Meet the speakers: Camp GCUC

As the spotlight turns toward the flexspace market, there’s a notable surge in interest from landlords, investors, developers, and aspiring entrepreneurs.

The question arises: is this surge a positive development for our industry? Indeed, it can be, especially if these newcomers bring quality offerings to the table. The workplace is ripe for disruption.

In the spirit of collaboration beating out cutthroat competition, we’re all about sharing our insider know-how. Our community thrives when our members do, and we’re dead set on keeping that community vibe alive. That’s why we’ve curated a course on the fundamentals for those entering the game.

Enter “Camp GCUC: The Fundamentals of Flexspace” – a jam-packed one-day crash course in building a successful shared workspace. Guided by industry veterans, this program covers all the must-knows: design and fitout , Real estate and finance, Technology and automation Branding and marketing,and Hospitality and the art of community building.

Session: Building and marketing your coworking brand with Alex West Steinman and Bethany Iverson
Alex West Steinman is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, Co-Founder and Partner of The Coven, the first and only woman owned coworking franchise in the world. She’s been blazing trails for more than a decade across advertising, communications, and digital business. Her career success includes executive leadership roles at top advertising agency, Fallon, and she has lent her expertise to help women business leaders thrive. Alex has been honored with multiple awards including BMe Vanguard Fellow, Twin Cities Startup Week Entrepreneur of the Year Award, City Pages Best Entrepreneur Award, Forbes Next 1,000, City Pages Best Entrepreneur Award, the AMEX 100 for 100 list, Bush Fellowship in 2019, Inc. Magazine 100 Female Founder, and an Above the Fold recipient. She holds a Strategic Communications degree from University of Minnesota, where she has been recognized as an Emerging Leader at the institution’s College of Liberal Arts.

Bethany Iverson is an award-winning strategist, entrepreneur, Co-Founder and Partner of The Coven, the first franchised coworking space in the world centered women, non-binary and trans people. Her academic and professional success spans nearly twenty years, encompassing executive leadership roles at leading agencies like space150 and Colle McVoy. Bethany has a Master of Arts degree from University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science degree from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She belongs to an elite group of female founders who have successfully raised $1M+ venture capital. At The Coven, Bethany is helping to reshape the future of work while driving The Coven’s brand strategy, growth and operations.

About the session: Our experts will walk you through the art of creating a standout brand story and crafting a memorable identity in the competitive coworking scene. Alex and Bethany will help you dive into known marketing tactics, leveraging digital platforms and community involvement. They will share real-life examples from their own brand to help you spark ideas for your own space. Get hands-on insights and practical strategies to navigate the world of coworking branding and marketing.

Real Estate and Financing models with Jamie Russo and Giovanni Palavicini
Jamie leads a team at Everything Coworking, a platform that helps operators and landlords launch and operator profitable coworking spaces through courses like the Coworking Startup School™ and memberships like Community Manager University.™

She also hosts the Everything Coworking Podcast and co-host the Flex Uncensored Podcast with Giovannini.

Giovanni Palavicini, not merely a broker, but the most sought-after connoisseur of coworking deals globally. With a record number of successful transactions under his belt, Giovanni’s reputation is unparalleled in the industry.

Beyond the numbers, Giovanni’s master’s degree in real estate isn’t just a testament to his intellect, but also to his profound understanding of the business models that drive the flexible workspace domain. He isn’t here for just another transaction; he’s here to craft the perfect deal. His expertise is not merely transactional; it’s deeply analytical. From the preliminary discussions to the dotted line, Giovanni knows what makes a deal genuinely beneficial, taking into account not just the numbers, but the people behind them.

His empathetic approach to deal-making echoes his belief: “It’s not just about getting it done; it’s about getting it done right.” At the heart of every negotiation, Giovanni places the people, ensuring that the terms aren’t just favorable, but fair and forward-thinking. His role as the co-president for the Global Workspace Association further underlines his commitment to leading, shaping, and refining the industry’s best practices.

About the session: The industry is evolving and so are the financing methods. Before you enter the space you need to get a good grasp on all of your options. Do you bootstrap, partner, buy outright, take investment or other creative options? Once you have that down, your proforma has to work. The objective of this session is for you to walk away knowing your options and feeling confident in creating a financial model that will not only work for you but show you the path to profitability

Hospitality and community building with Tim Hasse

Tim is the founder of General Provision, South Florida’s largest private club of founders and creatives. GP empowers the creative class to do their best work through a network of hotel-inspired work clubs and a platform for community, content, and wellness.

