CASE STUDY 6
Seats2meet.Com
Learning to share with
Dutch-style co-working
Seats2meet.Com
[Amsterdam, Utrecht]
Established: 2006
Employees: 10
Locations: 77 locations, 11 overseas
New type of Co-working Space
★
Seats2meet.Com
Leveraging its free co-working space principle,
S2M has expanded to 77 locations across the Netherlands.
Among users, knowledge is the currency of choice.
The main workspace at S2M HQ in Utrecht.
Less than eight years after it was set
up, co-working space Seats2meet.
com (S2M) has 77 locations across the
Netherlands, and 6 countries abroad.
The secret to such rapid growth lies in
the fact that the service is provided to
individuals free of charge. Or rather,
it doesn’t cost them any money.
S2M has come up with an innovative
system that leverages individual users’
social capital in the form of knowledge,
skills and networks, rather than actual
cash.
Let’s start by taking a look around.
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We were given a tour of three separate
locations, each differently designed
but all run on the same business
model.
The Amsterdam location has corporate tenants alongside its co-working spaces. Built in 1911 as a stock
exchange, the building has an interesting history. It was designed by Dutch
architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage.
“Over 100 year ago, Berlage wrote
his brother a letter while building the
Beurs van Berlage. Berlage was a
socialist and wrote: I realise this will
become the most capitalistic building in Amsterdam, but as soon as the
economy crashes this will become
a pallazo pubblico. A place where
meeting others, sharing knowledge
and working together will be the
central themes'. It took 100 years,
but thanks to this letter the vision of
the Beurs and Seats2meet.com are
now perfectly aligned,” explains duty
manager/user, Simina Jonker. S2M
themselves sees this as a special,
symbolic location.
Next, we visited Almere, a com-
muter town outside Amsterdam. In
an example of the S2M concept being
successfully incorporated into a public
space, there is an exclusive 20-desk
S2M area inside the library. Unlike
S2M in Amsterdam, there is no commercial element; this is a cooperative
space rooted in the community.
Our final visit was to S2M headquarters, which is directly connected
to Utrecht station. Co-owner Ronald
van den Hoff describes the design
concept as “a space that builds creative tension.” The interior features a
multitude of colours and materials;
it’s the opposite of minimalist decor.
Corridors are curved, and ceilings and
floors don’t necessarily run parallel. All
of this is designed to create tension in
the space and stimulate thought.
Each location is bookable online,
and users are asked to provide details
of their knowledge, skills and expertise
at the time of booking. This information
is displayed on ‘Serendipity Machines’
at each of S2M’s locations for anyone
to use. One can tell at a glance the
social capital of everyone using S2M
at any time. This is the basic system
which makes the free co-working
spaces possible.
“In my case,” says Yonker, “I’ve
put ‘Amsterdam based PR and event
manager…’ If anyone seeing that
wants to ask me a question, or wants
to talk about something, I’ll help them
out. For example, if they’re organizing
an event and ask me if I know a good
catering company, I’ll be able to tell
them the name of one. I’m sharing my
social capital. That’s how you pay at
S2M. But it’s not a chore. You just
have to talk to people normally and
exchange information, that’s all.”
The Serendipity Machine functions
as a help desk, sales team and even
an advertising department. Users
connected via the network volunteer
to take on these roles as necessary,
resulting in huge cost savings.
But if co-working spaces are free
to use, how does S2M make money?
The answer lies in the meeting
rooms it also provides. Charges are
on a per-seat basis, and are higher
at busy times. But there is another
unusual part to the business model.
In Amsterdam, for example, lunch is
provided between 12 and 2pm, and
costs five Euros. What’s surprising is
that everything else is free. Coffee is
free. Soft drinks and snacks have no
set prices, but users put what they
think is a fair amount into a bottle
that’s left there for the purpose.
This unique system was the brainchild of co-owners Marielle Sijgers and
Ronald van den Hoff. Ten years ago,
they ran a rental meeting room business, but “it was a really old-fashioned
industry,” says Sijgers. “We wanted to
start something new.” It was then that
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3
4
1/ Each S2M co-working space is designed
differently, with the aim of building creative
tension.
2/ A blue-toned open space where workers
make use of the S2M concept to connect as
they work.
3/ This meeting room makes ample use of
natural light.
4/ Meetings scheduled for the day are stuck up
on the wall. If you like the look of something,
you’re welcome to join in.
