Ayala Land Offices opens new Clock In at Vertis North
Ayala Land, which piloted its coworking brand Clock In at the penthouse of the Makati Stock Exchange in March 2017, opened its new branch in Vertis North, Quezon City.
This new outlet is operated by Ayala Land Offices Inc. (ALO). The 800-square-meter Clock In at Vertis North brings Ayala Land’s portfolio of coworking spaces to a total of five (5), with three (3) other sites set to open by end of 2019 – Clock In The 30th in Pasig City, Ayala North Exchange in Makati and Alabang Town Center in Alabang.
A key strategy of Clock In by Ayala Land Offices has been to tap into the synergies of ALO’s core office property development business to offer potential clients the advantage of locating amidst bustling central business districts where there is close access to public transport, retail and dining options abound, and in which Ayala Land maintains a strong presence: Makati City, BGC, and now with the opening of Clock In Vertis North, the Quezon City central business district.
“Because of rapid developments in mobile technology and connectivity, the way we work is evolving. Many jobs and tasks are now online-based, and wide-ranging businesses are realizing that these can be done in flexible working conditions. We are leveraging on the synergies of Ayala Land to address what we believe is going to be a sustained trend toward design-led shared spaces that inspire innovation and collaboration,” says Ms. Carol Mills, Vice President and Head of Ayala Land Offices.
Unlike the conventional office, Clock In features young and cool interiors designed to facilitate interaction and collaboration among its locators. The outlet at Vertis North has 23 private offices, a 28-seat coworking space, two meeting rooms, and an event space for exclusive company presentations, launch events, or business mixers. Private offices come in different sizes and are designed to suit different working needs. Even without having to rent a dedicated office space, start-ups and freelancers can also enjoy the same leading-edge facilities as a private office and avail of such virtual office solutions as administrative support, business address and communication services. Topping off all that is the lifeblood of any entrepreneur: freshly brewed coffee or tea, and a speedy, reliable IT system.
According to Ms. Mills, Ayala Land Offices is very optimistic about the flexible workspace sector. “In this increasingly digital world, new skills and business models are needed to thrive. Companies are recognizing that in order to attract and retain top talent, they need to be more community-minded and this should be reflected in the kind of work environment they provide. Clock In by Ayala Land Offices offers the environment for the new generation of businesses to begin,” she concludes.
Ayala Land Offices has more than 1.1 million gross leasable office spaces nationwide and is the office leasing arm of Ayala Land, the Philippines’ leading developer of sustainable estates offering a diverse mix of quality residential and commercial developments that support local economic growth.
Coworking has gone a long way from being perceived as an eccentric workspace catering to island-hopping digital nomads living the laptop life on a professional gap year. While location-agnostic individuals can still plug in from a coworking cafe in Palawan or Boracay to monitor sales and operations in another location in the Philippines or the region, a growing number of companies have joined the bandwagon, turning to shared workspaces for their flexibility, plug-and-play simplicity, and as a way to foster innovation, exchange of ideas, and build a sense of community among employees and other businesses within the shared working environment.
Rising demand for design-centric, collaborative workspaces—mainly from SMEs, freelancers, start-ups, remote workers, and a steadily increasingly corporate clientele deploying project-based teams across “satellite” offices—has likewise driven an increase in the supply side. International shared workspace operators are not only sending their coworking tentacles into the Philippines, but the country’s biggest real estate firms are keen to play and coming in hot by integrating plug-and-play solutions into their office property offerings.
