Numerous studies have been conducted to increase the efficiency of companies by reducing the number of hours employees actually spend at the office and the associated costs (rents, utilities, different equipment and materials such as furniture, coffee, water, cleaning and hygiene products, etc.). If we add the time spent by employees towards the workplace (which in some countries is part of the working time paid by the employer), the equation seems quite simple.
This paradigm shift, which is still developing conceptually and practically, has prompted the proliferation of alternative workplaces, such as "closed" shared offices, co-working open spaces, as well as other services such as hourly booking meeting rooms or virtual office (headquarters without activity or just a postal mailing address to provide a business card).
In Romania too, this type of real estate / business services has been booming especially in recent years, both by opening some branches of well-known international companies offering short-term rental or small and very small spaces, but also by creating such alternative spaces by local entrepreneurs, often starting from a personal need found within the launch of a new business or inspired by business travel in the western countries.
Regus, the international guarantee of business efficiency
One of the best-known international companies offering instant office rentals, Regus offers extraordinary flexibility through the 3,000 co-working addresses around the world. In Romania, it is currently the largest provider of such services, with seven business centers offering co-working spaces in Bucharest.
Regus offers customers the opportunity to opt for the right subscription to allow them access to Business Lounge areas / co-working areas as many times as they need: a few hours or days a month or unlimited access. There is also a great deal of flexibility in signing of contracts, they can be concluded both on short or long term.
Moreover, as a novelty, Regus is preparing the implementation of this concept in other major cities in Romania, such as Cluj-Napoca, Iasi and Timisoara, also intending to reach a minimum of nine such locations in Bucharest in 2018.
Type of clients: People always on the move who work in an active field such as sales, entrepreneurs who need to be in several places of the city in one day, but also people who do not need a permanent office, but only a few hours a day packed with all the amenities and without the headaches of the office space management. Another category of customers of Regus co-working spaces are those who use one location as a fixed office as a way to streamline long-term costs.
Total area (m2): Regus business centers have between 1400 and 2700 m2, of which 10-20% represents the co-working area.
Total number of desks: 20-60 depending on location.
Number of meeting rooms: 2-4 depending on location.
Price per desk: from 249 lei / month (without dedicated desk but with access in all 7 locations in Bucharest) up to 1600 lei / month (dedicated desk).
Included services: internet, access to kitchen / coffee, administrative support (including reception), all utilities, cleaning, security, access to the meeting room.
Opening hours: 09:00-18:00 (no dedicated desk) and 24/7 (dedicated desk subscription)
Flash Office, smart business solutions with multiple integrated benefits
The Flash HUB concept includes all the facilities and services needed for intelligent business development, headquarters prestige in a central class A building and fixed costs based on the number of workstations it opts for. The rest of the issues come under the care of the Flash Office Solutions team.
Flash Office Solutions is continuously developing, tripling its surface in just three years. It currently has three downtown locations.
Type of clients:It is addressed to both start-ups and companies looking for a cost-cutting method in a smart way. Fields of activity of Flash Office Solutions clients vary quite a lot, but the IT industry is predominant.
Total area (m2): 100 m2
Total number of desks: 27
Number of meeting rooms: 2, one on each floor.
Price per desk: 150 euro + VAT / month / person;
Included services: full furnishings, kitchen access (coffee, tea, water, sugar), utilities, cleaning, collection and notification of correspondence received, registered office, printer, scanner and copier access (up to 100 pages / month) , IT support, free access to 5 hours / month at the meeting room (flipchart, magnetic board and markers, teleconferencing phone, IT support, internet / wi-fi), 100 Mbps external internet connection, 24/7 security and access control based on card and video surveillance. BONUS: Each member receives free of charge the Flash Office Card - INSTANT OFFICE BENEFITS through which it has access to services and products at a lower price, through a discount system of between 10 and 20%
Opening hours: 24/7
DBH Serviced Office: rigorousness, planning, efficiency
The history of co-working spaces provided by DBH Serviced Office starts in 2012, when DBH Group opens its fourth location, a 1200 sqm office center in the center of Budapest, where KoWerk Office, a 500 sqm space for public rental (hub type) was open. KoWerk Office has become an important center for startups in Hungary, but also for businesses that benefit from an initial capital and a remarkable growth potential.
