8 Essential Coworking Space Features | London Edition
If you’re looking for a no-nonsense list of essential coworking space features, this is it! In this article we will detail some of the most useful features that coworking spaces can offer you, allowing your work to be done as smoothly as possible.
We like to point out that London has more coworking spaces than any other city worldwide, so this is especially relevant to you if you live around the city. Not all coworking spaces are made equal, mind you – some may not offer all of the features on this list – but here we will list the features we expect a good quality coworking space should be able to provide (such as ours!).
Let’s get started.
Essential coworking space features in London
Number 1: High speed internet
In the post-Covid era, effective collaboration hinges more and more on video calling. We’ve all likely had to suffer through video calls where either we are panicking because our connection is dodgy, or where we have to try to discern broken speech from someone else whose own connection is unreliable.
It always ends up being a waste of everybody’s time. With so many meetings nowadays being hybrid it’s essential to have a consistently reliable connection, and home broadband doesn’t always cut it.
A good coworking space will have its own high capacity, high speed internet; when you’re there, you will never have to worry about a poor connection again, whether that’s in London, or anywhere else in the world.
Number 2: Networking events
For a coworking space containing a load of independent business professionals, networking events make sense, right? Networking events are a fantastic way to meet like-minded people and advance your career. Most coworking spaces will hold these frequently in their communal areas, usually entry is free for those who have packages at that coworking space.
Number 3: Private office spaces
Some coworking spaces (such as Venture X) offer private office spaces for small businesses who wish to have their own space.
In our case, aspects such as branding and layout are even customisable! The advantage of having a private office space within a coworking building, rather than a traditional office space, is that you are still able to enjoy the benefits of coworking space, such as networking events for example.
Number 4: Tea and coffee facilities
Coffee these days is a rip off, there’s no other way of putting it – especially in cities such as London. Depending where you are, you can see chains charging up to £5 for a cup of your favourite coffee, and that’s assuming you don’t have one of those annoying hyper-specific coffee orders with seven different additions.
Tea is the worst rip off, as some chains will charge £3 for… a tea bag and water? Seriously?
We digress. The point is, a coworking space can save you a lot of money in the long run as they can provide you with unlimited tea and affordable coffee options, as part of your package.
Spending up to £5 per hot drink every day you go into the office can start to add up very quickly, so the savings are larger than you might think. That’s not even factoring in how convenient it is to order a coffee in the same building you are working.
Number 5: Large communal areas
These have much the same benefits as the networking events described above, just in a less formal setting.
Coworking spaces are designed to have large communal areas, such as seating areas, which are there to encourage casual conversation between members.
It doesn’t even have to be business related either – even simple conversation can make the work atmosphere a lot lighter and therefore more enjoyable.
Number 6: Private meeting spaces
For meetings which may discuss more sensitive information, coworking spaces have private meeting spaces to hand, which tend to require booking.
Alternatively, for video calls, convenient private phone booths will be available which won’t require booking, you can simply go in if it’s free. At our Chiswick Park location, we even have outdoor meeting pods which are set amongst grass and lakes!
Number 7: Recreational facilities
Another of the essential coworking space features includes recreational facilities such as ping pong tables or table football, they organise weekly events to bring members together and create a community.
This is again a fantastic opportunity to meet others in the building in an informal setting, and most importantly to stretch out your lunch break as long as you can.
Number 8: Virtual office
Say you don’t require a physical space to work in, but would rather a prestigious business address for your mail and enquiries.
Coworking spaces once again have you covered! Many offer simple virtual office packages at very low prices. For example, at Venture X, starting at just £50 per month (plus VAT), you would get access to the following: access to a prestigious business address in London, mail forwarding and parcel handling services, telephone redirection and answering services, meeting room access and access to other on-demand amenities, and access to our events program and Member Community. For more information, check out our article on it.
So there you go! That’s why you should seriously consider getting a package at a coworking space. Of course, if you want to do that, only the best will suffice… Allow Venture X to step in. Take a trip to our homepage to book a tour or get more information.