LUKE MILLER AND EMMA CARRÉS DAVIS – ISLA HOUSE COWORKING MENORCA
At the last count, there were ten coworking spaces in Menorca. These are shared spaces where the self-employed or those working remotely can make use of the fast internet and professional office facilities. More importantly, they are small communities where individuals working alone can meet with other digital nomads, make new contacts, learn new skills and access additional support from local companies and organisations.
Isla House Coworking was opened in the centre of Mahon in December 2023 by Luke Miller and Emma Carrés Davis. Luke is from Sydney, Australia. He moved to London to work in IT for companies such as RBS and Tesco before relocating to Barcelona where he lived for 15 years. He is currently VP Sales EMEA and APAC at Vercel, a Californian based company providing a frontend cloud to give web developers the infrastructure to build a faster, more personalised online presence. In Barcelona, Luke was involved in organising start-up events and job fairs and he gained an in-depth knowledge of the start-up ecosystem and the latest technical tools that are available to small businesses. These include the most recent AI tools such as Chat GPT.
It was in Barcelona where he met Emma who was also working in IT for Lucas Fox as their Salesforce Project Manager. The couple have both worked from coworking spaces in Barcelona and know from first-hand experience the benefits that this can bring for growing a business and for maintaining personal wellbeing. Two years ago the couple had their first child and, with another on the way, they decided to relocate to Menorca to be close to Emma’s parents, who founded Pou Nou clothing. They thought “how are we going to engage and meet with interesting people?” and their answer was to set up Isla House to replicate the environment they had known in Barcelona. Their aim is to provide a service for local people wanting an international and professional environment and to contribute to the community by sharing their own skills with others in Menorca. Both Luke and Emma have expertise in sales and accelerating revenue.
Isla House is located on the first floor at Es Cós de Gràcia, 19 in the centre of Mahon. The offices had been renovated and supplied with excellent infrastructure by a gas company while it was waiting for a licence to operate. The licence never came and Luke and Emma were able to rent the offices instead. There are several spaces including a meeting room, kitchen, an openplan office area and another which is being divided into private work spaces. There is also an open-air terrace looking out over Parc des Freginal where you can work or eat al fresco.
On Fridays, Luke runs Accountability Sessions where individuals can join a group to discuss a core challenge they are facing in their business. The group can provide feedback and suggestions to help them draw up a business plan that is “measurable, relevant and time based”. Luke is also running free sessions to demonstrate how companies can use AI tools. For example, Copy. ai can be used to help compose and perfect sales emails while Notion AI provides a structure for it to be used by media content creators such as those in property sales. Isla House will also be holding community events, job fairs and open days throughout the year.
Luke believes that more coworking spaces are needed in Menorca to help it develop as a hub for digital nomads but also for larger companies who do not want the expense of setting up a regional office in Menorca. Instead, they can sub-lease coworking spaces for their workers. He explained that many international companies now offer their employees a coworking stipend as part of their salary, allowing them to work remotely but from a professional workspace. In Barcelona for example, there are many travelling workers who rent spaces for one or two months at a time, moving between different countries or regions. They are often professionals in their mid-career in the 30-60 age group.
Luke believes that a coworking space in Menorca holds a special allure for parents with young families who want to separate their home life from their work life. Luke has already started working with local councils, hotels, estate agents and schools to put together packages to help and encourage workers to choose Menorca as their base. For those looking to spend a month or two in the Mediterranean, Menorca in the early and late season could be the ideal location when accommodation is available at more reasonable prices. Remote working could play an important role in lengthening the season for hotels and other local businesses.
Luke and Emma speak English, French, Spanish and Catalan. Luke plans to publish podcasts in English featuring interviews with key people from his ever-increasing contact list. Look out as well for his AI Tips coming soon on Instagram. A Hot Desk at Isla House costs 129 Euros + IVA per month or you can benefit from being a member of their Virtual Office, which includes mailhandling and concierge services you can access via phone, whatsapp or visit in person for local admin support, from as little as 45 Euros + IVA. There are many ways you can get involved and benefit from their new community.
Contact: Luke Miller or Emma Carres Davis, Es Cós de Gràcia, 19 , 07702 Maó, Illes Balears. hola@islacoworking.com Call on: +34 971 15 53 54 or via whatsapp: +34 652 90 82 03
