CoCo Minneapolis is a go

As you may have heard, we’re close to signing a lease on a space in Minneapolis. It’s a gorgeous, historical space and we’re eager to show it to you. The only thing stopping us is that we want to give Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak first shot at announcing the location. His office was instrumental in making the space work out for us, but more importantly, he helped bring CoCo and Project Skyway together with the goal of creating a new kind of creative incubation space for business. We expect that the mayor will be hosting a press conference in the next couple weeks, at which point we’ll stop being all coy and will post tons of video and pictures.

Meanwhile, here’s what we can tell you about the space. We hope this helps you in considering, site unseen, whether you want to join us. (If you’re entirely new to this coworking thing, please check out Coworking 101.)

• Location: Downtown, close to light rail.
• Description: A big space with tons of natural light!
• Settings: Working with strategic partners Steelcase and Target Commercial Interiors, we will be designing the space to include distinct zones for different activities (e.g., socializing, collaboration, heads-down focus, meetings, workgroups, etc.). We are also working with Vôo Creative to develop unique art and experiences within the space.
• Meeting rooms: We’ll have several meeting areas, some in dedicated rooms, others within the main space. These rooms will be available to members, and to outside guests for offsite meetings.
• Events: We’ll have space for private and public events (conferences, fundraisers, galas, weddings).
• Transportation: In addition to being in a central location near light rail and bus lines, we expect to be able to offer reduced-cost parking nearby, as well as a Nice Ride rack and some Hour Car spots at street level. Lastly, we’ll have tons of room for bikes!
• Opening day: We’re aiming to be open on July 5.

Membership plans
We’ll offer a range of membership plans to suit different needs. All plans include coffee, Wi-Fi and up to 2 hours of meeting space per day. Also, as a member, you can visit both Minneapolis and St. Paul locations as you wish.

• Part-time coworking – 1 day a week (or 1 week a month)
• Full-time coworking – 5 days a week
• Dedicated desk – a place to put your stuff, including 24/7 access
• Dedicated workgroup space (aka “colocation”) – an “encampment” where your team can collaborate, including 24/7 access
• Corporate memberships – coworking & meeting packages that allow teams and individuals to “get out of the office” for work or meetings

Since we’re still finalizing plans, options and pricing, we’ll add more detailed information to this post as soon as possible.

Interested?
If you’re interested in learning more and actually seeing the space, we’ll be happy to invite you to one of the open house events that we’ll hold in May and June. Join our mailing list and we’ll make sure you get the word.

Image credit: tsuacctnt