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‘The Great Questions of Tomorrow’ NWOW

Smooth(ie) Community Co.Station aims to lift the Belgian technology sector to a higher level by bringing established companies, startups, scale-ups and experts together to form a community where they can stimulate one another. Entrepreneurs of all generations meet one another during one of the events or at a fixed or flexible workplace in the Co.Station offices in Ghent or Brussels.

“For Co.Station, NWOW means that we actively put people in contact with one another,” says Hans Chys, manager of Co.Station Brussels. “Flexibility is very important here. Flexible workplaces are always accessible and our fixed office spaces can be rented for short periods so that startups do not have to take any risks. Companies can also use our spaces or auditoriums for events or meetings. In addition, the restaurant and the coffee machine are excellent places for spontaneous meetings and conversations,” says Hans. The NWOW in practice According to Co.Station, the social aspect should not be underestimated, but the one does not rule out the other. For instance, Co.Station’s clients are such in2 LOCATIONS 300 meters from the station

CO.STATION BRUSSEL

4,000 m2 office space 300 users per day 50 companies

tensive Skype users that the network capacity had to be doubled. Wouter Remaut, CEO of Co.Station: “The trend in favor of virtual meetings and home working is irreversible in any case. Thanks to the cloud, companies can use their own office space more efficiently and their staff are productive all the time, wherever they are, be it at head offi ce, in Starbucks or in a co-working space.” Flexibility comes in here, too: no one has to be bound to fi xed workplaces or times any longer. Not by chance, Co.Station opted for two locations near the station: easily accessible by bike or on public transport. No question of sitting in traffic. “Our concept certainly suits the millennials generation,” says Wouter. “But the older generation feels at home here, too. It’s about a shared interest in technology and innovation. The biggest difference? The millennials drink more smoothies.” On 4 October 2017, Co.Station received the ‘Best Community’ award from the Belgian Workspace Association.

www.co-station.com CO.STATION GHENT

2,600 m2 office space 120 users per day 30 companies

“Forget terrorism, hackers or migration flows. The real dangers facing humanity are more severe, more fundamental and more far-reaching. Now that everyone on the planet is connected, our very identity, our economy, our legal doctrine and even the way we wage war is at risk,” says David Rothkopf. – Our identity is no longer defined geographically: wherever you come from, kindred spirits are to be found everywhere. – Our method of government: will we continue to organize ourselves as countries? Aren’t governments superfluous and can’t they be replaced by artificial intelligence? – Our economy: terms like ‘money’ and ‘work’ will take on a totally different meaning in the decades to come. – How we wage war: we are moving from a cold to a cool war, with the constant threat of cyberattacks. The book goes much further than a business or economic point of view. David Rothkopf describes an age when every foundation of our society will change: algorithms, big data and artificial data are turning our world upside down. David Rothkopf was Deputy Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton administration. He worked at Kissinger Associates, a consultancy firm established by Henry Kissinger, and also had his own consultancy firm for a while. At the moment, he is CEO of the FP Group, which publishes the Foreign Policy magazine, and he is a visiting professor at Columbia University.