Running a coworking space means keeping a business solvent while building a place where people want to show up. The second annual Coworking Creators Summit, a virtual event set for Thursday, Oct. 22, is organized around both halves of that job.
The event features eight sessions on topics including lead generation, brand, leadership, community, and belonging. It is hosted by Cat Johnson, a longtime coworking writer and community builder who publishes The Coworking Letter, and co-founded by Johnson and Amanda Leffew, brand director at Her First $100K.
The Summit debuted in 2025, and organizers say it drew enthusiastic feedback from attendees for its energy, pace, and actionable sessions. Johnson said the 2026 program is meant to pair the business questions operators face with the experience they create for members.
On the brand side, Jaime Munoz of Co+Hoots will speak on leading “out loud” when you are the face of the space, and Emilie Lashmar of GCUC UK and TOGETHER will cover building a brand people can feel. Anne Kirby of The Candy Factory will discuss putting values into action, and Citi Medina of EqualSpace will speak on creating possibility for others. Sam Rosen, whose affiliations include Deskpass, Yardi, and Two Thirty, will present a session titled “How I AI.” Alesia Hendley will address turning in-person events into authentic community, and Leffew will speak on building growth that compounds rather than restarting with every campaign. Johnson closes the program with a session on the difference between community and belonging.
Two ticket tiers are available. A $99 Live pass includes access to all eight sessions and the Q&As as they happen, while a $129 Pro pass adds recordings of every session and three bonus resources. Registration is open at coworkingcreators.com.
What Coworking Operators Need To Know About Growth, Branding And Belonging
We spoke to Johnson about what sustainable growth looks like for coworking operators, how their thinking on brand and values has changed, and what last year’s Summit taught her.
Allwork.Space: Coworking operators are being asked to generate growth while also creating spaces where people genuinely want to connect and belong. What does sustainable growth look like for a coworking business today, and how is it different from simply filling desks?
Cat Johnson: We’re at such an interesting time in the coworking industry. In the early days, coworking was hyper-focused on connection and community. Then coworking exploded, flexspace was born, it went from being a movement to an industry, and community was dismissed as something unserious and unnecessary.
Now we’ve come full circle and the biggest brands in the world have figured out that it’s not about how nice the space is, or how great the hospitality is, it’s about the connection and belonging that happens inside the space. So yes, operators have to fill desks, but the big differentiator and competitive advantage is having a space people want to belong to.
Allwork.Space: Several sessions focus on brand, leadership, values and belonging. What have you seen change in the way successful operators think about these things compared with a few years ago?
Cat Johnson: It used to be enough to simply be a coworking space. Now, there are coworking spaces everywhere, with some on every block in urban areas. So the question becomes, what is a particular coworking brand about? Who are they for? What values do they embody? How are those values expressed in the space, the neighborhood, the town, region, etc.?
Operators are being asked to go much deeper into their mission and leadership potential, which I think is absolutely brilliant. Coworking has always been about connection and impact. Office rental was around for decades before coworking showed up. And it’s important that we, as an industry, stay true to the transformational potential of coworking spaces and communities, and not get lost in transactional exchanges.
Allwork.Space: AI is now part of the Summit alongside topics like community and belonging. Where do you see AI genuinely helping coworking operators, and where could relying too heavily on technology undermine the human experience that makes coworking valuable?
Cat Johnson: Honestly, like a lot of us, I’m trying to figure out where to use AI in my work, how to use it responsibly, what it means for a quickly-growing industry that is full of solo operators and small teams, and where on earth we’re headed with all this. I think the operators who are all-in on creating spaces of belonging and use AI and other tech tools to support their team, lighten their workload, and free up time to be more present with members and the extended community will have a nice advantage over those who will attempt to automate everything, including human connection.
Allwork.Space: After the first Coworking Creators Summit in 2025, what did you hear from attendees that influenced this year’s event? Was there a particular challenge or question operators kept bringing up that shaped the 2026 program?
Cat Johnson: Last year’s Summit completely recalibrated me and my work. Not because there was a particular topic or comment about the Summit, but because the event brought together coworking space operators, owners, community managers, marketers, and team members who deeply understand the deeper purpose and potential of coworking to transform lives. It sounds dramatic, but being in a space where you feel a sense of connection, support, and belonging really can transform your life and work. I know it because I’ve experienced it.
