09
May
Charlottesville beCamp 2009, May 8th and 9th!
As the site says, “Think of it as an open-source geek gathering where you get to decide what goes into and what comes out of the event. It’s 2 days of creating, collaborating, and conversing with people just as juiced excited about technology as you are.” What a cool concept, and we certainly did get a lot out of it! Last night’s casual event helped us meet local IT professionals we’ve been talking to and listening to on Twitter and Facebook. Great to finally put faces to usernames and avatars! This morning, we participated in a very informative session on Entrepreneurship, followed by a session led on ROWE and the concept of coworking. While not meant to be an hour of self-promotion, we appreciate the sincere interest in OpenSpace. We learned so much more about the tech community’s needs and will work to integrate the ideas shared into our business plan and offerings. As for ROWE, it sounds like a lot of local companies already have different levels of the type of work environment that ROWE offers…it’s refreshing to know that companies are appreciating work/life balance and that a happy employee actually increases productivity.
Thanks to organizers Eric Pugh and Jeff Vogelsang, all volunteers, participants and sponsors for a really cool event!
24
Feb
http://bitly.com/bf2P8
OpenSpace is definitely taking shape…check out the link above for a live webcam of construction on our new building. OpenSpace will take the first floor of the building, with floor to ceiling windows. The webcam, posted by local Charlottesville general contractor Martin Horn, captures the action and refreshes every 60 seconds.
16
Jan
Just getting back from a whirlwind trip to the great city of Austin, TX, where we met with Cesar Torrez from Conjuntured Coworking (www.conjunctured.com) and Julie Gomall and team from LaunchPad Coworking (www.launchpadcoworking.com). We wanted to get feedback on two different theories on coworking…the “group house” collaborative model, and the high-end professional space model. Both successful, both in high demand. Cesar and his team were very proactive and efficient in identifying a growing need for coworking space, after attending local Jelly events, and meeting other coffee shop nomads. Since opening back in August 2008, they continue to add new memberships and find that they’ve created a lot of buzz on a local and national level. Julie’s project downtown Austin is in the middle of construction and development, but specs, floorplans, and mock-ups look extremely promising. High-end spaces, clean lines, modern architecture, artistic design. Every corner, every surface, every workspace, every conference room shows thought and commitment. We look forward to a successful launch of LaunchPad!
Thanks to Cesar and Julie for all of their advice and feedback. The trip to Austin was well worth it!
