The BOOQED team has worked with some amazing coworking spaces over the years, so we wanted to share a bit more about what makes them so special!
Next up in our host feature series is the Hive, one of the widest and most recognised flexible workspace networks in the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2012, serial entrepreneur and the Hive founder Constant Tedder opened the Hive’s first location in Wan Chai, Hong Kong hoping to create beautiful workspaces where enterprising companies of all sizes can thrive. But why coworking, you may ask?
Inspired by an Economist article about the coming workplace revolution, Constant decided to launch the Hive. As an entrepreneur, it was easy for him to see the appeal of coworking, especially at a time when the concept was still relatively new in Asia.
He created a beautifully designed space shared between like-minded individuals, and laid out to encourage people to meet and collaborate. The interior design had to be perfect – it needed to have workspace options for teams of all sizes, a sufficient amount of communal space with high quality amenities for team gatherings or community events, and modern meeting rooms for when members had an important client meeting.
Constant brought on world-renowned British interior designer, James Waterworth, to bring this vision to life, creating a space that is both financially efficient yet still comfortable - a second home for the Hive’s members.
The results speak for themselves. Since its launch, the Hive has grown to become one of the region’s largest flexible workspace operators with 20 spaces across Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and most recently, Melbourne.
Their workspaces provide a variety of flexible work options, from hot desks and private offices, to event spaces and meeting rooms. Many locations have additional facilities such as an in-house barista bar, a photography studio or an outdoor terrace. The spaces’ beautiful open floor plans are designed to inspire a welcoming and productive atmosphere, and remain a key feature across all its workspace locations.
But the Hive is not just all about design! For their team, a successful coworking space should take that extra step to engage with the local community and create opportunities for members to connect and collaborate. Their extensive schedule of events, ranging from learning workshops and happy hour gatherings, to movie nights and sustainability festivals, and even runway fashion shows is what really differentiates them from other coworking spaces.
As with most other workspace operators, the pandemic had a significant impact on the Hive’s operations after social-distancing measures came into play. Members were unable to come into workspaces as often and when they did, preferred to be spaced out rather than in close proximity, which meant an increase in meeting room and phone booth usage.
For their part, the Hive provided rent-relief for members and took extensive precautionary measures such as additional cleaning and distancing guidelines to ensure its locations were COVID-safe. They also switched to hosting online events so members could continue to benefit from learning and networking opportunities.
And it doesn’t stop there. Even with a strict lockdown in place, their 2020 Australia launch was a success, largely thanks to their unique offerings and promotion of their new space through virtual tours.
The Hive team’s ambition and adaptability is truly impressive. With operations in several countries, and plans to continue growing its regional footprint, they strongly emphasize the need to understand the market and cater their workspace offerings to local demand.
Despite the challenges of the past year, the Hive is optimistic about the future of coworking. Even with the economic slowdown, they witnessed the increasing popularity of flexible work arrangements as people started to tire of working from home or the long commute to and from the office. Even after the pandemic,they predict a rising demand for workspace operators and partners, like BOOQED, who offer flexible work arrangements, short-term commitments, and multi-location access.
If you’re looking to make the switch to a coworking space but are not ready for that monthly commitment, the BOOQED app (available on (Android and iOS) offers hot desks, private offices and meeting rooms at coworking spaces like the Hive by the hour, day or month so you can try them out! You can also get 50% off your first booking when you use the code HK50 during checkout.