It’s no secret that events are good for your coworking space. They bring people together and get people to connect and share ideas – the raison d’être of coworking spaces anywhere. Great events can also reap multiple rewards for your business; they’re an added value for your brand, they give people a taste of what your community is all about, and they can help you attract new members.

According to a recent finding by Eventbrite, more and more people value experiences over material things, and would rather spend money on events that promote positive change instead of buying something desirable. 69% of them also believe that attending events makes them feel more connected to other people, community and the world.

All of the above is pointing towards the importance of hosting events. But what kinds of events? Creating concepts from scratch for great events to host at your coworking space can be overwhelming. Luckily, there are tons of global events out there that have succeeded in orchestrating meaningful experiences all around the world. How about bringing some of these events to your city and hosting them at your coworking space?

(Source: PechaKucha Night Ubud)

#1 PechaKucha Night

What: PechaKucha Night is a worldwide phenomenon. Devised in Tokyo in 2003 by local creatives, the light-speed presentation is now held in over 900 cities around the world. Every PechaKucha Night city is hosted by a local organiser, who has an annual Handshake Agreement with PechaKucha HQ to run their event series.

How: It’s a fun and informal gathering where speakers are invited to share 20 images, and given 20 seconds to present each slide. The images advance automatically and speakers present their ideas alongside the images.

Why: PechaKucha Night is a great platform for people to share their work and ideas in a relaxed set-up. Audiences get exposed to a large number of inspiring ideas in a very short amount of time, and as a city holder, your coworking space will be the first stop for people who would like to discover new ideas and innovations.

#2 Creative Mornings

What: If you like some shots of creativity along with your breakfast, then Creative Mornings is on the menu. Founded in 2008, Creative Mornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series for the creative community and is hosted in 178 cities all around the world. Companies are not allowed to serve as a local host, but they can support their employees to become Creative Mornings’ organisers.

How: Every month, the headquarters pick a theme and then local organisers curate speakers based on the global theme. The event starts with a short talk, Q&A, and then followed by delicious breakfast and strong coffee.

Why: Creative Mornings is basically the TED for design heads and creatives. Past speakers have included plenty of high profile speakers such as Seth Godin and Jessica Hische. So, if you want your coworking space to be known as the hub for all the design wonks, then this is your perfect boost.

#3 DrinkEntrepreneurs

What: DrinkEntrepreneurs is a laid-back, monthly meetup for entrepreneurship-minded people, laden with casual business matchups and fueled by drinks in hand. It’s a fast-growing movement and they now have chapters in 24 cities.

How: No badges, no speeches, no ceremonies. Just good vibes and good company.

Why: Food + drinks + interesting people = magic. Amarit Charoenphan, co-founder of HUBBA, Bangkok explains why the concept of DrinkEntrepreneurs works very well for a community-based coworking space. “DrinkEntrepreneurs is a testament to the simple fact that one of the best ways to bring people together in any culture is through food, and lots of drinks. As the first coworking venue host in Thailand, HUBBA was not prepared for the amount of founders who have been craving for a great excuse to make new friends and reconnect with old ones. We anticipated 50-80 people, but the sheer excitement from the community brought over 200 people to HUBBA!”

#4 Startup Weekend

What: With over 1,800 past events in 500 cities around the world, Startup Weekend is the biggest startup community in the world. Developers, designers, marketers, and product managers come together to pitch ideas, form teams, build prototypes and launch their startups.

How: The entire startup-marathon is happening in a 54-hour time span. It’s designed to get people going, fast.

Why: Steve Munroe, co-founder of Hubud and facilitator of Startup Weekend Bali explained why Startup Weekend is the right fit for spaces that would like to foster the entrepreneurial drive, “There is creative energy at Startup Weekend. This event is not necessarily about starting a business, even though some business ventures began here, but essentially it is teaching people the way of starting a business and trying things.”

#5 Fuckup Nights

What: People celebrate successes all the time, but what about failures? Carlos Zimbron, the founder of Fuckup Nights designed the monthly meetup to encourage entrepreneurs to embrace their business failures, share the lessons learned, and celebrate them with the crowd.

How: Speakers are invited to share their epic fail stories, and occasional curse words are warmly encouraged.

Why: A community that celebrates failure together, stays together. Ashish Goenka, owner of Bombay Connect India and city organiser of FuckUp Nights Mumbai explained why he thinks FuckUp Nights make for a great event at a coworking space, “Coworking is quite synonymous with startups and millennials, who may or may not have had their affair with failure. Failure can be quite isolating, especially as an entrepreneur, or a young leader. A community that can openly discuss failure, can help each other learn and recover from failure.”

(Source: FuckUp Nights Mumbai)

#6 Global Service Jam

What: Global Service Jam is the world’s biggest service design and design thinking event, taking place every year in February/March in more than 100 cities all around the world. This event is perfect if you’re looking to attract service design aficionados to your coworking space.

How: Every year, Global Service Jam releases a global theme, and participants are given 48 hours to create and prototype new services and products that make a difference.

Why: Global Service Jams are all about meeting cool people in the community and practicing creative problem-solving methods for issues that really matter. They also have a sister event called the Global Sustainability Jam that focuses on sustainability issues. This could be a great event to host if your coworking space has a commitment to sustainability or if you’re currently developing a cogiving program.

#7 Lunchbeat

What: Wondering what to have for lunch? Here’s an idea: how about some dance? Lunchbeat, now in more than 55 cities, combines business lunch and a rave party. Adopting the Fight Club narrative, the movement stresses the importance of participation through dancing; If it’s your first lunch at Lunchbeat, you have to dance.

How: Daniel Odelstad, the organiser of Lunchbeat Stockholm explained that the one-hour event is all about getting in as much dancing as possible given the time constraints.

Why: Who doesn’t like dancing? Lunchbeat embodies playfulness, participation and creativity. It’s a great way to bring your community closer, start the conversation, and get people to have fun together.