5 Things To Look Forward To At Unreasonable Connection Live!
Honest conversations and the joy of coworking people coming together IRL
If you’ve ever sat down to talk with people who really understand the realities of managing a coworking space, you’ll know the feeling. The conversations flow, the energy lifts, and suddenly you’re swapping stories that make you feel a little less alone.
That’s exactly what Unreasonable Connection Live! promises to deliver on Tuesday 24th February.
This event – a partnership between London Coworking Assembly, Blue Garage, and Urban MBA – brings together 150 people who care deeply about the coworking industry.
In true Bernie Mitchell-style, this event doesn’t involve polished panels or surface-level networking, but opens an honest conversation about the shared challenges in coworking.
I can’t wait to experience the magic when a large group of coworking enthusiasts gather in the same room. Here are five things to look forward to when this event comes to London in three weeks.
1. Real conversations about the challenges of coworking
Running a coworking space comes with challenges that are hard to fully explain unless you’re living them. Unreasonable Connection Live! exists to make room for those conversations.
If you’re familiar with Bernie Mitchell’s Unreasonable Connection calls, you’ll know the format already: a monthly check-in where operators come together to share what’s really going on behind the scenes in their workspaces.
Unreasonable Connection Live! builds on that spirit, holding space for honest discussion rather than glossy success stories. We all know that true connection happens when everyone is in the room IRL, rather than over a Teams call.
Expect thoughtful reflection, shared experience, and story-swapping conversations that leave you feeling inspired and less alone in the work.
2. The power of neighbourhood spaces
For many people, most of life already happens locally. Schools, gyms, cafés, and friends are all within walking distance. But for years, work has pulled people away from their local communities and into long commutes that increasingly make little sense.
Over the last five years, that has shifted dramatically. Hybrid work has become the norm, teams are distributed, and the daily commute is no longer a given. What people need now is a place to do meaningful work close to home – somewhere you can walk to, settle in, and get into a rhythm.
This is where neighbourhood spaces truly shine. They support people with fragmented schedules, caring responsibilities, or flexible working needs, reducing isolation, increasing accessibility, and creating genuine connections between people who live and work in the same area.
Unreasonable Connection Live! encourages the group to share stories about how neighbourhood coworking spaces are filling that missing piece — offering focus, community, and belonging right where people already live.
In Bernie’s words: “This is a local neighbourhood conversation.”
3. Visiting Blue Garage: Lewisham’s newest coworking makerspace
It feels fitting that an event centred around neighbourhood spaces is hosted by one.
Blue Garage is an industrial-grade fabrication lab and makerspace in Lewisham, founded by Michael Korn. Sitting above a micro-factory, it provides the tools, resources, and equipment, improving affordability and accessibility for local makers.
While I haven’t visited Blue Garage yet, I spoke with Michael last year for a Nexudus piece ahead of European Coworking Day. His passion for community-led spaces and breaking down barriers for makers is unmistakable.
This feels like the perfect venue for conversations around neighbourhood spaces to take place.
4. Honest discussions about the realities of running a coworking space
Running a coworking business can be brutal at times. When a large member leaves with a month’s notice and overheads continue to rise, even the most committed operators can find themselves questioning why they decided to open a coworking space in the first place.
This event isn’t a sugar-coated view of coworking. Unreasonable Connection Live! offers a rare opportunity to share those experiences openly.
Operators who’ve been through the good, the bad, and the ugly will be exchanging knowledge, including timely discussions around challenges such as the recent VOA business tax rates.
I recently spoke with Suzanne Murdock about the hidden pressures of running a coworking space, and one thing was clear: sharing these challenges can be incredibly powerful.
5. Connecting with people who get it
Many coworking spaces are founded from a personal motivation to overcome loneliness, build a community, or a desire to work differently.
But as your workspace grows, finding time to connect with people in similar positions becomes harder, even though that might have been your primary goal at the beginning.
Unreasonable Connection Live! brings that connection back to the forefront.
If you’re looking for a reminder of why you started your coworking space in the first place, then that’s absolutely what will be covered at the event. Prepare to feel inspired by other workspace operators, and return from the day with tonnes of ideas and motivation to bring to your coworking business.
Let’s connect at Unreasonable Connection Live!
I can’t wait to head along to Unreasonable Connection Live! later this month.
The room will be full of coworking operators and enthusiasts who care deeply about their spaces, and who are open, curious, and willing to share what they’re learning along the way.
If you’re already on the list, let me know — I’d love to connect with you there.
If you haven’t grabbed your ticket yet, consider this your nudge. Get yours here.
And if you’ve been missing the joy of in-person coworking conversations – the kind that remind you why you started in the first place – this might just be the room you’ve been waiting for.
Until next week,
Lucy