DBH Group is present on the Romanian market since 2012, through the DBH Serviced Office division, which operates on three floors in the Victoriei Square area in the center of Bucharest. DBH's business model offering a customized service package for small and medium-sized businesses has won the first prize in the national competition "European Awards for Entrepreneurial Initiatives" organized by the European Commission.
The company plans to open a new Serviced Office hub in Bucharest.
Type of clients:Those who work with nothing more than a laptop and accessories that fit in a briefcase, those who believe in socializing, those who like freedom, independence and are the followers of the human relationships, the sociable people who prefer to work in the offices fully equipped and wanting to have access to professional services right in the city center, creative people who feel the need to live the crowded city vibe, to be part of an inspiring and ideas-filled environment, but also those adventurers who do not know what tomorrow will bring. DBH office solutions are also offered to clients of partner divisions abroad as DBH Group can facilitate their entry into the market by providing them with support in project management and financial support.
Total area (m2): 70 m2
Total number of desks: 11
Number of meeting rooms: 2.
Price per desk: 225 EUR
Included services: Reception, cleaning, Internet access, IT support, printer, telephone and fax, the possibility of using a meeting room, use of kitchen and common areas, secure access system by means of a magnetic card, permanent access to the building.
Opening hours: 24/7
TechHub, designed for technology professionals
TechHub is the first and largest collaborative space dedicated exclusively to technology professionals. At this point, TechHub is the meeting point for most of the tech communities and entrepreneurs, such as BucharestJS, Big Data, Fintech Camp, Codette, etc.
As a novelty, the company has recently added a new type of subscription addressing to teams of 6 + people needing a dedicated office, thus moving towards the concept of individual offices.
Type of clients:Specialists and entrepreneurs working in technology. TechHub Bucharest hosts both product-developing technology startups and IT Services agencies. Some of the startups working at TechHub are: Green Horse Games, Gloria Food, Appticles, Accelerole.
Total area (m2): 1800 m2
Total number of desks: 200
Number of meeting rooms: 4
Price per desk: 95EUR + VAT / person / month (without dedicated desk), 150EUR + VAT / person / month (with dedicated desk)
Included services: access to TechHub internal events, access to the TechHub global community and local communities of tech, internet, water, coffee; residents with a fixed office also receive a chair, lockers and access to meeting rooms that can be booked online.
Opening hours: 09:00-18:00 (no dedicated desk) and 24/7 (resident, dedicated desk). Public events are generally held after 18 o'clock.
Nod makerspace, the creatives’ playground
Nod makerspace is a "playground" that offers membership-based access to space, community and know-how, as well as to a wide range of digital manufacturing tools and equipment and rapid prototyping. Anyone who has an idea, wants to develop an invention or build a prototype, finds tools and special equipment at Nod, too expensive to be purchased individually.
Nod makerspace occupies a converted industrial space within the building of the former Cotton Factory, Splaiul Unirii 160, on the Dambovita bank. The configuration of the space of 720sqm consists of 500 square meters of open-space with 16 private studios, for young designers, 100sqm for DIY and design workshops for kids, and 150 sqm of prototyping, manufacturing and digital manufacturing studios: workshop for wood and metal, CNC laser camera. The common work area features a printing and plotting area with an integrated kitchenette in the exhibition and storage furniture, a relaxation area - ping-pong table and VR system, and a meeting room. Currently, Nod makerspace extends its space up to 1000sqm, including a logistical reconfiguration of technical spaces and a public meeting area.
In the long run, the project coordinators have proposed converting the entire site (the former Cotton Industry factory) into a cluster of creative industries. After the emergence of Nod makerspace in 2015, the area began to attract a community of young entrepreneurs, and at the moment hosts several creative firms, event and meeting spaces, a rooftop restaurant, workshops and work hubs.
The next step after opening Nod makerspace was to expand the co-working function and bring a new innovative project to Romania, namely a Library of Materials. This ambitious plan materialized in a 1000 square meter space in the same building with Nod makerspace, which was just released on October 12: MATER, the first library of materials in South-Eastern Europe and 300 sqm of adjacent co-working spaces.
Type of clients: Creative professionals or practitioners who want to realize their ideas, projects and prototypes - "the makers", as well as the creatives: architects, designers, stage designers, artists, programmers, etc.
Total area (m2): Nod makerspace - 1000 m2 (common and co-working spaces, private offices and production workshops) on the 2nd floor of the building; co-working area MATER - 300 m2.
