Office wanted: Is the state of emergency becoming permanent?
Important market decision-makers, top-class speakers and trade exhibitors came together yesterday at the Berlin Real Estate Congress. The event was originally scheduled to take place on March 25 – two days after the lockdown. In the meantime, the topics were adapted to the new situation, speakers and discussants were eagerly awaited.
In the panel with the new topic “Office wanted: Is the state of exception becoming a permanent state?” there was lively discussion about the current situation for the coworking industry. However, Gödiker made it clear right at the beginning that the umbrella term “coworking” does not even encompass the industry in its depth. But he mentally paints the picture of hipsters, dogs and hammocks. Satellite Office is not all that. However, if one only saw the true meaning of the word, namely “working together,” one could live with the term, according to the entrepreneur. Also on the panel were: Benjamin Albrecht, Head of Project Development TLG Immobilien AG, Sebastian Blecke, Managing Director GSG Gewerbesiedlungs-Gesellschaft mbH and Eva Weber, Head of Leasing Taurecon Real Estate Consulting GmbH. The moderation was taken over by David Eckl.
The shambles after Corona is not as big for the industry as feared, the panel agreed.
“It is the third severe crisis for me in my career. It is, however, tougher than the Lehman bankruptcy and the millennium bug, because it affects not only financial issues but also health. It’s down to the wire, which makes people more concerned,” Gödiker characterizes the current situation. When asked how it feels to open a new location during a crisis, Gödiker responded with humor. “A location?” she asked with a laugh. The new workspace “Gloria Berlin” on the Kudamm is the third location Satellite Office has opened in the Corona era, but no one noticed, Gödiker smiles. And she says she doesn’t see a problem “because Satellite Office comes from a completely different place.”
Strength lies in tranquility: the Satellite Office approach
Long before Corona, Satellite Office didn’t believe in working productively close-at-hand. Workspaces have always been very generously sized. “To work efficiently, you need space and quiet above all else” says Gödiker. That’s why Satellite Office launched the pureSilent® Line two years ago. A space concept that creates retreats for deepest concentration, for deep working. With screened areas, protected break-out areas, sophisticated room acoustics, high-quality furnishings and first-class service – but also with areas to engage in conversation. “It also has to be human, everyone has to feel comfortable,” says Gödiker. “Tight, crowded and loud, it’s megaout. The trend for calm and space is reinforced by Corona,” says the visionary. “I never understood the hype about working in a hammock with as many people around as possible. Because it was and is not productive. Many of those who relied on the formerly hip concept now have to put on their warm clothing.
The basic mood of the panel: Get started!
Moderator and discussants agreed at the end of the exciting discussion time that one simply has to start again somewhere. And to answer the question of the panel topic: Yes, the state of exception is becoming the normal state. Because everything is constantly changing. With and without corona. Successful business models have always been about recognizing the pulse of the times, developing concepts for them and, above all, implementing them. Anita Gödiker concluded by saying, “That we will get a grip on this economically, I have no doubt. The world is turning with us, and we will play a role in that.”
