Coworking Europe Podcast

SocialWorkplaces.com

Podcast by SocialWorkplaces.com

  1. 2d ago

    #91 IWG: Acquiring Wojo and Design Offices Strengthens Our Flex Multi-Brand Strategy

    IWG, the world's largest flexible workspace operator, is expanding its European network through acquisitions, asset-light partnerships and new locations beyond major city centres. The recent addition of Wojo in France and Design Offices in Germany is part of the group's strategy to offer different workspace brands, products and price points across its international network. In this episode of the Coworking Europe Podcast, Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe, speaks with Paulo Dias, Head of Europe at IWG, about the group's expansion strategy, the integration of acquired brands and the changing European flexible workspace market. Paulo explains why IWG sees value in preserving the identity of brands such as Wojo and Design Offices, how its scale and corporate customer relationships support new locations, and why management agreements with landlords have become central to the group's growth. The conversation also explores IWG's expansion into suburbs, regional cities and business parks, where demand comes from both local businesses and large corporations seeking satellite offices closer to employees and customers. In this episode, we discuss: Why IWG acquired Wojo and Design Offices and what comes next for their brands How a multi-brand strategy helps address different customer segments and workspace needs Why IWG's relationships with over 85% of Fortune 500 companies provide a competitive advantage How asset-light management agreements are accelerating expansion Why suburbs, secondary cities and business parks are important growth markets How Regus is adapting to changing workplace expectations The rise of managed offices in Paris and London, and IWG's approach to larger corporate requirements How IWG chooses locations and brands across its European network Paulo also discusses the growing professionalisation of the flexible workspace industry and the importance of exchanging ideas between operators across European markets. 🎙️ Hosted by Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe. 🌍 Coworking Europe delivers news, insights, podcasts and interviews from across Europe's coworking and flexible workspace industry. https://coworkingeurope.net/ 🎟️ Coworking Europe Conference 2026 — Paris, November 5–6 https://coworkingeurope.net/conference/

    #91 IWG: Acquiring Wojo and Design Offices Strengthens Our Flex Multi-Brand Strategy

  2. Oct 27

    #90 Zero Debt, EBITDA 20%: Scott.Weber Proves the Business Case for Investing in Flex Workspace

    Can flexible workspace become an established asset class for investors? Scott.Weber Workspace, the largest flexible workspace operator in the Czech Republic, has built a profitable business with 40% market share, 17 locations, zero debt and consistent EBITDA margins of around 20%. In this episode, Adam Zvada, founder and CEO of Scott.Weber, joins Coworking Europe founder Jean-Yves Huwart to discuss how the company has grown organically and through acquisitions, and why its financial track record could help demonstrate the investment potential of flexible workspace. Adam explains how financial discipline, premium services and a hospitality-driven approach have supported the company's growth. He also discusses the increasing interest from private equity, strategic and hospitality investors, and how management agreements with landlords could open new opportunities for expansion. With plans to reach 21 locations and nearly 80,000 sqm, Scott.Weber offers an example of how flexible workspace operators can combine profitability, scale and customer experience. 🎙️ Adam Zvada will also be speaking at Coworking Europe 2026 in Paris, November 5–6, joining the discussion on investment opportunities in the flex workspace industry. 🌍 Coworking Europe delivers news, insights, podcasts, reports and interviews from across Europe's coworking and flexible workspace industry. https://coworkingeurope.net/ 🎟️ Join 500+ industry professionals at Coworking Europe 2026: https://coworkingeurope.net/conference/ 🎙️ Hosted by Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe.

