The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia offers a wealth of opportunities to aspiring businessmen. Its strategic location, bustling economy, and exemplary vision promise a favorable business environment. When you have decided to explore the market in the KSA, you need to pick an office, which could be daunting if you are unaware of the local market and the available options. Which type of office suits your needs? Do you need a traditional office or a business center in KSA? Let’s find out in this blog.
What is a business center?
Choosing the right type of office for your business is tricky as you have numerous options out there. Among them, a business center is gaining popularity due to the benefits and flexibility that it offers to businesses. To put it simply, a business center is a physical location that provides temporary office locations for businesses of all sizes. As mentioned in your rent package, these spaces will have shared or private offices and shared meeting rooms available for a certain number of hours. It is the ideal pick for businesses that don’t prefer a physical location but needs an office headquarters in a prime location in the city.
Benefits
A business center has a range of benefits which include:
- Flexibility: While choosing a business center, you can choose a lease term based on your requirements. You can alter it in the future, if necessary.
- Prime location: Organizations that have expansion plans prefer a business center in a prime location in their target market to attract potential clients.
- Affordability: One of the main reasons to choose a business center is its cost-effectiveness. It’s less expensive compared to conventional office space and you can also find an option suitable for your budget as they provide different plans. Also, you don’t have to pay any maintenance costs.
- A dedicated team: The packages usually provide a dedicated team for services like cleaning, security, reception, and maintenance.
- Networking opportunities: Business centers provide several networking opportunities for businesses. There will be regular events in which people can connect and interact with each other.
Features of a traditional office
The things that pop into your head when you hear the word ‘office’ are mainly the cubicles, desks, and conference rooms. These are the classic elements that you will find in a traditional office setup. It will have enclosed offices for individual employees and conference spaces for greeting clients. The main challenge that organizations face while choosing a traditional office is the expense.
Benefits
- Privacy
The key advantage of a traditional office is privacy. The individuals as well as the teams can have their own personal spaces which ensure comfort and convenience in working.
- Company culture
When you have your own space, you can create an ideal company culture for your employees. You can design the office space the way you want to reflect the company values.
- Security
Traditional office spaces promise an additional comfort of security as the access is confined to the employees. This makes it easier for the firm to keep the equipment and other company assets safe.
Shared offices- Understanding the new trend
Since you are aware of the two common types of offices, let’s understand more about a new trend which is becoming popular recently. The number of young entrepreneurs is increasing, and so is the number of coworking or shared working spaces. Unlike the traditional office, a coworking space is characterized by a more informal and friendly work atmosphere. With shared offices, you will also get basic amenities like internet, conference rooms, and a cafeteria at a cost-effective price. This type of office is ideal for organizations that provide creative services, as like-minded individuals can work together and collaborate well.
Benefits
- Ease of renting: The best thing about choosing a coworking space for your office is that you can easily find a suitable one in your preferred location. There are several coworking spaces in KSA, so you can pick the one that suits your needs. Even if you change your mind later, it’s easier for you to find a better option, unlike the traditional office, which could cost you an arm and a leg.
- Affordability: Coworking spaces are open to changes, whether you wish to increase or decrease their size. This makes it a perfect choice for SMEs.
- Flexibility: These are cheaper when compared to traditional offices. You can decide if you need a single desk or a full floor based on your needs.
As Saudi Arabia’s economy is transforming, the choice of office is also changing. Most businesses tend to shift from traditional offices to flexible workspaces with lesser commitments. The type of office that you should choose depends on your business activity and goals. You should consider those factors and also the budget to make a wise choice.
