Airport Terminal. High Rise Office Building. Hotel Room. As more and more mobile devices enable people to work efficiently wherever they are, companies of all sizes have started to rethink their need for pricey office space, or even if they need it. However, many companies do need to maintain some sort of a physical office for customer visits or to attract venture capital. Employees, such as auditors working out of state, might need fully equipped, temporary office space for several weeks.

Enter instant office space brought to you by Mark Dixon, one of Europe's best-known innovative entrepreneurs.  He has a knack for combining technology, people, and physical office space to give customers flexible options for working in the virtual world. In 1989, Dixon started The Regus Group in Belgium to offer customers fully staffed contractual office space, as well as contractual meeting space, and virtual offices. Today Regus operates more than 950 business centers in 400 cities in 70 countries, making it the largest provider of outsourced workspace.  Regus has partnerships with Air France, American Airlines, Nokia, and American Express. The Regus brands include HQ, Laptop Lane, Stratis, and Business Meeting Places.

During his 19 years at the Regus helm, Dixon, who once sold hot dogs, has learned to steer his course through some turbulent waters, including bankruptcy. His expansion in the U.S. market in 2001 came when the country's economy was in a downtown and there was an overabundance of office space.  In 2004, Regus successfully entered the U.S. market by acquiring HQ.

In this podcast, Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of The Regus Group, talks about how he drives leadership and innovation at Regus, what technology his instant office space offers customers, and what lessons he learned after spending time with Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.

Bio

Mark Dixon is the founder and chief executive office of the The Regus Group, which provides professional workplaces and meeting rooms. Before founding The Regus Group in 1989, he had been owner and managing director of several British firms. He has received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young and Enterprise magazine, and the UK Property Entrepreneur of the Year award from Property Week magazine.

Resources

Office of the Future

Elizabeth M. Ferrarini,  Executive Producer
Tom Parish, Host and  Audio Producer
5AlarmMusic.com, Music