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It has everything
an entrepreneur needs
Maurits Riton Logtenberg
LOGINC Engineer / Founder
they noticed a change in the market.
“With companies getting smaller
and business stagnating because of
the economic crisis, entrepreneurs
started leaping into action. Advancements in technology made it easy for
individuals to carry out transactions
directly, one-to-one. But marketing
is harder for individuals than it is for
corporations. That’s when we came
up with the idea of opening up and
sharing knowledge. That way, individuals would be able to find people
who have need of their social capital,”
says van den Hoff.
S2M also turned out to be an
excellent research opportunity for
5/ S2M in Amsterdam was originally built in
1911 as a stock exchange and features these
distinctive original bricks.
6/ One corner of this uniquely designed public
library in commuter town Almere houses a
S2M space.
7/ Each meeting room has a different theme.
The words on this room’s red wall are “Some
Like it Hot,” from the Marilyn Monroe film.
Perfect for inspiring heated debate or scorching-hot ideas!
8/ In contrast, this meeting room’s pure white
walls feature the message “Ssssshhhh.” A room
for getting on with things in silence.
9/ The cafeteria at S2M in Utrecht.
10/ Here, S2M is set in a library with lots of
non-business users, and has a modern yet
relaxed living room atmosphere different to
Amsterdam and Utrecht.
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5
6
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companies. Companies looking to
hire creative individuals with innovative ideas need look no further than
S2M. This suits the freelancers, too,
enabling them to forge connections
with companies without any marketing
effort, and potentially leading to new
business opportunities. And when
companies and individuals start to
connect, there are profits to be had
for S2M, too. Workers who previously
only used the free co-working spaces
might now have more cause to pay to
use the meeting rooms. The business
model manages to benefit individuals, companies and S2M, all the while
keeping the free co-working spaces
at its core.
A survey of S2M users carried out
by Rotterdam School of Business
drew comments such as: “I’d started
a new project within two weeks,” and
“I’m getting more freelance work.”
Eight years after opening it has 77 locations. Now S2M is apparently known
as the place to go to meet talented
people.
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I set up a company to help start-ups,
creating online platforms like websites and programs. I also support a
network that connects entrepreneurs.
A lot of people work for themselves,
myself included, so it’s really important
to create opportunities for them to
meet other people and share knowledge and skills. I provide computer-related solutions.
Previously, I worked for ten years
for an IT communications company. It
didn’t suit me. I’m the type of person
who wants to take responsibility for
my own work and do things my own
way. Sometimes at work I would come
up with a good idea but my manager
would take credit for it. And working
nine till five was so restrictive. So I
decided to start my own business. I
wanted to do IT, which I enjoy, but in
my own way.
When I’m not meeting clients, I’m
often working at home by myself. I
do go to clients’ premises to fix their
computers, but basically I can work
anywhere as long as I have the internet and a laptop. So it’s not like
I need to come to S2M for my work.
But I can meet people here, invite my
clients along, even have a meal. It
has everything an entrepreneur needs.
Places like this are invaluable.
I tried quite a lot of other co-working spaces before I hit on S2M. But
S2M is very professional; the staff,
the network, and the people that use
it are all high calibre. There are rooms
I can use for workshops and training
sessions; it has all the facilities I could
want.
It also helps a lot that this is the
closest place to where I live! I’m lazy,
you see.
S2M’s added value lies in knowledge,
content, and expertise
Marielle Sijgers
Co-founder and Director
Bryan Kragtwijk
POWERFIELD Media
Ronald van den Hoff
Co-founder
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I work in different places for different
projects, so you could say my Mac
is my office! I probably come to S2M
between three and five days a month
at the moment.
I set up my own business in
2010 after working for Mitsubishi
Motors’ European HQ for ten years. I
didn’t leave because I didn’t like the
company; I actually really liked Mitsubishi. I’m still in touch with my former
colleagues on Facebook and talk to
them about the best sushi restaurants
and things like that.
But Mitsubishi underwent restructuring and the European HQ was going
to move 200km away. The company
said they wanted me to go with them,
but we weren’t able to move because
of my girlfriend’s work, so the only
thing for it was for me to leave the
company.
So 2010 was a difficult year for me.
I’d suddenly gone from having 200 colleagues to having none at all. I started
coming to S2M to learn how to set up a
company. Now I work creating videos
for live streaming. I want to provide
high quality information through the
medium of video.
