Times they are A-changing

Here at Space on Tap we've been doing lots of work behind the scenes over the past couple of months to bring you new and improved services that add value to North East businesses.  So times are a-changing ...

The first and biggest change is that we've decided that there's so much scope for Space on Tap in the North East, that's where we've decided to stay.  You may know that we'd planned to franchise our business model outside of the region, and have already had a lot of interest from around the UK, but having recognised some real opportunities to add value locally we've decided to stay put, for the time being at least.

We're putting our efforts into expanding our range of services, and making our current services even better.  More of that to come ...

This decision doesn't mean we're looking inwards, though - quite the contrary.  We hope to help you to discover space around the UK, wherever you need to travel for business, but our Space on Tap services will be strongly geared to serving the needs of North East people and businesses.

So that's change one.

Change two is that in response to requests for more permanent leased space we're also starting to feature that on spaceontap.com now too, recognising that trying to find space for rent or lease can be so time consuming and often a bit like trying to look for a needle in a haystack.  Check out our Space of the Week this week for our first example of a great place available for lease that we're featuring on www.spaceontap.com.

Change three is that you'll notice some more developments on www.spaceontap.com over the next few weeks too.  That includes some really exciting new member services - more on those soon (make sure you register free now so you can take full advantage when they happen ... :) )

How important's natural daylight?

A recent BBC report on a new innovation in classroom lighting suggests that lighting can have a huge impact on everything from our mood to our levels of concentration whilst studying or working.  (Thanks to Anna Dorward for highlighting the article to us)

That set us thinking about your preferences when you're looking for space for occasional hire - for working, meetings, or running/attending training courses.

Have you ever hired a space that has no natural daylight, and would you do so again? 


Please complete our one-click poll  - it's located at the top right of this Blog.  We'd also love to read your thoughts and comments too.


THANKS in advance for your views - we'll be passing the results onto venues across the North East that are aiming to provide you the perfect place for occasional workspace and meetings.

Space of the Week

Our Space of the Week this week is …  

DESK/WORKSPACE at Carrotmedia in Newcastle that's available for HIRE BY THE HOUR for only £5 per hour. 

This desk space, in an office with 2 other desks,  is conveniently located in a modern building only a few minutes from Newcastle centre and the A1, and can be hired by the hour for only £5 + VAT per hour (minimum 4 hours).  If you need a 2nd desk for a co-worker that's no problem - 2 of the desks here are available for flexible hire.   

This is an ideal solution for anyone who’s looking for an office space to use now and then, with plug-in Broadband and a communal kitchen.  

This space is brought to you by Space on Tap’s Open Door Service and can be booked online at www.spaceontap.com.

And check out this view from the office window ...

New Colleagues on Tap co-working Blog launches today

Colleagues on Tap co-working days have officially taken off!  We've now run 7 successful events since Space on Tap's launch at the end of June 2010, with another 5 days already planned by the end of May.   We've already co-worked with some amazing people across the North East region, each working freelance or from home, and all adding something to our co-working experience through sharing their knowledge, expertise and experience.

We've had great feedback on the days, the colleagues, the spaces and, it has to be said, the cupcakes!

So, to add to our co-working community we've now created a new COLLEAGUES ON TAP BLOG for all things co-working, and for those who have already attended one of our Colleagues on Tap days, or plan to soon, we have also formed a LinkedIn Group, 'Colleagues on Tap'.  This Space on Tap Blog will now focus on the amazing and versatile spaces we're discovering across the region. We are also planning to separate our Twitter accounts so we can give proper focus to the co-working information as well as keeping you in touch with all things space through our Space on Tap twitter account.  So you can now follow us on @colleaguesontap as well as @spaceontap.

Our brand new Colleagues on Tap logo!

So, all change for the better!  Oh, and of course we also have a lovely new Colleagues on Tap logo, building on our open door theme we've used in the Space on Tap branding - we hope you like the new look :)

External workspace makes home-working a viable option for businesses

Using your home as a base for your business is becoming increasingly recognised as a sound commercial decision, rather than simply the last resort.  OK let’s face it, it just wouldn’t be practical for some companies to operate from home, but many can, and with the right home-working set-up business growth can be accommodated as well as early days start up. 

The key to successfully running your home-based business, ironically, is having access to workspace outside of the home that you can use whenever you need it, and that perfectly suits your needs. 

Domestics and business don’t mix!

The idea of meeting customers, suppliers and associates in your own home no doubt has the effect of putting many people off the whole idea of home-working.  As well as a real invasion of your private space it can also present a potential security risk, and at the very least it can be a real inconvenience (I speak from experience, having frantically run around with the hoover in advance of a kitchen-table meeting more times than I’d care to mention).   It’s difficult enough when you work from home to keep domestics and business separate, but having to worry about whether the dishes have been done brings a whole new perspective to business planning and prioritisation! 

