Space Utilization Rate

[Eric Wulf]

I'm new, cautiously excited about starting a cowering space... and very thankful for this resource.

Quick question: As I look to put some basic assumptions together, can you tell me how to figure space/capacity utilization? For example, if I were to sell 30 memberships that allowed unlimited access (not dedicated desks, but unlimited access to the space), what can I expect in terms of how many members might visit each day?

What I'm trying to get at is my required inventory. If I have 30 workspaces, can I safely sell 40 memberships for those seats?

Thank you.

[Jonathan Markwell]

Hi Eric,

Sorry this is unlikely to be the answer you want to receive: it depends.

Your safest bet would be to find your community members before you lease the space and ask them how often they expect to use it. They'll only be marginally better at predicting their own behaviour than any of us are at trying to guess it. But if you involve them in the decision they'll be more forgiving if it feels too busy or too quiet.

Hope this helps,

Jon

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[Alex Hillman]

> They'll only be marginally better at predicting their own behaviour than any of us are at trying to guess it.

This is 100% correct :)

It depends on the people, it depends on what they're coming to the space for, it depends on traffic/travel, it depends on weather....so many things. 

This Quora answer which might help you with thinking about your utilization figures - it's a little bit of a different way of thinking about what you're tracking and what you can expect. 

As an aside, I'd encourage you to reconsider "unlimited" access as your base membership. For that, I put together a guide to designing memberships that optimize for community that I hope helps you!

-Alex

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[John Newman]

Thanks for sharing these two links Alex, its great to hear how you approached and solved these questions at Indy Hall.

Best, 

John Newman

General Manager

www.TheBackOfficeStudio.com

[Eric Wulf]

Alex, thank you. That is a very helpful perspective and I greatly appreciate the information.

[Renee Laliberte]

These links are a huge help for me too! Thanks Alex for sharing & thanks Eric for asking the question.