Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Ground8 launch the first Seats2meet workspace in Hoofddorp.

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On Tuesday 17 April, Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and initiator Ground8 officially opened the first Seats2meet workspace in Hoofddorp in the presence of alderman Adam Elzakalai municipality of Haarlemmermeer. This space offers employees of the surrounding companies the opportunity to meet, (net)work, collaborate and gain new insights and perspectives.

Floris Licht, General Manager of Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport said he is proud to facilitate this exciting initiative. “In addition to leisure, we also actively engage in the business market. We are always looking for innovative ways to connect people with each other. This unique concept from Seats2Meet and Ground8 is so strong and innovative, we are proud to make a part of our hotel available for this.”

Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

The Novotel, located behind Hoofddorp train station, is at the centre of a commercial, international environment and the number one hotel on TripAdvisor in Hoofddorp. With the Seats2meet workspace, the Novotel and initiator Ground8 offer the opportunity to bring collaboration and innovation to fruition. The co-working space is available to anyone in exchange for social capital.

The benefits of Social Capital

Social capital works by providing the opportunity to book flexible workspaces for free in exchange for knowledge and skills. Using the Seat2meet platform people get an overview of the knowledge and skills present at a Seats2meet location. Co-workers find help, work, and partnerships. Realising serendipitous encounters between the professionals enables them to grow their business and themselves. Co-working market leader Seats2meet.com realised impressive results with their software platform by applying social capital at their business locations and with their partners:

  • One out of six co-workers get new paid assignments or meet their next business partner;
  • One out of four coworkers gain new and relevant knowledge;
  • With little or no marketing costs Seat2meet locations increase paid bookings and grow the positioning as an innovation and entrepreneurial hub.

A natural progression for the hotel industry

The number of independent professionals and digital nomads who don’t depend on a physical location to do their work is rising continuously. In the US it is expected to be 50% of the workforce by 2027 according to Upwork. Additionally the lines between vacation and traveling for work are blurring. Increasing the demand of flexible office space near hotels.  Combing flexible office space and hotels is a natural progression for the hotel industry.

Novotel and Ground8 are pioneers in the Schiphol Airport area to offer flexible workspaces for social capital. Ronald van den Hoff, co-founder of Seats2meet, comments:

“A new dimension to the hotel industry, where hotels will be the catalyst of connecting traveling and local professionals and thus claim a new role for ‘hosting’ and adding value to their physical location.”

The Novotel is at the centre of a commercial, international environment. “It’s about creating playgrounds where different disciplines come together. A space which connects entrepreneurs with changemakers in the surrounding companies. If you bring local and regional intrapreneurs, expats and entrepreneurs together, magic happens. Not only do opportunities for collaboration and economic opportunities grow, the space offers the opportunity to create lasting impact and for a meaningful economy to flourish.” Yvonne Haneman – initiator of Ground8.

Marielle Sijgers, co-founder of Seats2meet, notes “The collaboration between Ground8, Seats2meet, and Novotel is a brilliant example of how to create a third space in the middle of a very crowded business district, where a lot of potential, but hidden talents, are assembled. From now on people in Hoofddorp and International visitors of Novotel Schiphol can connect, collaborate and grow on this creative playground to develop the best version of themselves!”.

How does it work?

Pay with your knowledge (social capital) and book online at seats2meet.com, from 10:00 AM in the morning to 3:00 PM in the afternoon. The workspace offers unlimited network contacts, free WiFi and an affordably priced coffee and tea package deal for €10,00 p.p. half-day and €17,50 p.p. for the whole day. This fee also supports the initiative. Enjoy drinks at the impressive ‘terras’ in Novotel from three onwards.

Contact beatriz@seats2meet.com for press inquiries

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