Edinburgh’s flexible space industry comes together as city marked out for real estate high growth

The Flexible Space Association (FlexSA) - the trade body representing flexible spaces across the UK - yesterday hosted a roundtable meeting in Edinburgh bringing together industry leaders during a growth period for the sector.

Edinburgh “showed positive signs of recovery with significant requirements for space from large corporates and a growing demand for flexible office space in the final quarter of 2023”, according to a report from real estate advisor CBR. The news sets a positive tone for industry professionals across Edinburgh as 2024 progresses.

With the aim of connecting people working in the flexible workspace industry, allowing them to share ideas and best practices, learn about market trends and industry news, and network with others, the roundtable meeting began with a meeting at Regus in Princes Street, with workspace over six floors and spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle. This was followed by a visit to The Melting Pot, Scotland's Centre for Social Innovation, offering extensive coworking and meeting space.

A city marked out for sector growth even during straitened times, in 2023, CBRE reported Edinburgh sat among the UK’s highest growth cities across multiple real estate sectors over the next ten years.

Regus terrace with Edinburgh Castle in background.

Jane Sartin, Executive Director at the Flexible Space Association, comments: “It’s a pleasure to return to Edinburgh, and bring together representatives from flexible workspaces across the city.

"Our discussions covered a wealth of issues, including the strong demand for meeting rooms, and the fast pace of developments in workspace technology. The energy and enthusiasm of the city’s industry professionals is contagious, and the sector’s growth period speaks volumes.”

With a huge 90% of companies planning to implement return-to-office policies by the end of 2024, according to an August report from Resume Builder, which surveyed 1,000 company leaders, the future looks promising for Scotland’s flexible space industry.

FlexSA currently represents more than 1,000 locations in the flexible space sector across the UK.