The BCA’s (Business Centre Association) 24th Annual Conference & Exhibition took place on Thursday 22nd May at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London. The conference is aimed at operators and suppliers of flexible office space, as well as those in the wider business community. Sophie Turnbull, Lucy Watts and Dan Szweda from Instant attended the event and came back with a few insights to share.
This year’s theme was “Decrypting the Code to Workspace Innovation”, and focused on understanding the emerging trends in the business landscape, as well as the evolving needs of clients.
Key Presentations
Focus on customer service
- Keynote speaker Michael Levie, COO of CitizenM Hotels, outlined how industries need to evolve to meet people’s ever-changing needs. One of his main points was that customer service traditionally focuses on providing a personalised approach to the consumer. In his view, customer service should be about the experience, with businesses providing a service that is memorable.
- Levie also stated that it is the front-line employees, rather than the business owners and board members, who understand the customers’ needs. In light of this, he emphasised that lower-level employees should be encouraged to share their knowledge and help shape customer service operations.
State of the global economy
- Justin Urquhart-Stewart, director and co-founder of Seven Investment Management, presented a talk on the state of the UK and global economy. His talk addressed the imbalances that exist in today’s economy, covering issues such as consumer debt and quantitative easing.
- He also focused on positive steps, including the increase in business confidence, the shrinking deficit in the USA, and Eurozone reform. Urquhart-Stewart emphasised the fact that the business centre industry is fundamental to the economy, because it gives SMEs and entrepreneurs the flexibility needed to start and grow their own businesses.
Young entrepreneurs
- Co-founder of Entrepreneur First Alice Bentinck focused on the requirements of young entrepreneurs. According to Bentinck, basic needs ranged from a reliable Wi-Fi connection, to storage areas and spaces that cater to both collaborative and quiet work sessions. Considering the large number of start-ups in the UK, she added that this is an excellent opportunity for flexible office providers to fill the gap and target a new demographic.
Future technology
- Nigel Miller, MD of Cordless Consultants Ltd, spoke about the future of technology, and the power that it has to create cutting-edge, “smart” work environments. In his opinion, existing technologies such as solar windows, facial recognition and driverless cars are just the beginning – offices may look very different in a few years time.
Concluding Thoughts
Jennifer Brooke, Executive Director of the Business Centre Association, summed up the conference perfectly saying, “The industry is now recognised globally as a fundamental element in the growth and success rate of startups and SMEs. Without access to flexible workspace, many fledgling firms that have gone on to become disruptive forces on the national and global stage would not have made it past their first year.”
Feedback from Dan Szweda, Instant’s Head of Broking, was that “It was great to see so many of our partners at this year’s conference. The Big Conversation in particular was a great addition to the schedule, allowing debate on key issues and challenges affecting the industry.”
Sophie Turnbull, Senior Operator Relationship Manager, said that “The BCA was a great opportunity to see all our partners and to discuss new ideas. A large part of the discussion was about diversifying our workplace to allow all types of businesses to consider serviced offices as an option. A key focus was on collaborative working and changing our workplaces to align with what the client wants and there is a huge demand for this. It is certainly something that Instant have found our clients are wanting from their office searches.”
You can also watch some short video interviews here:
Michael Levie, COO CitizenM Hotels
Justin Urquhart-Stewart, Seven Investment Management
Peter Radcliffe, OfficeFront
Kevin Winstanley, ip-Xchange
Tom Mulvaney, United Business Centres
Were you at the BCA conference? What were your key takeaways from the event? Let us know by leaving a comment below.