This week, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, announced a raft of initiatives to support remote working. Among the key highlights were a voucher scheme to promote working from hubs as well as a €5 million investment under Connected Hubs to improve 81 remote working facilities nationwide.
With news of these updates, it’s set to be a busy summer of hot deskers using hubs across the country. And the PorterShed will be no different – so many new people will be able to make use of the amazing facilities we have to offer. We’re excited to see many new faces come through the door so that they can get the most out of their experience.
So, what exactly can you expect when you book a desk in the PorterShed?
Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of some of the awesome highlights that you can enjoy when you walk through our doors at Bowling Green. Let’s take a run-through:
Meeting Rooms
We’ve all been there. You’re at your kitchen table or stuffed away in your bedroom, trying your best to position your computer in the most flattering angle as you prepare to jump on a work call.
We could all do without that routine.
While working from home has been a necessity for all sorts of reasons over the past few months, it has certainly worn thin.
At our Bowling Green location, you can make use of five meeting rooms, all beautifully designed to look nice and be functional. Plus, they’re ideal for when you want to get the whole team together to brainstorm ideas and get new thoughts flowing. Member teams will often book them out to create team-building exercises, but pretty much anyone can book them out, if they are an external company, too.
Complete with all the modern facilities one needs to have an enjoyable, easy-flowing meeting, they are all equipped with flatscreens so that people can join from anywhere in the country – or around the world.
Phone Booths
If you’re hopping on a Zoom call or you just need some quiet time to enter the zone, we have plenty of booths available across both floors in Bowling Green.
These funky office additions are not just there to add a nice aesthetic – though they do look pretty cool – they are there to help our members and startups do what they need to do.
The PorterShed’s soundproof and air-conditioned setups come complete with USB charging ports, fold-out tables, and space that you can use just for yourself.
At the PorterShed, our booths get used up fast and are always in high demand – it’s great to see people being productive and getting to really put time into that project, task, or mission they’ve been eager to dig down into and explore in detail.
Podcast Studio
We have an awesome podcast studio at the PorterShed’s Bowling Green location, and it’s one of the hot spots to be.
Many of our members love to make use of it if they are producing their own content to market their start-up, idea, or company they work for.
Recently, one of our members, Stephen Tummon, availed of the studio to record a podcast with Therapy Talks host Chris Place.
The soundproof studio, which can comfortably seat three people, is equipped with high-spec microphones, a mixing desk, and a flatscreen television which is ideal if you want others to join virtually.
The modern studio offers an ideal place to talk, record soundbites, or have a recorded meeting with someone – perfect if you just want to ideate and let the conversation flow without the need to take notes or stop to let a minute-taker catch up.
A network…that is constantly expanding!
Later this year, the PorterShed will have two buildings that will have opened in 2022 – and our original property in Eyre Square will close down.
Come October time, we’ll have a campus-style location between our Bowling Green and former Connacht Tribune offices (PorterShed a hAon and PorterShed a Do). This will mean that we’ll have space for some 350 people to make use of our spaces, facilities, and coffee! This growth has come from our voluntary board and team – but it’s also because we have a strong tech start-up community here in the west of Ireland.
This means that the collaboration, cross-pollination of ideas, and exchange of wisdom can easily happen between so many different people from all sorts of backgrounds and disciplines.
On top of this, almost every day we have visitors coming into the space from near and far. Already this year, we have had delegations from Japan, France, the UK, and elsewhere coming to tour our premises, have meetings with our members, and get to grips with the Galway tech scene. It’s a fantastic way to meet new people, hear unique perspectives, and make connections who are happy to help and pay it forward.
It’s this potent mix that makes the PorterShed such a unique and distinctive place, with purposeful and proactive discussions happening (whether at the kitchen table or in a meeting room) at all times throughout the day.
So, if you fancy booking a tour – email aoife@portershed.com
If you want to find out about the packages we offer, visit our membership page
And if you’re interested in our Virtual Office Plans, check out this blog post and sign up here.
By Trevor Murray
Content Marketing Specialist at the PorterShed
Email: trevor@portershed.com | LinkedIn | Twitter