Carlos Gonçalves

1. Tell us a little about your career path and how Avila Spaces was born.

Avila Spaces was born in 2004, in Lisbon as a traditional Business Center, and was founded by Teresa Jacinto and myself. It has been a fantastic journey that has already earned a trust of more than 1000 companies.

Now, we are recognized as networking center that provide office space, coworking, virtual offices and a fantastic business lounge for companies and individuals that don’t need a fixed office.

As a result of its innovative work, Avila Spaces is the most awarded workspace in Portugal and was presented as a success story in the European Commission, in 2016. We are very proud of our achivements.

2. What kind of businesses and professionals are most often looking for Coworking spaces? What are the main advantages of this type of space for their business?

Small companies choose the coworking solution for the flexibility of this model and the low cost. With the Coworking they avoid fixed and variable costs. Also, it is a possibility for them to present themselves at Avila community, through free workshops or networking events that we organize where they could present their business!

We also have freelancers, consultants, designers, web designers, IT’s, architects, journalists, lawyers and other professionals who do not need a conventional office to work. These professionals work alone, but at the Coworking space they feel more supported, being able to use a secretariat support offered by the virtual office service that guarantees the call management and mail handling.

Our coworking is an alternative workplace, which stimulates creativity and productivity that we can't find at home, allowing individuals to re-establish routines, to separate their personal and professional life and avoid social isolation, very frequent in professionals that do not work at a traditional office.

Coworking is more and more used by big companies that are aware of their professional's needs and that use technologies with remote access to the office and collaborative platforms. The collaborators work in different locations, using the Coworking punctually for meetings with clients and work sessions among collaborators.

3. Interpersonal relationships, comfort, happiness in the workplace and professional growth are key issues that broaden the sense of professional community, promoting mutual support and joint enrichment. What kind of actions do you seek to implement in Avila Spaces with a view to promoting these values.

Avila Spaces organizes, in a monthly basis, business breakfasts, workshops and networking events to promote contacts among community members.

Avila Spaces also developed an online networking platform that aims to get customers in touch through our app and the digital signage system of our partner PARTTEAM & OEMKIOSKS!

4. Certainly, entrepreneurship and the new paradigm of startups has boosted interest and demand for coworking spaces. How do you view entrepreneurship in Portugal? Do you consider it beneficial for society and economy?

The spirit of entrepreneurship is very important, but it has to add value to the economy and to society. The Portuguese have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and we have to take advantage of the challenges that the digital age is putting to the companies.

5. What kind of technological solutions have you implemented in order to improve your work space? Are there any new projects in mind?

​Avila Spaces is the most awarded business center in Portugal and is the leader in innovation in flexible workspaces market in the country. With the launch of myOffice app in 2010, the first virtual office app worldwide, we revolutionized the market and became a reference.

6. How do you foresee the growth of this sector and your business in the medium term?

Our goal is to attract customers from a more corporate segment and Avila Spaces was designed thinking about who does not need a physical office, but desires to work in an environment with total comfort, convenience and exclusivity.

We believe this is how professionals regard the workplace today: a place where they can work in a comfortable, informal way, where they can relax in lounge areas and even have fun at networking events or parties. This positioning also reflects the importance that professionals currently attribute to the balance between personal and professional life.

7. Knowing that PARTTEAM & OEMKIOSKS offers several technological solutions for Coworking spaces (such as digital billboards, displays, meeting rooms software, etc.), which are considered of most interest? What is your opinion about PARTTEAM & OEMKIOSKS?

PARTTEAM & OEMKIOSKS are a reference partner for Avila Spaces and have greatly contributed to the differentiation of our service. Our business networking platform is based, in part, on PARTTEAM & OEMKIOSKS digital signage and interactive systems, and we are soon planning to implement new solutions.

We are very proud to have them as a business partner. As you know, PARTTEAM & OEMKIOSKS are worldwide references and we share with them their main values: teamwork, dedication, quality, perseverance and vision.

Thanks for your partnership and keep up the good work, PARTTEAM & OEMKIOSKS!