For the many who are still working from home, the interaction and camaraderie that comes from a shared office can seem lacking in the daily routine of moving from the bed to the office to the couch. However, there are a few coworking space in the region beginning to reopen their doors.
In February, NTX Inno hosted its inaugural pop up event focused on insights from global professional services firm Accenture’s TechVision 2020 report and discussing its potential impact on the local and global tech ecosystem at Venture X’s coworking space in Uptown Dallas. At the time, we wanted to show you more of the space. But that was before the pandemic was declared, closing the space and many other businesses.
However, now we’re ready to give you a look.
“We truly are more than just an office. We are an extension of your team and we are provided with many opportunities to make an impact on more businesses than just Venture X,” Olivia Culver, marketing and events coordinator at Venture X Uptown Dallas, told NTX Inno via email.
Florida-based coworking company Venture X first entered the North Texas market in 2018, opening the Uptown space on the fifth floor of the One McKinney building in 2019. The company now has nine North Texas locations, with the newest opened in The Colony this month and a planned one on the way in Fairview. Along with other locations in Texas, Venture X has coworking spots in a number of other states, as well as in Canada, Costa Rice, the United Arab Emirates and the UK. And it has plans to expand in Central America, India and Spain.
Like many coworking spaces, Venture X’s uptown location has membership packages ranging from virtual offices to private offices. It also features the amenities that many expect from a coworking space like mail services, meeting rooms, beverages and networking events. But it also features less common things like a podcast studio, on-site notary and cleaning services. And one of the things Venture X prides itself on is its concierge-like on-site staff.
However, like many other coworking companies, Venture X has made some changes to its Uptown and other locations to help keep people safe as they return to the space amid a global pandemic. To accommodate, the company has spread out furniture to make social distancing easier and has also ramped up its daily cleaning schedule. Culver said the company has also been seeing increased interest in businesses looking to move some of their remote staff into coworking spaces as part of reopening and recovery plans.
“Venture X Uptown had to close down for a few months, as most businesses did, but we are now working to be a major piece in businesses recovery plans,” Culver said. “We work with so many types of businesses at various levels of their timeline. In many cases, we become an integral part, and extension, of their business and how they function.”
Other coworking DFW coworking companies have also been getting creative with pivoting and reopening amid the pandemic. Dallas-based WorkSuites recently opened its 20th North Texas location, with increased safety measures like reducing capacity in conference and team rooms, removing lounge furniture and placing physical dividers in its coworking areas. It has also launched a remote learning room for students of its members called Zoom Rooms. Another Dallas-based coworking company, Common Desk, launched a Covid-inspired WFH membership in March, which offers virtual mailing, social (distancing) clubs, online resources and a one-day pass per month after things go back to “business as usual.” At the time of the launch, the company said the membership was in response to many people looking for human connection during these times of uncertainty and self-isolation.
“There’s no understating it: these times are hard. Many of us are figuring out how to work from home for the very first time,” Common Desk wrote in a blog post announcing the new membership offering. “Though we are currently distanced from others, we have never needed community more.”
Check out the Uptown Dallas Venture X digs for yourself below.
