Today the WeWork offices in Bourke Street, Melbourne, were visited by the Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy, Philip Dalidakis. The Minister was here to officially open the newly inhabited collaboration space.
WeWork was founded in 2010, in the United States. Its goal is to provide shared workspaces and create a sense of community between the vast range of; entrepreneurs, freelancers, start-ups, small businesses and large enterprises. There are over 100,000 members in the network and the offices span over 16 countries including, Australia, Canada, India, China, Hong Kong, France, United Kingdom, Israel, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands and Germany.
The first WeWork office opened in Melbourne on the 1st of November and Digital First have been here since day one. We love the environment and the collaboration opportunities surrounding us.
The entire office gathered on the rooftop, the sun was shining and there was a great buzz in the air. The General Manager for WeWork Australia, Balder Tol opened by welcoming Philip Dalidakis to our offices and detailed the hard work that had gone into opening these premises. Tol stated that his team wanted to create a work space that encompassed the ‘water cooler’ culture, however tailored it to Australia so it was the ‘coffee machine’ culture.
Philip Dalidakis then took center stage and praised the WeWork ethics, by stating that this company is “the most important start up we’ve had come to Melbourne”. The reason behind this is that WeWork creates value for its members and partners across the globe. The Minister then revealed plans for expansion in Melbourne, where a new building will be opened in late 2018 on Collins Street.
The Minister explained that the Victorian Government are also working on collaboration between the start up community and have “seen an explosion of interest in co-working spaces, accelerated programs and obviously, incubators”. He stated that nurturing that growth is so important as people want to create value for themselves and want to invest in their own businesses.
The speech ended with a nod to the future in this innovative working space and a round of applause. Then it was time to cut the ribbon and officially open the new premises, and Digital First had to be part of this.
It was a great morning and we are proud to be part of it.