- Rose Rivera
- September 19, 2024
The Global Workspace Association’s Flex Forward Conference (GWA) has again shown us an incredible space to convene with both seasoned professionals and visionaries in the flex and coworking landscape. This year’s event in Phoenix was packed with insightful and enriching presentations.
Here are our main takeaways from the event
1. How can we create exceptional experiences?
Creating exceptional experiences, particularly from a community-building point of view, is intrinsic to what we all do. Whether you manage a sports team and want to create a better experience at the arena, like John Bartelstein CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, or are a coworking space operator trying to build a thriving community, putting your “fan” or “member” first is key to an unforgettable experience. Building community is not an easy feat and requires every one of us to lead with vision and kindness. As Josh himself put it, ego and power are not necessary to achieve success.
2. Change is the new normal, but…who knows?
Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, our work models drastically changed. To maintain the safety of employees, most companies switched to a fully virtual model where people could work from home. For over 2 years that was the standard for many industries. However, since early 2023 we have seen an increase in RTO or Return-To-Office mandates from industry giants and startups alike. But the reality is that working from a traditional office does not translate to more productivity or better quality of work. Now more than ever, employees are adamant about having work-life balance, manageable commutes, and comfortable work environments. Companies like T-Mobile have seen an 80% increase in ROI by adopting a flexible work model and letting their employees choose where they work from. Other giants like Allstate have chosen to sell their headquarters, allowing their employees to dive head-first into what flex is all about. What the data shows is that RTO mandates are not conducive to a good environment, with employees choosing to quit over enduring bleak traditional office spaces.
3. When things go wrong, you need to learn from them
Coworking, although a relatively new concept for many, and infamously popularized by WeWork’s many hurdles over the past few years, is a growing trend within commercial real estate. For Anant Yardi, whose company Yardi Systems now owns the majority stake in the aforementioned company, their new venture will be bright for the industry at large, for whatever they do to WeWork will directly impact how coworking is perceived within commercial real estate. The plan is to extend the innovations developed for WeWork to the industry at large, emphasizing that Yardi is, at its core, a tech company. Mr. Yardi also noted the lack of institutional capital in coworking, largely due to WeWork’s past issues, which Yardi Systems hopes to change. Although there have been doubts about WeWork’s capacity to overcome its challenges, we can’t overlook that this coworking giant’s success or failure can significantly impact the perception of coworking as a viable and thriving business model.
4. It’s time to get compliant
A key highlight of the GWA Flex Forward Conference was the fireside chat with Cid Rhomberg, Ryan Harris, and Carl Swanson from the US Postal Inspection Service, which focused on CMRA compliance and new postal regulations. Carl confirmed that all PS1583 forms must be completed by January 1, 2025, with no exceptions, and outlined the quarterly USPS inspection process. Operators will need to validate compliance within 15 days, followed by random audits conducted by local post offices. Issues like missing forms will need to be resolved within 90 days. While these regulations can seem overwhelming, tools like PilotoMail automate much of the process, from collecting and validating forms to verifying IDs and sending alerts for expiring documents, making it easier for operators to stay compliant and avoid disruptions.
This year’s Flex Forward Conference gave us renewed energy and a fresh perspective on how we can lead the coworking industry into its next phase. As we reflect on the insightful talks and engaging discussions, it’s clear that community, flexibility, compliance, and innovation are at the core of our collective mission.
About PilotoMail
PilotoMail is a mail management platform that creates recurring revenue streams for mailrooms through postal mail handling automation, and virtual mailboxes for the remote workforce. Property managers, coworking spaces, mail centers & registered agents can handle large volumes of mail efficiently, comply with all postal regulations, and increase revenue from their existing footprint effortlessly.