Introduce your hub and explain why you picked this specific hosting hub for your exchange.
Burgas Coliving and Coworking is a hub located near the city of Burgas, a beautiful destination on the east coast of Bulgaria. This space is dedicated to freelancers, remote workers, entrepreneurs, and travel enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds and interests around the globe. Our aim is to provide them with the opportunity to live, work, socialize, create, and simply enjoy life together.
Burgas Coliving has been in operation for two and a half years, and during this relatively short time, we have successfully brought many members into our community, organized a variety of events and involved our members in the lives of local residents.
Currently, Burgas Coliving is at a stage where it seeks to expand its coworking community by fostering healthy collaborations with coworking spaces in the area. TLR Coworking, recognized as one of the best community-oriented coworking spaces in Europe, possesses a wealth of knowledge on how to facilitate this process effectively. TLR Coworking is also interested in incorporating wellness practices into its services, an area where Burgas Coworking has already established a proven track record.
We have chosen this particular hub for collaboration because the partnership is mutually beneficial, facilitating the exchange of ideas, know-how, problem-solving models, challenges, and achievements. This synergy will enable both of our hubs to grow and bring new value to our communities while laying the foundation for a lasting relationship.
- What were the main objectives of this exchange?
The main objectives of our exchange were to share experiences and best practices on how to successfully build a community of digital nomads, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. We aimed to determine our roles as hub managers in creating the right environment for the digital nomad community to grow and develop. Additionally, we discussed how to implement wellness practices into the daily lives of community members, the impact that the digital nomad community can have on the city in which it is located, and how the community can expand beyond the hub walls in the future.
- What were the main activities undertaken during the exchange? (work, studies, visits, projects, meetings, productions, plans, informal activities…)
We participated in a variety of joint activities organized by our hosts. Each day, we engaged in discussions on different topics related to building and managing a digital nomad community within both coliving and coworking spaces, as well as implementing wellness practices into daily routines.
I had the opportunity to interact not only with the hub manager and the TLR team, but also to meet and communicate with members of the TLR community, learning more about their interests and lives as digital nomads. I fully immersed myself in the daily life at TLR, discovering what life is like at the hub, how it is organized, and how members participate in the various events that take place there.
From the moment I stepped into the hub, I was amazed by the welcoming and hospitable atmosphere. It is one of the best-organized coworking spaces I have ever visited. Clearly, Ben and the team understand how to meet the needs of the entire community and, importantly, how to build and maintain that community. On our first day, I received a tour of the coworking space and met the hub manager, staff, and community members. We introduced our two hubs and shared our origin stories and the challenges we have overcome.
The second day focused on discussing the differences and similarities between community management in coliving and coworking, as well as the best practices that TLR Coworking has developed along the way. We brainstormed on how Burgas Coliving can collaborate with coworking spaces in the area to build a strong community of digital nomads in Burgas. Ben shared insights about the automated system they use, which covers almost all processes in the coworking space, demonstrating how time- and effort-saving this can be for community managers.
On the following day, Burgas Coliving shared their experiences with implementing wellness practices in the hub, detailing how they created the right environment for this and integrated it into their schedules, as well as what types of collaborations work best for promoting wellness.
On the fourth day, we began with a lovely wellness practice: guided breathing sessions and ice bathing, activities that TLR has been developing in their community since August 2024. The afternoon session was reserved for a tour of the local area.
The fifth day was dedicated to concluding our exchange, where we finalized what TLR and Burgas have in common and how we can best support each other in the long term. The day began with a visit to a local yoga studio, where we participated in a yoga session with the local community.
I also spent two afternoons exploring the Andalusian gem, Malaga, which provided me with insight into why this city is so attractive regardless of the season.
- How was the final event?
The final event was truly special for everyone involved. I had the opportunity to speak in front of the TLR community on the topic: “Traveling Mindfully: Crafting Your Wellness Routine No Matter Where You Are,” and to engage in discussion with them. Everyone shared their experiences, challenges, and visions for how community-focused hubs can evolve in this direction. Afterward, we all enjoyed a lovely dinner at a local restaurant.
- In conclusion, did the exchange meet your original objectives and is there space for further collaborations?
The Living Room Coworking and Burgas Coliving are different hubs located in different parts of Europe, but both are dedicated to developing and managing strong communities while providing the best experiences for their members. I can confidently say that I met my original objectives—and even exceeded them. We believe that this meeting will lay the groundwork for creating a strong network between coliving and coworking operators, allowing us to move in the right direction together.