For example, you all have iPhones,
right? With these, you could connect
Tokyo and this place and start a live
streaming event. I use this infrastructure to distribute programs I’ve
created. Next week I’m planning to
broadcast a ‘sharing week’ event live
around the world. We’ll be live streaming an event where lots of people are
interacting, creating added value for
the event. That’s what my company
does.
It fits in with S2M’s philosophy, too.
The added value you get from meeting
people comes in the form of knowledge, content ideas, and expertise.
What’s important isn’t just the space
and the food and drink, it’s that it’s a
place to find content and knowledge.
I provide video streaming equipment.
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WRAP-UP
Everyone’s friendly and open.
It’s stimulating and not too quiet.
What supports life and work in the Netherlands? With the help of our case studies,
we take a closer look at companies, the public realm, and infrastructure
to see what might be applicable in Japan.
Nienke van Denderen
Photographer
S2M has a really nice atmosphere.
Everyone who comes here is friendly
and open. You get the feeling that
everyone’s grateful for this place and
that they respect it. You just know that
everyone feels this is a good place.
It’s not too quiet a space, maybe
because there’s so much knowledge
sharing and communication going on,
but I find that stimulating. I like the
decor as well.
I’m a photographer specialising in
wedding photography. I also do photography for fashion magazines and
write a fashion blog. I first heard about
S2M four years ago when my assistant
told me about this great workspace. I
had just started trying to make a living
from photography and was spending
a lot of time at home. To be honest I
was bored.
I came along to S2M and met the
right people, and ended up working
as a member of S2M staff for three
years! I worked two days a week on reception, and also cleaned the lounge.
I’ve also taken photographs for their
brochure.
Back then I was still finding it hard
to make a living just from photography,
but this place really helped by broadening my network. When my photography work picked up, I stopped working
for S2M and focussed on that.
Nowadays I come to S2M two or
three days a week. I do everything
apart from actually taking the photographs here. For example, if I’m doing
one shoot after another I get a backlog
of emails, so I come here to answer
them all in one go. I also research
the location for my next shoot, and
compile my photos. I do all my posting
to social media and my blog here, too.
Sometimes I talk to different people,
sometimes I focus on my work. It’s
different from day to day.
Surrounding myself with potential encounters
motivates me and gives me ideas
Pieter Vermeer
DEBROEKRIEN
I used to be an architectural designer, but when I got made redundant I
used it as an opportunity to set up a
platform to support people changing
jobs. Specifically, I support their job
hunt and organise 50 events a month
on topics like how to make the most of
LinkedIn, how to write a CV, and how
to approach companies.
My main aim is to create encounters
that will inspire people. If you’ve lost
your job and are sitting at home all day,
you get more and more lonely, but if
you come here, there are all kinds of
people and all kinds of things going on.
You’re bound to feel more motivated
and inspired. Basically, S2M is a place
where you can talk about all sorts of
things over a coffee. I’ve left the world
of architecture, but in a sense maybe
I’m still doing the same thing because
I’m creating a place for people to meet.
My day starts with S2M. I work
all over the Netherlands, so in the
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Creating the future, Dutch style
afternoon I head out, but I’m always
here in the mornings and evenings.
On a typical day I’ll work for an hour
or two at S2M in the morning, then
head to a meeting in Amsterdam or
Rotterdam. It’s handy being so close
to Utrecht station. When I come back
in the evening I’ll work here for another
hour or two before heading home. I
never spend a whole day here.
The company I used to work for
actually rented S2M meeting rooms
regularly. So when I started my own
company this place came to mind
immediately. I’d always thought that
working in the same place five days
a week was boring. You can work in
cafes, but ultimately you’re still by
yourself, so it’s no different from
working at home. At S2M you feel
like part of a community. It’s sociable. There’s familiarity, but it’s not like
being with friends; there’s an appropriate sense of distance that I appreciate.
Shotaro Yamashita
Editor in Chief
Workstyle Researcher
DIY mentality, a culture of
conversation, and futureoriented thinking
DIY mentality
‘The Netherlands’ means ‘the low
lands’. The process of reclaiming
this land over the last thousand years
has been one of continuous flood
control measures and battling against
natural disasters. Creating communities known as polders, and taking it
upon themselves to keep danger at
bay, has equipped the people of the
Netherlands with a DIY mentality. The
notion of taking the lead, of thinking
and making decisions for oneself, is
reflected in the education system and
planted from a young age.
