What makes a great community event? For Maximilian von der Ahé, co-founder of betahaus, the best events go deep into relevant topics while remaining accessible to people who are not already experts. In this episode, Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe, speaks with Maximilian about the role of events and community in coworking—and why great space and furniture alone are no longer enough. Founded in Berlin in 2009, betahaus now operates 13 locations across four countries, with around 4,000 members. Across its spaces, it hosts more than 1,000 events every year. The conversation explores how betahaus selects topics such as AI, gaming and defense tech, while avoiding becoming defined by the latest industry buzzword. Maximilian also explains why accessibility matters, why recurring event formats work better than one-offs, and how the right speakers can attract the right communities. They discuss: • How to balance topic deep dives with accessibility • Why coworking spaces need to offer more than physical space • How to choose relevant topics without chasing every trend • Why successful event formats need consistency • The importance of speakers, community management and personal matchmaking • How events can create tangible business value for coworking members As Maximilian puts it, “space is nothing without great content.” For coworking operators, events can be much more than community programming: they can connect members with new clients, partners, investors and business opportunities. 🌍 Coworking Europe is the voice of Europe’s flex and serviced workspace industry, delivering news, insights, podcasts, reports, and interviews throughout the year: https://coworkingeurope.net/ 🎟️ Join 500+ industry leaders at the annual Coworking Europe Conference, Europe's leading event for coworking, flex office, and workplace innovation: https://coworkingeurope.net/conference/ 🎙️ Hosted by Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe.
