An official coworking association? Not yet.

The concept of creating an official association of coworking spaces was raised this weekend at the Coworking Europe conference, with no clear consensus reached on the idea. A discussion led by Anni Lenius of ClubOffice Berlin heard widely differing viewpoints on whether a formal body representing coworking spaces would be beneficial to individual operators and the industry as a whole.

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Some participants at the Brussels conference argued it would be advantageous to have a logo or badge that all coworking spaces could use to identify with the movement. But this idea was opposed by some because of the potential for other workspaces to co-opt the name and image of a coworking space, without offering the interactive elements that some consider to be the core of the concept.

It was pointed out that, given the predicted growth in the number of coworking spaces worldwide, an association would at some point be formed by at least one sector of the industry. Yet some participants expressed concern about spaces being unable to maintain their independence and individuality within such an association.

There was also some doubt that consensus about the terms of association or even a shared logo could be agreed upon.

The session ended inconclusively, with Lenius suggesting that further discussions be held about closer integration of European coworking spaces, without any mention of formal association.

 

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More articles on the Coworking Conference in Brussels:

Cashing in on coworking

More members than desks: Survey confirms coworking's success

 

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