Culture of conversation
With flood control systems, it only
takes a single breach in a dyke for
everything to be over. Consultation
and systematic management are
crucial from the outset. Nothing
happens without stakeholder consensus. The country’s history of
consensus-based control over nature
has translated into a culture where
trade, labour, drugs, euthanasia,
immigration and other social issues
are controlled using guidelines. The
need for broad-minded, order-creating
consensus has given rise to a culture
of conversation. This has resulted in
a rise in the social capital valued by
knowledge economy-based societies,
made companies more competitive,
and helped in the management of
highly diverse organisations.
Future-oriented thinking
A DIY mentality and culture of conversation are useful when trying to map
out the future for oneself. Neverthe-
less, it remains difficult to come up
with an agenda for an uncertain future
when there is nothing on which to base
ones decisions. As Mr Nagasaka
points out in his interview, in the Netherlands civil society and the non-profit
sector are very closely linked. The fact
that children are brought up in a public
sphere where they are trained to be
sensitive to the needs of society from
a young age is useful when trying to
set those future agendas.
With this in mind, let us divide
our case studies into companies, the
public realm, and infrastructure, and
take a look at the characteristics of
each.
Companies: flexibility and
scenario planning
Highly flexible working
If any style of working can be said to
represent the Netherlands, it is surely
work sharing. This began during the
economic slump of the 1980s as a way
of protecting jobs by cutting hours and
controlling wages, but later turned
into “equal work for equal pay.” Part
time workers were given the same
rights to social security and pensions
as their colleagues, and the distinction
between full and part time practically
disappeared. The system allowed a
couple to work 1.5 people’s worth of
hours, dedicating the rest of their time
to enriching their lives. The flexibility
of the labour market has allowed for
a balance between work and other
aspects of life such as marriage, child
rearing, and retirement. In particular,
if we think that in the future more and
more people will have to work throughout their whole lives, this system has
potential in terms of offering the op-
portunity for continuous acquisition
of skills.
By enabling more flexible working,
Essent shows how much it respects
individuality. This has helped it to
attract outstanding individuals. The
overall cost of operation has fallen,
and productivity has increased. It
has implemented an activity based
working (ABW) system, reflecting the
high degree of employee autonomy,
whereby workers can choose where
they work. It’s also important that
people are using the same tools, but
most important of all is trust-centred
management. Generally speaking,
it seems like a flawless system, but
this level of flexibility brings its own
problems. The increasing number of
part-timers and those taking a weekly
day off means weakening company
loyalty, and makes it harder to train
up skilled workers. Essent overcomes
these problems by accompanying
physical provisions with change
management that aims to equip each
employee with an entrepreneurial
mindset. No doubt the provision of
cafes and canteens where workers
can forge emotional connections with
each other also helps towards maintaining loyalty.
Scenario planning: learning from
the future
Another speciality of Dutch companies is scenario planning, which helps
with plotting the future of a business.
This isn’t the same as predicting the
future. It involves imagining a number
of conceivable but highly uncertain
future scenarios in an attempt to react
flexibly when changes happen. Not
only does Royal Dutch Shell carry out
scenario planning, but it is swift to put
ideas into practice, and has created
an environment of experimentation
where small mistakes can be made as
early in the development process as
possible. Royal Dutch Shell is not the
only company that uses scenario planning. In fact, many Dutch companies
use it as a competitive advantage, and
Future Centers, in particular, support
scenario planning activities. These
centres originated in Scandinavia as
places to tease out a future through
conversations with stake holders.
Here, clients, partners, and members
of different internal divisions can think
about their vision for the future, ways
of solving problems, ideas and processes. But conventional ways of
thinking don’t lead to answers. It’s vital
that there is some sort of facilitation
that encourages creativity, as well as
surroundings that stimulate thought.1
The public realm: open design,
self-efficacy
Boundary-crossing open design
Both NDSM and Waag Society function as means to increase public creativity and create a new culture. The
public realm is what has made the
Netherlands into such fertile ground for
open design, in particular. It produces
an abundance of graphic, product, and
architectural design, much of which is
not restricted to one narrow field, but
tries to be truly open by continually
crossing boundaries into other areas.
From the 90s onwards, in particular,
the interaction between IT geeks and
designers began to trigger change.
Spaces such as Fablab were set up
for experimental exchange, fusing
the web and electronics world of
geek culture with design culture, the
strengths of which traditionally lay
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