So what is the CoWorking Summit?
Well, the big idea is that we have a complete livestream studio setup with TechZulu running video production so that we can host a round table discussion (without the round table 
among the many CoWorking leaders in Austin for SxSW on Monday March 15 from 1pm till about 230pm. Thanks to Moonfruit’s sponsorship, participants will be able to get on our shuttle bus by the Austin Convention Center to come to the Social Media Clubhouse between 11am and 1pm in advance of the show start for a hosted lunch. From 1pm to 230 we will dive into a discussion about what we can do to make each of our respective CoWorking spaces sustainable and more succesfull. I really hope to explore ways we can collaborate better together beyond the mailing list, to discuss common needs, to share alternative revenue ideas and perhaps even, determine how we can support better curation/sharing of our local insights and lessons learned.
After the livestream of the CoWorking Summit is over, we will have some time for drinks, and then a special musical performance from The Ashes as part of our KUT Live from the Social Media Clubhouse series. Of course, if you have to get back to the convention center right away after the big CoWorking discussion ends to see the TechKaraoke panel, you can board the shuttle bus and head back there, or you can hang out a little while, have some beers from Molson (who is an in-kind sponsor for the Clubhouse) or drink some Coke’s (who is also an in-kind sponsor for the Clubhouse) and just have a good time with your peers from around the world.
Who’s Coming? How can I join in?
So far, I have only been able to speak to a few folks, but we have confirmed several of our good friends as participants who are listed below. Since it is a private residence we have rented 15 minutes from the convention center, we only have so much room and can’t fit everyone who would like to attend. I am really trying to focus on people who are running or helped to launch a CoWorking space first, but I do expect we will have a little room to invite in a few others, which is why I created this form where you can request an invite to participate in the CoWorking Summit (or any of our other Summits if appropriate). We don’t want to miss anyone who should be there, but we can’t open it up to the public either, so this should work. Of course, you can also join in the livestream remotely and participate in the chat room remotely thanks to Justin.tv.
At present, we have the following participants joining us (please forgive lack of links and time at moment).
- Tara Hunt, Citizen Space Founder
- Clement Alteresco, PariSoma
- Julian Nachtigal, PariSoma
- Nathanael Sorin-Richez, La Cantine
- Louis Montagne, La Cantine
- Tony Bacigalupo, New Work City
- Michael Cummings, formerly of The Creative Space
- Evonne Heyning, Sugarshack
- Kirtus Dixon, CoSpace
We have created a private Eventbrite page for the summit, which is how we will manage communications with everyone, letting you know where to go to get the shuttle etc… You can get the password by requesting an invite or leaving a comment below if you are a leader of a CoWorking space.
The CoWorking Summit is not only going to be an important conversation, it’s going to be a fun time. I am really looking forward to welcoming everyone into the Clubhouse (and really bummed I can’t make the CoWorking meetup on SAT March 13th).
Some Background
During Social Media Week San Francisco, I invited my friends from La Cantine in Paris to participate in a special conversation via Skype video chat with Citizen Space (where I hang my hat in SF). We also had invited representatives from PariSoma, The Hub and NextSpace(all local Bay Area CoWorking spaces). The purpose? To discuss the question, What is the State of CoWorking? As I explained in my invite to the event:
What started out as a DIY movement of people sharing their living rooms, squatting in underutilized office spaces and gathering in coffee shops has evolved – in a sense, the concept has reached adolescence. The idea of CoWorking at its heart is the same today as it ever was, independents and small companies can share resources, be more efficient, be more productive and find support from their community of peers. At the same time, it has had to become a serious business in order to sustain itself. Meanwhile, CoWorking has become a global phenomenon, a new way to look at executive office suites and a way for global digital nomads to find a friendly place to work as they travel and do business.
As someone familiar with the Writers Grotto here in San Francisco before CoWorking rose to fame thanks in part to Chris Messina andTara Hunt starting Citizen Space, I have been watching the movement evolve for some time. Oddly enough, it turns out that the founder ofJelly, Amit Gupta, actually moved down the street from my house, not more then 100 yards away from where I sit right now. While proximity doesn’t guarantee familiarity, I have been an active evangelist for the movement, despite not being an active commenter withinthe community. So while some might consider me an outside voice right now who are part of the core community, my heart and my mind has been an active participant for quite some time.
During that State of CoWorking conversation, which we recorded and posted to the Social Media Week San Francisco web site, I suggested that we work to put together a Summit of sorts to bring together the core of the community and leaders of CoWorking spaces around the world during SxSW, when many were likely to be in the same city at the same time. Which is what I have been working on quietly for the past several weeks since. Thanks to the support and patronage of Moonfruit, I am happy to now invite all the CoWorking Leaders who will be in Austin to join me on so that we can discuss ways in which we can better support one another and work together to ensure the sustainability of what I think is a vital movement and a powerful community resource.
