NCET Biz Tips: Event and co-working space reimagined at The Virgil
With significant investment from a new ownership group, the historic Little Flower Church has transformed into a full-service modernized venue for events, celebrations, and small business co-working, now called The Virgil.
Did you know that Reno’s newest all-in-one co-working hub, event space and wedding venue can be found on the corner of Wells Avenue and Vassar Street? With significant investment from a new ownership group, the historic Little Flower Church has transformed into a full-service modernized venue for events, celebrations, and small business co-working, now called The Virgil.
Bill Leonard
The idea came about from a clear need for accessible workspace in the Reno community. Already hosting events and networking gatherings throughout Reno, partners Rachel Macintyre and Jessie Phillips of Wandering Wyld heard loud and clear from entrepreneurs, creatives, freelancers, and remote workers that they wanted to work in a collaborative space that wouldn’t break the bank. These individuals needed somewhere to gather and a place they could call home. With backing from Jamie Miller and Duhs Commercial Development and influenced by micro-entrepreneurs and small business owners, The Virgil was born with a modern, large open design with abundant natural light in an 8,000 square foot space. Today, The Virgil is an important and iconic hub for our Reno community to gather, create, collaborate, and celebrate. Why was Reno selected as an excellent location for The Virgil? It is no secret that our community is increasingly full of budding new businesses and innovative companies. Creating a space where these businesses could come together for camaraderie and collaboration was a no-brainer for The Virgil management team. There are some fascinating aspects about The Virgil worth noting. The venue is located in an awesome, creative neighborhood. The actual space has deep historical ties to the community as it was once a church, a dance hall, and most recently, a bank. The Virgil has connected with many entrepreneurs and workers and hosted unforgettable events and celebrations. The venue continues to allow this slice of Reno to be an intimate part of the city’s history. Today, the Virgil is filled with long farm-style tables and chairs, nine bistro tables, standing desk space, five communal lounge areas, and patio seating. In addition, the space features three small-group conference rooms, postal boxes, mailing services, a kitchen, Wi-Fi, many free events and courses focused on small businesses. The Virgil team also provides event planning services and a turnkey wedding offering for couples looking for an elevated experience. Success stories are numerous. Here is one of them. Right before a big product launch and website overhaul, a Virgil member had a last-minute cancellation of her out-of-town photographer scheduled to capture the content. The Virgil team introduced her to another co-working photographer, graphic designer, and web designer. The two Virgil members connected, hit it off, and were in contract with each other just two days later. The project was a huge success for both parties and reinforced the benefits of a co-working space. The Virgil has its share of challenges, as do other businesses. As a dual-purpose space, it’s been a challenge for the management team to balance its ability to host many events while running a co-working space. A village of amazing event staff helps meet that challenge. In addition, another challenge that never ends is reinforcing to the public that The Virgil is not just a co-working space for small businesses but a space for memorable events for those in our Reno community. How is The Virgil overcoming their challenges? Investment continues in user interface and user experience enhancements to the calendar and reservation systems. Internal communications systems have been streamlined to improve team collaboration. To this day, the Virgil staff still gets many questions about the history of the building. Was it a church? A bank? An underground spaghetti restaurant? Some people still visit looking to talk to a bank teller. One BIG question is, “Can I work here every day?” The answer is an emphatic “YES.” The Virgil is working hard to introduce more people in our community to the benefits of co-working and all the great amenities its space offers. There’s more to it than fast Wi-Fi and bottomless coffee. Want to learn more about The Virgil? Sign up for NCET’s Tech Wed on March 9 for a presentation and tour from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with networking from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tickets and more information at www.NCET.org/ncet-event-calendar/the-virgil Bill Leonard is VP of Communications for NCET (www.ncet.org) and a freelance content writer of lead-generating case studies, brand stories, white papers, and blogs that help innovative businesses GROW. Connect with Bill at LinkedIn.com/in/BillLeonardUSA. NCET produces education and networking events to help people explore business and technology.
Bill Leonard