Office Space News
Avanta Reports Boom in Management Training Clients
Published January 15th, 2010 by Jennifer LeClaire
The recession is not just affecting how people use office space – it’s also having a dramatic effect on how and where management training is taking place. So says Avanta.
Avanta reports a significant increase in the number of training companies that are relocating to its serviced office centers. In fact, Avanta has seen this number quadruple in the last 12 months, growing from a meager 3 percent to a healthy 18 percent.
What’s more, the company is reporting a growing number of organizations from the retail, consulting and public sectors using training and meeting facilities on a pay-as-you-go basis more often than ever. Supporting this as a market trend, Avanta points to a survey from Ecademy that says 21 percent of respondents are now conducting training at business centers. Another 57 percent had used or had considered such professional business environments to be the ideal choice for management training.
“Despite the economic downturn, companies are still investing in training. They are also looking closely at cost and how, and where, the results will strategically impact their business,” says Heidi Daniell of Accelerator Solutions, which is based at Avanta’s Lyric Square business centre in Hammersmith. “It’s not cost-effective for us to have dedicated full-time training facilities, as these would be a drain on our overheads when sitting empty. So the key benefit of being located in a business centre is the ability to access well-equipped training rooms on a pay-as-you-go basis. This is a major factor in reducing operating costs for both ourselves and our clients.”
Accelerator Solutions moved to Avanta’s Hammersmith business center in April 2007. And, as Avanta pointed out in its push for more training business, it’s not the only one of its kind. London Corporate Training has been using Avanta centers for the past 18 months. These companies are part of what has become Avanta’s largest client base, ahead of technology companies and the banking and finance sector. That’s telling.
“LCT is a management training provider offering short courses in every aspect of management. Registrations on LCT’s courses are a seasonal affair and we tend to experience greater demand from June right through until just before Christmas,” says Rohit Chandiramani, LCT’s business development manager.
“However, the first three or four months of the year are usually quiet and that is when our requirements for meeting and training rooms drop significantly. So the option to book rooms as the need arises greatly outweighs the cost of renting rooms on an annual basis and it gives us far better budget control.”
Avanta has seen an opportunity and the company is making its case. I think Avanta makes a good point. Serviced office centers make an ideal backdrop for corporate training, whether you are pulling together a mobile workforce and bringing in a training company, or whether you are a training company looking for an appropriate venue to host sessions. This is a winning idea. Let’s see how long it takes others in the industry to play copycat.
Related posts:
- Avanta Reports Improving Demand for Serviced Office Space Avanta Managed Offices is pointing to early signs of improvement...
- Avanta, Abbey Business Centers on the Move Serviced office companies are growing and expanding in the UK....
- Avanta Partners with ThinkGrid for Low-Cost Serviced Office IT Regus isn’t the only serviced office giant forging strategic alliances....
- Regent, Avanta Go After Regus with International Alliance While Regus catches its breath after a string of new...
- Sunshine Realty Management Hits Inc. 5000 List In a week of celebrations for the alternative office industry,...
- Avanta Launches Concierge and Travel Desk in UK If what begins in Europe eventually makes its way to...
- Davinci Virtual, Avanta Post Growth in Global Office Markets Plenty of news on the international front today as Davinci...
- Pacific Business Centers Reports Record Quarter The Regus Group isn’t the only player in the executive...
About the Author
Bill Brookshire January 15th, 2010 at 11:44 am
It does make good sense for Avanta to push this envelope. They found something that worked — a niche in the serviced office space — and they are exploiting it. Training companies are a perfect fit for meeting rooms and conference rooms for corporate training within a serviced office environment. I am sure by making other training companies aware of the option, they’ll drum up some new business.
Elizabeth Sanchez January 15th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Nothing like having the training companies that do business at Avanta serviced office conference rooms speak for themselves. Statistics are one thing. Testimonials are another. Avanta has a good reputation and seems to be building a strong base of training company clients. I agree that other serviced office companies probably will, if they already aren’t, begin targeting this niche.