OpenSpace

Happy New Year! At OpenSpace, we believe that having an all-inclusive place to work, meet, share, and create should be simple. With this in mind, we are introducing new simplified pricing later in the month.

Why are you changing your prices?

When we first launched OpenSpace, we based our pricing model on what similar collaborative workspaces were doing (it seemed like a good place to start in 2009). The general trend seemed to be that you have several plans based on a number of factors like amount of time, after-hour access, and other miscellaneous features.

After living with the current pricing for over four years, we found that it fell short in a few areas:

• Individuals and large meetings are paying higher than ideal rates for daylong access, even though they had underutilized our services. This doesn’t’ seem fair.
• We have a few groups with multiple “Unlimited” plans. Our current space and member pricing doesn’t work when scaled beyond a few members.
• It just feels complicated. You (and we) have to track time and all this other stuff just to use our space. Our offering is far simpler than our previous plans and pricing.

So, we’re switching things up. Not only is our new pricing a lot simpler, we believe it’s fairer for everyone, good for our business, and better for our space.

What are the changes?

We’re scrapping the complicated time-tracking plans and switching to:

$35 per person, per day

Every person will get access to everything all day long from 8am until midnight, Monday thru Friday. If you want unfettered access during the nights and weekends and mail service, simply pay an extra $100 per month. That’s it. Nothing more.

When will this be happening?

January 15th, 2014 (two weeks from today)

Do I need to do anything?

If you’re already an “Unlimited” member: Nope, you’re good. If the new pricing is cheaper for you then go ahead and upgrade to the new pricing when we roll it out on January 15th. If you prefer to stay on your existing Unlimited plan, you can do that as well. If you do elect to stay on your existing plan, we’ll provide you two free day passes per month for you to give to a friend or for use for another meeting in the future.

If you’re already an “Occasional” member: Nope, we’ll roll you over into our new pricing. The good news is that the new rate now includes all-day access to our facility any day you come. However, we’re changing how we count people. It used to be that you could bring in as many people you want into the space but we’d only add up the minutes the entire group spent. Under the new pricing, it’s simply an all-inclusive $35 per person, per day.

If you’re not already an “Unlimited” member: Maybe. If you see yourself using our space significantly in the new year, you might want to consider signing up for the existing Unlimited plan between now and January 14th. Starting on January 15th, this plan at this discounted price point will no longer be available for purchase.

If you have any questions or feedback feel free to contact us.

We are pleased to announce that OpenSpace now has a Polycom conference phone permanently available in every conference studio! We’re doing our best to make collaboration easier–both near and far.

Have you ever had a great idea, but no clue how to present it?

Having an innovative idea is only the first step in launching your own business or startup. In order for things to really take off, you’ll need to be able to convince others that you are worth investing in.

OpenSpace to the rescue! Beginning in March, we will be introducing our four-part professional development workshop series, “Acting for Entrepreneurs.”

Designed to help you cultivate a commanding presence in business situations, “Acting for Entrepreneurs” will teach you the fundamental tools and techniques of performance to help you express yourself more dynamically in the workplace. Led by veteran performer Denise Stewart, this series will also enhance your abilities to improvise, tap into mind-body relaxation techniques to calm nerves and conquer stage fright, and effectively sell your idea!

Sign-up will open this week–so stay tuned and watch this space!

Denise Stewart is a wellness coach, playwright, and actor. Over the past three years, she has spoken to groups/events such as Blogville, the CASA State Conference, AORN Nurses’ Conference, the Women’s 4-Miler Training Program, the Charlottesville Rotary Club, Martha Jefferson Hospital, and NRVCares of Blacksburg. Denise has an MFA in Playwriting from UVA and a BA in Theatre from Catawba College. She is the executive director of Wellness Charlottesville, LLC. She also teaches wellness and self-esteem workshops for teenage girls, and recently she toured her one-woman show, Dirty Barbie and other girlhood tales, in Washington, DC, New York City, and Edinburgh, Scotland.

www.deedeeslivingwill.com | www.wellnesscharlottesville.com | [email protected]

Dear OpenSpace Members,

On Thursday, November 15th, the work studios and gallery tables will be occupied for a meeting from 9:45am-2:30pm.

Also during this time the kitchen will not be accessible as usual; however, we will do our best to accommodate your kitchen/refrigeration needs.

The main room will be open as usual.

Please direct any questions to Catherine at c[email protected].

Thank you for understanding!

You’re in luck! Come get your work done at OpenSpace- we’ve got the trifecta: AC, Internet, and plenty of coffee to keep you going through the power outages.

According to a study by Lumosity, as reported in the Atlantic, Charlottesville has been ranked the #1 city in the US in “cognitive performance.”

We’d like to think all of our wonderfully smart and talented OpenSpace members had something to do with this! Wouldn’t you agree?

We have a new, more efficient printer! Help us be more environmentally friendly by printing in black and white- when you go to print, just choose OpenSpace P2055dn as your default OpenSpace printer.

- To connect for Macs: Add “OpenSpace P2055dn” to your printer list

- To connect for PCs: Visit hp.com and download the necessary drivers for HP LaserJet P2055dn

If you still need color, OpenSpace Color CP3525 is available as an alternative. Follow the same steps above to add this printer.

OpenSpace was recently featured in the latest edition of Impact Magazine from OM Workspace. Check out their thoughts on coworking spaces, with insights from OpenSpace architect Jeff Bushman, OpenSpace Location Leader Erin Miller, and long-time OpenSpace member Joe Barnes. Read the article here.

To better accommodate our PC user members in an increasingly Mac-biased world, we’ve added a second PC-compatible monitor! Now PC users won’t have to share that one solitary white monitor. Be sure to check out the new addition- it’s so sleek and shiny (in keeping with the OpenSpace aesthetic, of course)!

Your requests have been heard! Decaf coffee is back! All the warmth and goodness of coffee, without the jitters, just in time for colder weather.