How important are swanky offices?

Replies to this question I posted on LinkedIn last week ranged from:

“You can’t sell a Bentley out of a lock-up.” to “Visible signs, such as swanky offices, top-of-the range cars, very expensive lunches / five star hotels, send out the wrong signals.”

Somewhere in between was:

“I would invest in good meeting areas but keep personal work spaces modest and flexible”

This last comment is pretty much where we are in the debate.

It was a leading question because Furlong PR has just moved to Floral Street, Covent Garden where we have lovely meeting rooms and super-efficient receptionists, managed by the excellent MBW Business Exchange.

We’re still essentially a virtual operation though, there’s 16 of us, working day to day from locations dotted around London, using Floral Street as and when we need it.

We’re hoping it will be the perfect compromise, providing a professional meeting environment without the overheads of a full time office.