By Mao Xinhui
In the Internet Plus era, even meeting rooms can be shared. GreatKIC recently launched its Sharing+ co-working meeting space, allowing companies and entrepreneurs to share conference rooms under a self-service booking system.
The first Sharing+ co-working facility is now open to the public. We went to the GreatKIC location on Guotong Road #127 to find out what this is all about.
The co-working space takes an entire floor on Building #2, with a total office area of 50 square meters. The self-service booking system is fully automated.
Once you have arrived, you may use your mobile phone to scan the QR code at the entrance that leads to its WeChat official account. By clicking "book a meeting" on the menu the user may review details of a particular meeting room.
The facility has a total of 20 standard conference rooms and 1 extra large room that could host a total of 12 users. Each room is equipped with a Smart TV, HD data cable, and beverages. Reservation of a room can be done online by selecting a room of choice and time of use, as well as the user's contact information. Once booking is completed, an entrance key is generated to be used to access the meeting room. If your stay exceeds duration of the appointment, power in the room will be shut automatically.
When we visited the larger conference room, a group of employees from a design firm were in the room working on a design plan for a road transformation project. Mr. Jiang, one of the designers, said he had used the meeting room three times this month. "I like the overall design of the conference room, and the lighting and interior decorations are all pretty impressive. The way the room is constructed can easily accommodate different types of meetings," said Mr. Jiang. "For me, whether it is a product illustration for a client or session with my colleagues the room does the job," Mr. Jiang continued.
According to Mr. Shuyi Chen, creator of the Sharing+ project, the co-working facility was converted from a lobby. "Since utilization of the lobby was particularly low, so we thought we might try to renovate the space into something that is more relaxed. Stylistically the decorations are simply and lively, for example we have a stepped seating configuration in the multi-purpose room and it gives off a very open and relaxing vibe," said Mr. Chen.
Since the co-working space is still in trial mode, all rooms are free of charge before the end of the year. "We will continue to improve on things based on user feedback," said Mr. Chen.
The facility currently only accepts reservations from corporate users. Each company may use the rooms twice a day, with each booking not exceeding two hours.
