We're in Berlin this week for the Coworking Europe Conference. Close to 300 people from all over the world are expected to be at the event.
Berlin is an ideal place for the conference. It may be the world's leading coworking city, with 38 (and counting) coworking facilities located here.
There are many reasons for coworking's popularity in Berlin. It's a town that's constantly reinventing itself and has become a center for arts, entertainment, design, technology and innovation. It's also, by European standards, relatively cheap to live here. This combination has made it a magnet for young creatives.
Another factor is Berlin's has relatively few larger firms due to its history as a divided city. Because of this, being self-employed or part of a startup is more common here than in other major European cities.
All of this combines with Berlin's open culture to drive the growth of coworking here.
In addition to Berlin, coworking is popular elsewhere in Germany and most cities have coworking spaces. The Coworking.de site has a list and space descriptions (in German).
The event starts tomorrow at Club Office, an impressive facility with 3 separate coworking spaces, a community kitchen, hotel rooms, a restaurant and traditional office space housed in a 9 story building. The event is in their large events space, where they hold a wide range of conferences, bar camps, etc.
We'll report more on this event next week.
I known Berlin as one place which have relatively few larger firms. Because of this, it attracts many of us to visit this place.
Posted by: Playmobil Castle | November 06, 2011 at 04:40 AM
Great article. I agree that Berlin is an ideal place for the conference. It has a conducive ambiance and peaceful surrounding.
Posted by: Wheel Balancing Weights | November 04, 2011 at 05:23 AM