Desk Space, Sydney's First Ever Co-working Space

SYDNEY - March 29, 2017 - PRLog -- Co-working is one of the fastest growing workplace movements in Australia and abroad and it is changing where and how we do business.

Large international players have recently established a foothold in the rapidly growing market in Sydney. But Sydney's first co-working space, Desk Space, was actually set up by a local entrepreneur who is thoroughly invested in seeing other entrepreneurs succeed. Steven Arthur saw the potential benefits of co-working early on and since 2009 Desk Space has been at the forefront of the workplace movement.

In eight years, Desk Space has grown from one office of eight people to an entire building in William Street, Darlinghurst, with 150 members comprising start ups, entrepreneurs, freelancers and heavily invested businesses. The concept of Desk Space has also evolved over that time, providing not only a co-working space, but an environment that purposefully facilitates collaboration and encourages the development of new initiatives.

"My original conception of Desk Space was as an alternative model to the traditional advertising agency. Having owned an agency I saw the benefit of establishing a network of independent specialists who could respond to a brief while also undertaking their own projects,"says Arthur, owner/operator of Desk Space. "I designed the business around a model that would work for me. It was an idea of co-working in which everyone had their own clients and accounts but we could contract each other due to our close proximity."

Sydney is certainly well on its way to being an entrepreneurial hub of the world and many of the companies based in Desk Space are proof. The Singapore-based restaurant reservation app Quandoo started its Australian operations from Desk Space, as did the global sensation Airbnb.

Deliveroo, the London-based tech-start up delivering your favourite restaurant food, joined Desk Space in 2015 with a team of four. "Desk Space was a place that we felt would grow with us as our teams and business expands. There is a constant buzz of energy that comes from working around other great starts ups and businesses and collaborating with them has made closing the gap from conception to execution much easier," says Levi Aron, Australian Country Manager for Deliveroo. The Deliveroo team has since expanded to occupy a full floor and the business has extended its services to seven cities across Australia.

Desk Space is also home to local entrepreneurs who are specialists in their fields such as engineering, marketing, design and venture capital, as well as those creating and developing their own products, platforms and services. "Desk Space members are like-minded people who are driven by the same ethos: to share, collaborate and innovate; and to work hard, achieve and make a difference. My aim is to provide them with the infrastructure and resources to help them do what they do best," Arthur says.

"Make it Together" is the Desk Space motto, and while the high-calibre network of members turn over more than $100 million annually combined, they're really making it together when it comes to productivity, collaboration and success. "People and proximity are still a vital part of Desk Space and I really enjoy seeing what people are doing. Their energy is motivating and it's exciting to be around," Arthur says.

To interview Steven Arthur about Desk Space, co-working and Sydney's thriving entrepreneurial environment, please contact Joe Hughes at N O W! Communications. joe@nowcommunications.com.au or +61455 494 409.

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