Total number of desks: 60
Number of meeting rooms: 2
Price per desk: From EUR 120 to EUR 190 / month (depending on the equipment included) + EUR 40 (for a personal desk).
Included services: access to all common and relaxing spaces (kitchenette, meeting room, ping pong, VR system, lounge-room), the advantage of being part of the offline and online community, access to the Library of Materials, wi-fi, preferential price for events and training courses, cleaning and maintenance of equipment, all utilities, access to different tools and equipment for production and prototyping (according to the chosen subscription), access to a program studio and special facilitator for children (mini-nod).
Opening hours: 24/7
Seneca Anticafe, a place for all generations
Seneca is an open space of co-working located in the Kiseleff Park area, which operates on the principle of a ... value-added café. A good place to meet your project colleagues, to look for ideas by browsing books and magazines, completing presentation material for clients, or learning in… Math.
Because there is a high school nearby, student clients can see adults working and practicing different professions, and adults will be charged with their energy! A thing in fact rather rare, because in other industries than those where young people quickly become consumers, they do not meet other professionals in their workplace. The fact that they can meet designers, lawyers or medical students working or studying at Seneca could be a good thing for them.
Seneca plans to open a new space similar to the anti-café, in a surprise location.
Type of clients: Freelancers in various fields. It's not just a hub for designers or communication professionals. Customers include IT engineers, graphic designers and web designers, as well as people who teach for bar, PhD, medical grads, or even for the next commercial pilot license.
Total area (m2): 600 m2.
Total number of desks: Approximately 70 chairs / stools / armchairs with access to desks, and besides, the amphitheater also has about 30 seats among fluffy pillows.
Number of meeting rooms: There are no meeting rooms per se. Instead, each area of the anti-café is self-contained and delimited through the arrangement of the furniture. There is also a meeting room for two people, especially used for skype calls.
Price per desk: There is no charge per desk. The only fare is the standard rate of 8 lei / hour (with a maximum of 5 hours payable in a day) and the subscription option. Subscriptions are valid for 50 days, and packages are for 10, 20 or 30 days that can be used in the above-mentioned period.
Included services: Every guest has access to the workspace and you can choose the seat and area you like most (order is first arrived / first served). In addition to equipment such as printers, scanners, whiteboards / flipcharts, projector and more, guests have access to an open bar with tea, fresh water, fresh fruit and vegetables, sweet and salty snacks. In addition, they can enjoy a library and a bookstore of over 8,000 unique titles, many of which being latest titles in areas of interest such as personal development, practical philosophy, sciences and others.
Opening hours: 09:00 - 21:00
Impact Hub, the start-up destination
Impact Hub is for the last five years place where people, their ideas, and their businesses meet, work and grow together. It is the space where you find a powerful community of entrepreneurs, performant acceleration programs, innovative events and a creative space for co-working.
At present, Impact Hub is in an important moment of growth, relocating recently its Bucharest hub to a surface almost three times larger than the previous one. In this context, the team will continue programs such as the Hubcelerator (Startup Accelerator program for the early phases), has developed Startarium.Inc (a hybrid program that has both incubator and accelerator components), but is also preparing to launch new programs that will address businesses in stages other than those addressed so far.
Type of clients: If we look at all the types of services offered, we can say that they are working with an extensive community of entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers, NGOs and event organizers. Impact Hub cultivates the diversity of the membership profile so as to vary the industries they are part of, as well as the entrepreneurial experience they have.
Total area (m2): 1600 m2 in Bucharest and 1200 m2 in Cluj-Napoca.
Total number of desks: The type of co-working activity makes the number of desks not necessarily defining, but rather the total of almost 300 members in the two locations in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca.
Number of meeting rooms: 1 meeting room, 3 Skype booths and 3 event rooms for each of the two locations.
Price per desk: Impact Hub subscriptions meet varied needs of working typologies, making them priced between 400 and 1100 lei with VAT included depending on the number of days of access to the co-working space included in the subscription.
Included services: Depending on subscription type, it includes access to space and events, meeting room, Skype booths, water, tea and coffee, access to other hubs in the world, wi-fi and printer, storage space and even fixed office option.
Opening hours: 09:00 to 21:00, but residents have 24/7 access to space.
Looking for a co-working space in Bucharest? Check here some of the coolest places in town, check rates and book them directly from the owners!