    #90 Zero Debt, EBITDA 20%: Scott.Weber Proves the Business Case for Investing in Flex Workspace

  3. Oct 20

    #89 "Half of the 100 Biggest US Companies Are Now WeWork Members" - Ep. 3 (3/3)

    From startups and freelancers to some of the world's largest corporations, WeWork's customer base has changed significantly over the past 15 years. Today, 47% of Fortune 100 companies are WeWork customers, and enterprise clients account for more than 40% of its global membership. In the third and final episode of our exclusive WeWork podcast series, Rebecca Nachanakian, General Manager of Continental Europe and Middle East, joins Coworking Europe founder Jean-Yves Huwart to discuss how corporate demand for flexible workspace is evolving and what lies ahead for the European market. The conversation explores how flex workspace has become an established option alongside traditional office leases, why companies from an increasingly broad range of industries are embracing it, and how hybrid working is shaping demand. Rebecca also discusses WeWork's workplace management technology, the growing openness of landlords to management agreements, and why she expects traditional leases and flexible workspace solutions to coexist in the years ahead. Can flex workspace become a standard component of every company's real estate strategy? And could management agreements accelerate the industry's growth? 🎙️ This is Episode 3 of our exclusive three-part WeWork series. Listen to the previous episodes to learn about WeWork's return to growth, product innovations, and renewed investment in community and hospitality. 🌍 Coworking Europe delivers news, insights, podcasts, reports and interviews from across Europe's coworking, flex and serviced workspace industry. https://coworkingeurope.net/ 🎟️ Meet Rebecca Nachanakian at Coworking Europe 2026 in Paris, November 5–6, alongside 500+ coworking, flexible workspace and real estate professionals. https://coworkingeurope.net/conference/ 🎙️ Hosted by Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe.

    #89 "Half of the 100 Biggest US Companies Are Now WeWork Members" - Ep. 3 (3/3)

  4. Oct 16

    #88 "We’ve all been trained by a luxury hotel company" Episode 2 (2/3)

    What can coworking operators learn from luxury hotels about delivering a better member experience? WeWork has partnered with a luxury hotel operator to develop a hospitality training programme, called Beyond the Basics, which has reached nearly 3,000 employees worldwide. The programme focuses on anticipating member needs, recognising unspoken concerns, proactively resolving problems and going beyond traditional customer service. The training extends from community teams to sales, operations and management. In Episode 2 of our exclusive three-part podcast series, Rebecca Nachanakian, General Manager of Continental Europe and Middle East at WeWork, explains why the company is investing more in its community teams and how hospitality is becoming central to its approach to member experience. Rebecca also discusses WeWork's evolving workspace design, digital products and community events, and why she considers community the company's “secret sauce.” 🎙️ Hosted by Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe. 🌍 More coworking industry news, insights and interviews: https://coworkingeurope.net/ 🎟️ Meet Rebecca at Coworking Europe 2026 in Paris, November 5–6: https://coworkingeurope.net/conference/

    #88 "We’ve all been trained by a luxury hotel company" Episode 2 (2/3)

  5. Oct 5

    #87 "WeWork is Back on the Growth Path!" - Episode 1 (1/3)

    Where is WeWork today — and what comes next? In the first episode of our three-part WeWork series, Jean-Yves Huwart speaks with Rebecca Nachanakian, General Manager of Continental Europe and Middle East at WeWork, about where the company stands in 2026 and how it is approaching its next phase of growth. Following its restructuring, WeWork has been EBITDA-positive since Q4 2025, is debt-free and today operates 604 locations, including franchise partners, across 135 cities worldwide. In Continental Europe, it has 55 locations across nine countries and 15 cities. Rebecca discusses how WeWork has used the past few years to stabilize the business, refresh its portfolio, invest in technology and strengthen its focus on hospitality and member experience — and why expansion is now back on the agenda, but with a more disciplined approach. In this episode: Where WeWork stands today What has changed since its restructuring WeWork’s current European footprint and occupancy Where the company sees opportunities for expansion Why Southern Europe is performing strongly How WeWork selects potential new locations The growing role of managed solutions for enterprise customers Partnerships with other coworking operators WeWork’s technology development with Yardi This is Part 1 of our three-part conversation with WeWork. The next episodes will explore product innovation and how changing company and employee needs are shaping the flexible workspace market. 🌍 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.

