With the end of the year approaching, it’s time to look back and reflect. The end of 2016 has made us feel that it is time to close one chapter of our life and start a new one. Although time is linear and continuous, it is in human nature to divide time in pieces in order to understand it better. If the end of 2015 was a year of many changes in the management (read post), I believe that we can sum up 2016 in a single word: Internationalization.
In our case, this concept should not be understood as outward, as a marketing of our services towards the outside but as a process in the opposite direction. Indeed, Wayco has opened its doors to welcome all kinds of international clients that come to our beautiful Valencia. We have worked very hard this year to convert Wayco into an international coworking space and reference point in Valencia for all expatriates and professionals from other countries who are residing here or who come temporarily for work (and leisure) to our city.
It is with this leitmotiv that we have been working and directing our actions for more than a year.
Website/blog: In 2015 we launched the new website in Spanish and English and the next step has been start to creating contents in both languages. Articles, interviews to co-workers (read here the interview with Yann), agenda activities… using both languages naturedly as we are living in a bilingual environment.
English-speaking activities: Although we may have started 2016 a little afraid to include fully English-speaking activities in our agenda, looking back we realize that it was all a “just do it” matter. In the Spring, we started with Tara Biart a series of meetings called:
Talk: Emerging Markets (Dr. Tanguy Jacopin), Talk: the story of a remote couple, Talk: How to think differently (Jodie Rogers), Talk: Creativity, Intuition & Decision Making (Silvia Lizcano), Talk: What are you waiting for? (Jodie Rogers), Improve your public speaking skills in Toastmasters.
These workshops were added up to different networking events in English such as Slow Afterwork, International Breakfast, Internations Afterwork…
Digital Nomads: Something we could categorize as a lifestyle. Digital nomads are people with a traveler spirit who develop their work in a digital era, and therefore can live and work remotely anywhere in the world. It’s a growing and global trend (as we tell you in this post) with Valencia as a top destination for those who have decided to work while travelling. Wayco has strived to become the growing community for this type of audience and we are proud to say that it seems to be working!
In 2016 we have hosted programs such as Remote Year (a company which brings 60-70 professionals a few times a year), couples such as Stefan and Tina (Germany), Remote Couple (Anna and Con), businesses such as Nomad Capitalist and people with diverse profiles such as John, Mark, Cesar…
Communities: Expats tend to move in more or less closed circles that help them integrate themselves in their host city. We have tried to bring these people to Wayco so they can begin to meet new people and get to know the local community thanks to entities such as Internations.org or the recently created Valencia VillaBlueu (francophone community based in Valencia).
About 150 people from 16 different nationalities have been part of our community at one point or another this year. Valencia, a destination and host city for many international professionals, is opening up to the world and we want to be an active part in this new cosmopolitan Valencia.
