The Flexible Space Association Awards and What I’ve Learned About the Coworking World
How a night of celebration made me reflect on my journey into coworking
Last Thursday, I was honoured to be invited to the Flexible Space Association Gala Dinner, where I’d been asked to judge the awards and present one on the night. I was struck by the level of innovation across the entries, and it was a pleasure to play an active role in celebrating the work of operators, vendors, and experts.
Held at the Pan Pacific hotel in London, the event was a beautiful celebration of the flexible workspace industry. I bumped into some lovely clients, familiar faces, and people I’ve gotten to know across this friendly community.
My fellow judges have decades of experience in the flexible workspace world, which made me feel a little unqualified at times. But that feeling also prompted me to reflect on how I stumbled into this industry only a few years ago, and how much it has shaped me since.
So, I thought I’d share that story.
Journeying into co
My entry into the coworking industry was completely serendipitous. I began my freelance career in October 2020, just after finishing my Master’s in Interior Design at the Glasgow School of Art, where I studied how people gather and connect in spaces. Although I’m not an interior designer, that research has shaped everything I write about, especially how design, community, and inclusivity come together in coworking spaces.
One of my first clients was a coliving organisation running hybrid events. Their team was extremely nomadic – one week they’d be living in Mexico, the next in Southeast Asia – while I was cooped up in a very locked-down Edinburgh.
I had no desire to become a digital nomad myself, but I was drawn to the coworking spaces they Zoomed in from: bright, accessible, welcoming places that felt full of possibility. I wondered whether coworking could work for me, too.
Around that time, I started passing a Clockwise workspace while out for lockdown walks. It was a 15-minute stroll from my flat in the heart of the Shore, a bustling area of Leith filled with cafés, restaurants, and wee independent shops. I imagined myself working in the coworking space on weekdays and bumping into fellow members at local brunch spots on the weekend.
As soon as restrictions eased, I joined. I was a member at Clockwise Leith for a year before moving to London in mid-2022.
During that year, I experienced what it really means to work near home: the active commute to the office, the freedom to adapt my day to what I needed, and the way community shows up in small but meaningful moments through everyday interactions in the space and its local surroundings.
And then there was the most unexpected connection of all: the building itself. The space used to be a whisky distillery run by Glenmorangie, the very building my Grandpa McInally once worked in. I only discovered that after joining, and it made the space feel even more special to me.
Finding community in a new city
Not long after leaving Clockwise Leith and moving to London, one of my clients was co-hosting a London Coworking Assembly event at the XCHG in Bishopsgate. It was a glorious June day, hot and sunny; if you’ve ever been to the XCHG, you’ll know it’s the perfect space to be on a clear day – the view stretches for miles.
Not only was the coworking space incredibly inspiring and made me feel like I was right in the centre of London, but the event itself was a beautiful coming together of coworking operators and enthusiasts.
My friend, Shazia Mustafa, was on the panel, talking about her journey of launching a family-friendly coworking space with a nursery.
I met other regulars within the London Coworking Assembly, who I’ve since worked with and who have recommended my work to others.
Of course, my most formative coworking experience was joining a London workspace for two years. It’s been my longest coworking experience to date, and a space that I played an active part in — connecting with my fellow coworkers, and where I experienced a deep sense of community, and belonging.
Around the same time, I joined a freelancer community which held monthly meetups for coworking and knowledge exchange. In my first couple of sessions, I met three people with whom I regularly cowork in various spots across town to this day, and who have become close friends of mine.
See, this is what the power of coworking is all about – connection, collaboration, and community. I’ve grown professionally through coworking, the connections I’ve made, and the opportunities that have come out of it. I was reminded of that at the FlexSA awards last week, and at GCUC UK London in October too.
The magic of ‘co’
Truthfully, I don’t think I’d be qualified to talk about the industry without having those real-life coworking experiences, because I wouldn’t be able to understand the magic of coworking or write about it.
Coworking spaces are where you can share stories, knowledge, experiences, offer guidance, learn together, and where people grow. For me, coworking is about inclusion, togetherness, and connecting with people from all walks of life.
Last week’s FlexSA Awards reminded me of that, and of the deeper meaning of ‘co’: feeling included, valued, and welcomed by an industry that genuinely cares about its people.
Until next week,
Lucy