workspace industry veteran, workspace management software expert and essensys President of North America shares the facts, figures and recommendations for flexible workspace operators:

Always-on connectivity has given people and devices the ability to connect to the cloud from wherever they are and regardless of what they’re doing. The network is now the computer, pushing much of the hard-core processing into the cloud, which means that our devices have become smaller, more convenient and even wearable. But we all know that mobile connectivity has limitations and frustrations, so how can we make sure to provide the best possible network access in a flexible workspace?

RELIABLE AND HIGH PERFORMING TECHNOLOGY IS THE CORNERSTONE OF A SUCCESSFUL WORKSPACE ACCORDING TO ESSENSYS, WHICH HAS DEVELOPED A PLATFORM FOR WORKSPACE COMPANIES THAT IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. GLORIA LOMBARDI INTERVIEWS ESSENSYS' CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER STEPHEN EVELEIGH, IN MARGINALIA, TO FIND OUT MORE.

Flexible workspaces are flourishing and to a large degree have been driven by the changing expectations of companies and indeed their workforces – they have created a new phenomenon called space-as-a-service market. In fact, over the past few years we have witnessed the emergence of flexible office solutions such as co-working spaces, innovation hubs, science parks and executive suites. Companies such as WeWork, the Impact Hub or Techspace are examples in a sector which is growing – attracting both small and large entrants. 

 
Written by Mark Furness, essensys CEO. Originally published in Officing Today
 
In their vision of tomorrow’s office, some futurists might be doing the younger generation a disservice. Millennials are more sociable than you might think. Quick to label them the digital natives that favour online communication tools and remote working options, there is a danger that we miss a key ingredient – people.
 
From our experience, younger workers are in fact, more collaborative in the way they work than previous generations. They value the contributions of their colleagues and aren’t afraid to pull in resources from outside of their usual business circles. 

 
This week is International Coworking week and in observance, we’ve put together a past, present and future snapshot of the most important topics to keep you in the know.

 
NEW YORK, 7 July 2016 essensys, the leading technology provider to the flexible workplace industry, has been selected by Carr Workplaces to deliver their workspace management platform and a technology upgrade to the operator’s existing infrastructure in order to enable increased efficiencies and accommodate their continuing growth.
 
David Kinnaird, President of essensys North America, commented: “We are delighted to announce a new client partnership with Carr Workplaces, North America’s fourth largest provider of flexible workplaces with a portfolio of 28 prime locations in 7 states and Washington, D.C.”