A Decade of Connections: The Coworking Visa Program
Back in the summer of 2008, we were chatting (as we do) with a fellow coworking space in Portland when the topic of traveling members came up. When our members traveled for work or even for fun, they often asked us to recommended coworking spaces to them so they could get some things done and check out the local coworking scene. We wondered: why not let our members visit each others' spaces for free? It was a nice way to show some hospitality to the people who already called coworking spaces home. And what coworking space doesn't love visitors?!We started churning on the idea of a PNW- or West Coast-focused passport program. But once we brought the idea to the Coworking Google Group it quickly blossomed into what is now the Coworking Visa Program - an international agreement among participating coworking spaces that members of our coworking spaces can visit other participating spaces free of charge for up to three days.From the start, here's why the program really took off:
It's simple. No plan to sign up for, no special agreements to sign. By adding your space to the list you agree to welcome members of other coworking spaces into your doors.
It's fueled by trust. In one of our early emails with our friends in Portland, we were discussing how we would verify that the people coming to our doors were actually members of other coworking spaces. Our initial and ongoing plan? "Default is trust."
It brings members joy. The Coworking Visa program absolutely rocks for our members. We've had visitors from all over the world who get a serious kick out of realizing they're a part of something bigger than just their home space. They share how they do things at their space with us and usually head home with a few ideas on how they can improve their space after visiting ours.
Photo Credit New York Times
The Coworking Visa Program caught some great press over the years and grew to span the globe. And for those who wanted to spend even more time traveling to a wide network of spaces, other exciting passport-like programs like Deskpass and Copass rose up to meet the demand.But after nearly 10 years of being maintained as a page on the Coworking Wiki, the list of spaces had gotten pretty out of date. It was time for the platform to upgrade to a platform more modern and easier to maintain.Enter Open Coworking - a little powerhouse of an organization dedicated to keeping the coworking movement moving. Knowing it was time for the Coworking Visa page to get a reboot, they completely redesigned a page for the Coworking Visa Program that is simple and easy to use for us operators, and way easier to navigate for members. A nice bonus - listings expire after a year so you can be sure that the spaces you see are still there and are aware of what the program is all about. How cool is that?
Head here check out the new Coworking Visa Program site.
The new site is still getting loaded up with participating spaces but more and more are coming on board each day. Now it's time to book a trip to a new city and check out the local coworking scene. We promise you won't be disappointed.