Where to host your Design Sprint when the office isn’t an option

This isn’t an option when it rains, but the horse rides are a bonus.

I needed some meeting room space to host a four day design sprint in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex.

I have some upcoming client projects where they don’t have dedicated office space. Both are startups like mine and wanted options.

While the idea of having 5–8 complete strangers in my upstairs media room to host the Sprint was potentially cost effective, it just wasn’t practical.

So, I did some research. Here’s what I discovered.

Just the facts

The following is a journey into the various options afforded to everyone who may be in the same pickle I am. I’m not recommending any particular option, as your situation is likely unique. What I am doing is conveying my own experiences and gathered data as of July, 2018. Your mileage may vary.

1. Libraries (Irving Public Library at Valley Ranch)
   Libraries are great for reserving small groups of people for an hour or two, and perfect when you want a quiet study room to yourself on a first-come first serve basis.
   
   Unfortunately, my local library system can’t accommodate requests for multiple days without going through some major hoops. There are lots of other programs going on (movies for kids, outside vendors like the Dallas Zoo scheduling free animal presentations, etc.) that take up space and time.
   
   Even if you were to find ample space and reservations, the cost was $150 (US Dollars) per day, or $600 for four straight days. A reasonable cost, but not really an option given all of the conflicts I uncovered.
2. Recreation Centers (Cimarron Park Recreation Center)
   I love these places. They’re low cost community centers with lots of recreation options at a fraction of the price ($10 for a year long membership!) when compared to your typical franchise workout establishment. You just need to be a resident of the city.
   
   This option was also a dead end. Beyond having to reserve 2 weeks in advance (which really isn’t a big deal), they only allowed for weekend reservations (1:30 to 4:30 for $50 per hour, 6pm to 11pm $145 per hour).
3. Co-Working Spaces (Goodwork, Capital Factory and WeWork)
   They’re everywhere, and with good reason. A lot of small companies with some capital investment or high growth are turning to these companies for temporary workspace accommodations or permanent, leased office space for companies with less than 10 employees (local to Dallas anyway).
   
   My experiences with each were mixed.
   
   With Goodwork, I met and collaborated with a representative (Chelsea) and was introduced to the place by someone I’ve networked with. The meeting rooms they had available had a single large monitor, dial-in capability, and plenty of windowed walls for Design Sprint messiness. Roller white boards were also available.
   
   A friend of mine introduced me to the owner of Capital Factory in downtown Dallas, which had similar rooms available. This option didn’t have as many whiteboards as I would have liked, but did have larger meeting spaces . We also collaborated on promoting the business as part of reserving a room for a week-long Design Sprint.
   
   Finally, there’s WeWork. They were similar to Goodwork in terms of their capabilities and available supplies. In fact, I’ll be using their Legacy West offices for a Product Design Meetup, showcasing activities from your typical Design Sprint process.
   
   In the end, it really comes down to cost, location and what your client is willing to pay. Out of these three I inquired about, and for my particular situation, Goodwork was hands down the best option for a central Dallas location.
   
   But wait, there’s more!
4. Executive Meeting Rooms (Regus)
   I didn’t realize how huge Regus was until I checked out their website. They sport a massive network of over 3000 locations, each with varying degrees of cost and options. Near my location, I had about six different locations to choose from in DFW (according to Google Maps).
   .
   After working through some details with a representative (Tammy) the costs were quite reasonable for a very low end option. (10 people, $520 for the week w/included whiteboard, water, wi-fi, 8:30 to 5pm). The location from my home office was great for Irving/Las Colinas, and would have worked as a go-to, last minute option for local Sprints if need be.
   .
   I also looked into other local options that branded themselves as executive meeting spaces, but their costs were exorbitant. Even if everything was gold plated and blessed by the Pope, no amount of salesmanship is going to force me to fork over $2000 for a four day reservation.
5. Non-Profit Organizations (Addison Tree House, TECH Fort Worth)
   Both Addison Tree House and TECH Fort Worth came highly recommended by a number of people in my network as viable options for meeting room space. Both are non-profits with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and community.
   
   My experience with both wasn’t very constructive. Beyond being cost prohibitive, both organizations either required membership or prioritized member requests over outside inquiries. Like the Library and Community Rec Centers mentioned above, city representatives held events for members where long, multi-day reservations just weren’t possible.
6. Religious Organizations (White Chapel Church, Irving Bible Church)
   There are a number of different church organizations in the DFW metroplex. I was familiar with two of them in my network and inquired with both to see what their options were.
   
   Both organizations were very procedural when inquiring about outside space. While neither asked if I was a church goer, both took a long time to return either phone calls or messages. Both were reasonably priced given most programs were held in the evening or on weekends, but whiteboards and other supplies were non-existent for each.

While this was just a sampling of what a couple of weeks of inquiry turned up, there were some clear options.

• If you have a long window to plan things out, a local church might be a viable option. Multiple locations, decent meeting space options and a reasonable price point are all advantages.
• Locally-owned co-working spaces would come next. There was a real willingness for a long-term business relationship with each representative I dealt with, and that makes a huge difference for repeat business and knowing a company’s internal system for reserving space.
• Finally (and this was surprising to me), large executive meeting room companies like Regus work as well. They offer bare bones, no frills meeting rooms all the way to top-line executive board-style meeting rooms (like the ones I saw on a storied floor in Las Colinas).

If you have other options you’d like to see (hotels, schools, etc.), feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I’ll update this article as time allows and/or there’s continued interest in the topic!