Vancouver’s Network Hub has created an interactive map that will allow freelancers and remote workers to locate physical workspaces around the world, even when on the road.
The Coworking Visa Map allows members of the Coworking Visa Program, an agreement between more than 450 locations around the world, to find space to work both locally and when travelling worldwide. The workspaces are open-concept workstation arrangements where members work alongside other remote workers.
“The way our space works is it is like a gym membership,” Network Hub co-founder Jay Catalan told Business in Vancouver. “You become a member of our space and then you can come in and, depending on your level of membership, you can have your own dedicated desk or you can have a pass for a certain number of days per month.
“Or you can just drop in by the hour.”
The Network Hub owns three locations in British Columbia – Vancouver, New Westminster and Whistler. Prices start around $5 per hour. Members receive a “visa” to allow them to access the other locations around the world.
The coworking concept originated in San Francisco, Catalan said, when a group of tech people who worked from home decided they wanted to get out of the house, so they rented a space where they could work together.
Catalan said his company volunteered to create this map on behalf of the Coworking Visa Program to make it easier for remote workers to find space to work.
But he said members get more than a workspace when they sign up.
“It’s more like a community,” he said. “You are getting an insight into the local vibe of where to go and what to check out.”
