A space to grow that isn’t overcrowded, and an ecosystem of business support are what creative businesses look for in Manchester coworking space.

Leading city creatives will hear calls for more flexibility and support at an event on Wednesday 25 July organised by WeWork Manchester.

Taking place at WeWork 1 St Peter’s Square, the event — We, The Creators: Manchester — will centre around a panel discussion.

Walli Ullah, president of TiE, the entrepreneurs network and founder and director of Greater Manchester-based EMU Films Ltd, said he avoids long leases.

“Starting a business over 30 years ago was a whole different ballgame, we had no access to shared workspaces," he said. "It was essential for us to find a central location that was affordable that potential clients could get to easily. I actively look to avoid long leases. Businesses in the creative sector need the ability to scale up and down very quickly.”

Henna Riaz, a Manchester-based specialist in royalty audits, told Bisnow that coworking space was vital, but warned against squeezing too much into coworking locations.

“I have seen first-hand the immense benefits that shared workspaces give to companies either starting out or growing. The ecosystem of resources, support and growth opportunities that these environments provide is profoundly important,” he said.

“We avoid an environment where space was compromised to get more people into offices. The feeling of shared workspaces is to share space and have communal areas but you still want to feel that you can be an independent business and have space within that environment.”