According to a recent article in the Business News, the current office market conditions are proving to be a gateway for an increased level of inquiry from interior design firms - competition for renovation is high. Innovators and small businesses have taken over Perth and as the economy has taken a hit, the workforce have turned their attention to a new style of economy, the experience economy.
The idea that offices are occupied by one large company seems somewhat redundant in the experience economy of Perth - and shared work spaces providing strong networks seem to becoming more popular. Small businesses, tech companies and cloud based strategists are not only offering a product to a new market and exciting market, but their products are enabling a greater experience of and potential for innovation, growth and success.
So what exactly is coworking, networking and community, and what does it have to do with office spaces?
Working out of Spacecubed, the collaboration and coworking space pioneering Perth’s venture into the experience economy, Jasmin Ward is the Operations Manager for an office development company working across Australia and Asia; with clients such as Airbnb, Facebook, Uber and Twitter. After spending three years working for one of the world’s largest accounting firms, Jasmin has taken her first steps into the new office experience - a decision that has revitalised her career.
“Coworking really captures and harnesses the diversity needed in a workplace for ideas to expand into exciting business opportunities,” Jasmin spoke of her day-to-day life at Spacecubed.
Coworking is the idea that individual business owners, entrepreneurs and innovators share their office space with a group of like-minded businessmen and women, and establish a reliable, coherent and successful support network.
“It’s a great place to network, if I need help in an area of my work where I don’t have strong experience, the coworking space means I can engage with industry leaders in that area, take tech for example,” Jasmin continued.
Coworking spaces offer a flexible alternative to the everyday office environment. A community built up of diverse individuals, the experience of such spaces provides a professional and productive working environment with a strong network of industry leaders - key contacts which will aid the growth of a business from its ideas stage, to being an industry leading company.
The creatively designed office spaces are revolutionising Perth’s economy, ensuring that small businesses have a place to call home, as and when they want or need to. Offering different packages shaped around a businesses needs, wants and interests, there seems to be a greater shift and demand towards the idea of coworking in Perth.
“Having worked as a consultant for three years, I don’t think these kind of spaces are just for techies or startups,” Jasmin explained. The diversity of Perth’s new office spaces enable a range of businesses and services to collaborate and share the creative space, thereby becoming more productive.
In creative spaces, breeds innovation - and as once dependent on the mining industry alone, Perth’s new office spaces seem to provide a much needed stability for all companies, no matter their area expertise.
As Video Journalist Pauline Den Hartog Jager explains in her recent account of regeneration in Perth, coworking and flexible workspaces are keeping Perth's economy alive. As Perth undergoes regeneration, coworking spaces are definitely breaking down the stereotypes and establishing lifelines for small businesses, strong networks and industry leading companies.