Posts Tagged ‘Coworking’

Hive at 55 Getting Bigger and Better with Age

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
More than 100 folks celebrate the Hive at 55's 6-month anniversary

More than 100 folks celebrate the Hive at 55's 6-month anniversary

It’s hard to believe, but the Hive at 55 is now 6-months old. Yesterday, we raised a glass and celebrated this anniversary with friends, partners, and members that have supported us along the way.

We have partnered with countless organizations and had hundreds of individuals walk through our door and join our community.  It’s been amazing to become a resource for the many small businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers in New York City.

The Hive is definitely “on the map” when it comes to the greater technology and startup communities.

The celebration started at 6 PM, just about the time when our members start to wrap up their day. With drinks supplied by The Greene Grape and delicious food from Harry’s Italian, we pushed “play” on the stereo and let the fun begin!

We saw so many familiar faces: a mix of current members,  Meetup organizers, friends of our community, and even some new folks who have been supporting us from afar.  A women-based entrepreneur club was even discussed to empower the women of the Hive!

You can check out some of the festivities at our Flickr page. More than 100 people attended the party, including more than 20 members of our co-working community (some even brought their kids!).

The Hive will continue to evolve based on the people who work here. Their personalities and professional needs, as well as their input on programming and events, are what make the Hive a special place to do business.  We look forward to celebrating our first year with everyone and seeing what changes are made in the next six months!

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Coworking vs. Corporate Office Suites

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Hive Logo for Blog

Many people who come to the Hive are new to the coworking movement.  Some don’t really get what we’re all about and make comments like: “So, you’re a corporate office suite.” Or, “How are you different than Regus?”  Well, here are some answers.

Corporate office suites have become increasingly popular, and Regus is one of the major players, with offices all over the world (and many right here in New York).  While corporate office spaces and coworking spaces both meet a need for workspace, they have distinctly different missions.

Corporate office suites are, in fact, corporate.  They generally have a receptionist answering the phones, banker-type furniture and closed-door offices. They’re a nice option for a small company that would like to appear a bit larger to their clients.  While this may be attractive option for some, it’s good to know there are alternatives.

Coworking spaces, like the Hive, are all about community and collaboration.  While we have a few private offices, you won’t find too many closed doors here.  And while you still have a professional office to come to for a meeting with a client, you also have the opportunity to network throughout the day with a group of cool, well, coworkers.

Everyone is working on something different and we encourage interaction and open communication.  Additionally, it’s our job as Hive staff to support our members.

Looking for a new gig? Looking to build some additional skill sets?  Just launched a new or updated website?  Let us know— we can help spread the word, work our contacts, and make things happen!  We serve as a resource for our members, and for our community.  We always make the time to get to know all our members—what they do and where they’re going.

Once a person walks through the door at the Hive, they can usually get an immediate feel for whether this space is right for them.  I always encourage people to come in and test out the space.  If it’s right for you, you’ll be hooked!  No reason not to come on by, check it out, and let us know what you are looking for.

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Hive – Up In The Air edition

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Hive Logo for Blog

You’ve heard me spout on about how joining the Hive as a member links you to a community of like-minded people.  But, the Hive does more than that; it offers you an international network.  Through the Coworking Visa program, members of one coworking space can work at another coworking space for free.  With approximately 100 participating coworking spaces worldwide, this means, when traveling you have an opportunity to check out a new space, meet some new people, and get down to work for free.

The Coworking Visa program really epitomizes what coworking is all about.  The five core values of coworking are collaboration, openness, community, accessibility, and sustainability.  The Coworking Visa program is remarkable because it’s self-governing.  No one oversees it, the site is maintained on the Wiki (http://wiki.coworking.info/CoworkingVisa) where each space can sign itself up and set its own restrictions for usage.  All spaces agree to offer three free days to each individual, and from there, each space can make its own arrangements.  People can look on the Wiki to find a space located in their visiting city and contact info to give the space a heads up about their visit.

Already at the Hive we’ve had several people utilize the Visa program.  In addition to the luxury of being able to travel and utilize other spaces, it’s also great to have out of town visitors come in and work for the day.  They shed light on their industry, city, and home coworking space.  Here at The Hive we’ve already had people come in from New Orleans and from across the pond.

So remember Hive members: traveling for work?  Need a place to get some work done between meetings?  Check out the Coworking Visa wiki page and learn where you can plug in and meet some cool people.

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