Tim is also the founder and CEO of T R I M, a product studio that builds mobile and web applications with locations in Fort Lauderdale, Nashville, and New York City. Tim’s team of designers, engineers, and strategists build software that solves problems in the proptech, health and wellness spaces.

About the session:Member engagement and satisfaction is critical to your success as an owner. You will leave with an understanding of how the community aspect of coworking sets it apart from traditional real estate offerings. This session hits the big four: hospitality, amenities and services, community and, lastly, people vs. space. You will learn why you need to invest in activating the space, community and to impact your bottom line. Here at GCUC, not only will we teach you to build it, we will immerse you in ours. How’s that for a real time demo?

Technology and Automation with Odeen Domingo

Odeen Domingo is the CEO and founding partner at CO+HOOTS, Phoenix’s purpose-drive workspace. He speaks regularly on entrepreneurship and leadership as an ethnic minority, husband, father and former corporate cog. His mission is to provide access to networks, capital, technology, knowledge and circles of power to those who don’t have the privilege of naturally possessing it.

Odeen also co-founded nonprofit CO+HOOTS Foundation, sits on several committees of local nonprofits and serves as a mentor for young and experienced entrepreneurs. He transitioned to the entrepreneurship realm after his 14-year career as a content strategist and award-winning journalist at The Arizona Republic, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times.

About the session: In his session we will dive into the world of technology and automation basics, designed especially for new or potential space operators. Technology can be overwhelming, and the business is complex, but fear not – we’re here to guide you through the maze of options. In this session, we’ll provide you with a clear understanding of the product roadmap. Discover where to invest wisely and learn how to choose the right technology for your business. We’ll delve into the pitfalls, share valuable insights, and discuss crucial aspects like software, hardware, maintenance, security, monitoring, documentation, planning, and even WiFi strength.

Space design and fitout with Mara Hauser and Meagan Slaivn 

Mara Hauser created 25N Coworking as a space to work for suburbanites just like her — active parents seeking a flexible, productive workday supported by an existing network of friends, family, and acquaintances. She also wanted facilities where she could seamlessly flow from private, focused work to making useful connections. She wanted the full workplace experience packed into one holistic workday. All of the 25N locations as well as hundreds of other workspaces are a product of Workplace Studio (WPS), a thriving multi-disciplinary interior design firm & consultancy. WPS has completed interior design projects in 48 states and 5 Canadian provinces from its headquarters in the Chicago metro area.

Meagan, is a seasoned professional at the intersection of design and marketing. With a passion for people, she envisions a world where well-rounded, culture-driven organizations are the standard. Leading with a philosophy that values the intricate connections between members, employees, and environments at 25N, Meagan strives to strike the perfect balance of community and productivity.
In her role overseeing 25N’s corporate team, Meagan manages operations, brand, culture, marketing, and sales. Her strategic prowess drives business development and lifecycle marketing, ensuring daily pivots, meticulous planning, and flawless execution to surpass location and corporate goals. On the executive side, Meagan cultivates corporate and real estate relationships, crafting financial projections for new projects and initiatives as 25N expands.
Drawing from her background as a strategist for Workplace Studio, a multidisciplinary interior design arm of 25N Coworking, Meagan brings a wealth of experience in operational consulting for coworking startups and existing companies seeking to elevate their workspaces or venture into new markets.

About the session: They will go beyond the buzz of community, the heartbeat of coworking lies in a thoughtfully designed and activated space. It’s not just aesthetics—it’s a make-or-break factor. In this session, we’ll walk through the intricacies of pace design beyond the surface appeal. Mara and Megan will help you discover emerging trends and practices, discerning which ones are essential for your space and which can be set aside. Elevate your understanding of space design and fit-out for a thriving coworking environment.

Lastly, ask us anything with all of the speakers

We get it, the information overload can be a lot. Join us for an “Ask Us Anything” session, where you can bring all your burning questions to the speakers from today. Industry experts are geared up to provide insights in a relaxed and informal setting. So, whether you’ve got a list of questions or just want to discuss, join us for a candid and interactive chat to wrap up the day.

To sit in on Camp GCUC, join us in Salt Lake City on April 9-11, 2024. Tickets are on sale now at na.gcuc.co.