Then of course there are the family considerations.  Many home-workers work non-traditional hours, starting and finishing work in the early hours and often working at weekends, with the joys of working in your pyjamas having been well documented as one of the real benefits of home-working.   When the family’s at home, though, concentrating on work can become a real challenge, and when the ear-plugs and ‘mummy’s working’ sign just aren’t cutting it, dreams of finding a work sanctuary for a couple of hours can be overwhelming.

External workspace makes home-working a viable option

Home-working is a fabulous way to achieve maximum life/work flexibility while keeping your operating costs to a minimum, so it has a lot going for it.  Combining home-working with using external workspace on an occasional basis makes home-working a viable option for businesses that need a public place for meetings and drop-ins, but not all of the time.  It also makes sound business sense as you’re only paying for space when you really need it - the ‘shop front’ just doesn’t have the same place in today’s society, where values are changing and business image can have more to do with whether you’re on Twitter and Facebook than whether you have the latest interior finish to your reception area.

Find the perfect place for you

Having said that, wherever you adopt as your occasional external workspace has to say something about you and your business.  There are so many space options available, from community to creative, quirky to corporate, you can literally choose the impression you want to give and select a space accordingly.  The alternatives are infinite in the North East region for both public and private occasional work and meeting space, with easy to access wi-fi increasingly becoming the norm even in spaces you wouldn’t naturally associate with business.  Cafés, cinemas, libraries, art galleries and community centres, as well as more traditional serviced office space, have a great selection of space that’s available on tap, many of which are either free or available for hire by the hour. 

Space on Tap is a home-based business that currently employs three staff including its founding directors.  Space on Tap's Perfect Places Directory is opening the doors of many of the versatile places that exist across the North East, connecting people with their perfect places.  Through Space on Tap’s unique Open Door service private companies are also starting to offer their own spare meeting and workspace for use by businesses that aren’t looking to invest in their own premises at least in the short term, with the obvious spin-off benefits of meeting new customers and suppliers while they use their space.  With an online booking service  and space available for booking for periods of 90 minutes+, this is also a great way to find occasional workspace during the week and at weekends.

If you need access to space on tap, register free today or email enquiries@spaceontap.com, and check out our home-working resources for more information and resources for running a successful business from home. 

Co-working's great for homeworkers

On Wednesday 21st July Space on Tap holds its 2nd Colleagues on Tap day, bringing together a group of homeworkers to a central workspace to, well, just work! This time our host's the state of the art evolve Business Centre near Durham and Sunderland, and we've all sorts of other events planned at great places in August and September.

We're really looking forward to Wednesday. The first Colleagues on Tap day really was a great day at Newcastle Business Village in Benton - 9 of us altogether. This is not a massive event - it doesn't need to be - it just needs a few people working in the same workspace to be effective. Some co-working days have 6, others have 25 - depending on anything from the venue to the weather!

We're expecting between 6 and 10 lovely people to join us this Wednesday (there are still places left so you can book here), and for £12 they'll get use of a workspace with wi-fi for the day, a fab lunch in evolve's e-bistro with their new found 'colleagues', and a SpoT chat in the afternoon with Heather Baxter from Marketing Geni, to get underneath how best to use Twitter and other online social media for business. The June SpoT chat with Vicki Stone Marketing was so useful, with everyone going away with at least a couple of new techniques to try out, and the whole group was able to share their experiences, from absolute novices through to seasoned professionals. So we're looking forward to finding out more from Heather! Find our more and reserve your place

Why's co-working great for homeworkers? We all need a change of scene now and again, and no more so when we work at home - you can get too much of a good thing! This really is a working day - just in a different location - so the great news is that you can still come if you're busy! You can't say that of most events, can you :)

Free Registration opens today!

Hello. Some exciting news from SpoT HQ. You can now Register FREE to use the Space on Tap Open Door service.

Our unique Open Door service gives you EXCLUSIVE access to space within companies across North East England. Our Open Door Partners have meeting rooms, board rooms, spare desks and storage areas that aren't being used as much as they could be, so they're opening them up for you to use, exclusively through Space on Tap. Wow!

Imagine working in the office of a local company, using their space on an occasional basis when you need it AND developing new contacts in your local business community while you're working there! This really is WIN WIN!

Register FREE now for:
- Exclusive access to local workspace
- Easy online booking
- User reviews of featured spaces
- Exclusive discounts and offers
Enjoy!