What does your organisation do?
We provide flexible office solutions to remote workers and small companies in
South Manchester and Cheshire. As an independent coworking space we offer
affordable office space, meeting rooms and business addresses in a collaborative
and inspiring environment.
What do you think is currently the biggest issue facing the digital and tech industry?
Manchester is now an international venue for digital and tech businesses and has
proven to be a catalyst for the North of England. This is an amazing achievement,
however, it now faces challenges surrounding the infrastructure of the City. We
need to provide affordable housing and work space combined with a dependable
transport network to assist workers and small businesses.
The Sharing Economy should be encouraged to alleviate congestion and employee
stress. Suburban coworking spaces can assist offering solutions to small
businesses who embrace agile working. This will free employees of the stresses of
commuting across the City.
What is your organisations biggest achievement?
I’ve welcomed over 200 people to altspace this year illustrating the strength of the
independent business sector in South Manchester and Cheshire. This has given
me the confidence to expand to a permanent 3,000 sq ft office from early January
and offer private offices for teams of up to 8 people.
What would you consider to be your organisations biggest challenge?
Raising awareness of the benefits of coworking is a challenge that we enjoy facing
each day. By promoting our amazing community of workers and championing local
businesses we have been successful in spreading the word on a startup budget.
What do you think the future looks like for Manchesters digital and tech sector?
The future is promising for Manchester. It has an abundance of talented people a
supportive business climate and a strong independent streak. The local council
and corporates needs to respect the latter and support small businesses for the
City to continue to prosper. Greater sources of funding and promotion for local
startups needs to be encouraged to retain our edge.
Tell us something we might not know about your company?
We have a secret asset that’s difficult to explain. You’ll need to visit our coworking
office to experience the collaboration that you cannot get in a cafe or business
centre. The social interactions amongst members mean we’re far more than a
physical workspace.
Many thanks to Director Steve Upham from Altspace for answering our questions! If you want to be featured as member of the week in our newsletter please contact rosie@manchesterdigital.com
