Celebrating One Year of Coworking Convos

2020 has warped time.

This year has accelerated at a pace which has me losing track of months, and everything is simultaneously standing still.

So weird.

But here we are.

Last year around this time, I had a nagging idea to connect coworking space operators around the world for informal conversations around topics relating to community, marketing and workspace culture.

The idea wouldn’t leave me alone so, in collaboration with my friends Karina Patel and Kim Siepel, the marketing masterminds at CloudVO and Pacific Workplaces, we quietly ran a beta Coworking Convo with 25 participants.

We’ve hosted a Convo every month since then.

Quite a Year

The timing of it all feels inspired now.

Who knew we were about to enter an era when virtual connection would be a lifeline?

Having monthly, virtual conversations with coworking space operators and pros around the world has helped keep me sane during a global pandemic, a political shitshow and an overdue cultural reckoning around systemic inequality.

It’s been quite a ride.

There was even one Convo where my family and I were evacuated from our home for nine days as wildfires blazed through the Santa Cruz Mountains. I had no idea how I was going to pull off running a Convo from a hotel room while trying desperately to keep myself together.

Turns out, the Convo was the best place for me to be.

Having a platform to focus on collaboration, connection, purpose, solutions and creating the world we want to live in is what Convos are all about. They allow us to hit pause on life-as-usual and lean into our global community.

Our Coworking Lantern

Every coworking space is different, but together, our coworking lantern shines bright. We are, collectively, building something important—something vital.

My vision for Convos is to harness the knowledge, experience, creativity, expertise and generosity of coworking pros so we can all learn, grow and go return to our individual communities with renewed energy, hearts and focus.

This month, Convos turns one and all signs are good for our (not so) little project.

This year alone, more than 2,500 space operators have registered for Convos.

It’s important to me that Convos remain free for operators. Our sponsors make that possible and our sponsor community has grown to include some of the finest brands in the workspace industry.

Game-changing Companies

Our sponsors are game-changing companies working toward a more collaborative, connected future. They’re run by engaged, thoughtful people doing great work in the world.

I realized early on that Convos sponsors need to reflect our collective values and understand what coworking and community are all about. So I carefully curate our sponsors to make sure they’re a good fit for Convos, for me and the Cat Johnson Co team, and for our coworking community.

I’m inspired daily by the intelligence and savvy of our sponsors. To say I’m pleased with our current sponsor community would be a huge understatement. I am honored, grateful and stoked to collaborate with the following friends and companies:

Partners
Karina, Kim, Laurent, Keith, Tracy, Scott, Sasha and the team from CloudVO
Liz, Stormy, Rachel and the GCUC Community team
Hector, Mia and the includedco team

Supporters
Sam, Nicole and the Deskpass team
Wynn, David, Jessica and the Metigy team
Barbara and the Satellite Deskworks team
Hanson and the Think Board team

Media Sponsor
Daniel, Jo, Ceci, Mike, Frank and the Allwork.space team

Community Sponsors
Faye and the Vari team
Andrew, Jared, Ben and the PitchHub Team
Pat and the IP Society
Iris, Laura and Women Who Cowork

One year in, Convos are looking good. Our community is growing and people regularly tell me how much they get out of Convos. The sponsorship model is working nicely and I am more inspired than ever to make Convos a valuable, fun project for the coworking world.

My vision, as we move into our second year of Convos, is to continue to strive toward excellence, figure out a way to hit different time zones without asking guests to do repeats, continue to improve my skills as a host and moderator, ensure that Convos reflect inclusive representation, and let our community continue to shape Convos.

Thank you to everyone who has attended a Convo, been a Convos guest, helped spread the word about Coworking Convos, or helped fund the project through sponsorship.

You’re all superstars.

Further together,
Cat