    #87 "WeWork is Back on the Growth Path!" - Episode 1 (1/3)

  6. Sep 24

    #86 Numbers Show Coworking Operators are Missing Out on Meeting Rooms Revenue

    How much revenue is sitting unused in coworking meeting rooms? In this episode, Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe, speaks with Thilo Utke, co-founder of Cobot, about new data highlighting the untapped potential of meeting rooms in coworking spaces. Cobot’s German data shows that 62% of coworking spaces offer meeting rooms for external bookings, yet bookings made externally through the available booking tools account for just 0.6% of meeting room utilization. 👉 The full Cobot report on external bookings is available here: https://blog.cobot.me/the-external-bookings-opportunity-in-coworking/ For Thilo, this is an opportunity operators can act on. Making meeting rooms more visible, providing external customers with better information, using channels such as Google Maps and aggregator platforms, and simplifying the booking process could help operators reach more non-members and generate additional revenue from existing capacity. The conversation covers: Why external meeting room bookings remain so low How operators can make their meeting rooms more visible What information external customers need before booking Why photos, descriptions, equipment and additional services matter How to simplify the external booking process Pricing meeting rooms for external customers Whether external bookings compete with members for capacity The data also suggests this is not only a German phenomenon, with Cobot seeing similarly low external usage across other European markets. 🌍 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.

    #86 Numbers Show Coworking Operators are Missing Out on Meeting Rooms Revenue

  7. Sep 15

    #85 Thanks to Management Agreements We Grew to 12 Locations in 3 Years

    In this episode, Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe, speaks with Rafał Pisklewicz, founder of The Shire – Beyond Coworking, about how landlord partnerships and management agreements have helped the Polish flex operator grow to 12 locations and more than 24,000 sqm in just three years. More than half of The Shire’s portfolio now operates under management agreements based on income sharing and close cooperation with landlords. Rafał explains that the model starts with trust, transparency and a clear understanding of the landlord’s economics. His own background in asset management and leasing has helped The Shire build partnerships around a simple objective: make vacant office space productive and profitable for both sides. The conversation also explores why flex operators can help landlords capture demand from smaller occupiers that would otherwise be difficult to accommodate in traditional office buildings. In this episode: How The Shire grew to 12 locations in three years Why more than half of its portfolio is based on management agreements How successful first partnerships helped attract more landlords Why trust and transparency are critical to operator-landlord relationships How flex can activate vacant office space Why profit sharing can align the interests of landlords and operators How flex operators can help landlords serve smaller occupiers Why partnership models differ between Warsaw and regional Polish markets How The Shire approaches management agreements, joint ventures and other cooperation models For Rafał, there is no single formula that works for every property. The objective is to find a partnership structure that works for both parties — and ultimately makes the space perform. 🌍 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/ Rafał Pisklewicz will join Coworking Europe 2026 in Paris to share more about The Shire’s growth and its approach to landlord partnerships. 🎙️ Hosted by Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe.

    #85 Thanks to Management Agreements We Grew to 12 Locations in 3 Years

  8. Sep 8

    #84 We solve the workspace need coworking day passes don’t cover

    What happens when you need a professional place to work for just one or two hours? In this episode, Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe, speaks with Oliver Lehmann, Business Developer at ATworld and former General Manager of Mindspace Germany, about a growing use case in the flexible workspace market: workspace by the hour. Business travellers, remote workers and hybrid employees increasingly need places to work between meetings, before a train or flight, or simply for a few focused hours away from home. ATworld is addressing this demand through a network of nearly 2,500 locations, ranging from coworking spaces and hotels to cafés and airport lounges. Oliver explains why this model is designed to complement coworking rather than compete with it. By serving shorter stays and more distributed demand, the network can introduce new users to coworking spaces and generate incremental traffic and revenue for operators. They discuss: • The growing demand for workspace by the hour • Why hybrid and remote work require more distributed workspace options • How hotels, cafés and coworking spaces can form one flexible network • The opportunity for coworking operators to reach new customers • Why demand is emerging in residential neighbourhoods as well as transport hubs • What coworking can learn from network models in the fitness industry • Why hospitality remains central to the work-from-anywhere experience ATworld is a partner of Coworking Europe 2026 in Paris. 🌍 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.

    #84 We solve the workspace need coworking day passes don’t cover
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About

Podcast by SocialWorkplaces.com

Information

  • Creator
    SocialWorkplaces.com
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © content produces by @socialworkplaces.com
  • Show Website
    Coworking Europe Podcast