Training, discussion, ideas and business in the same space. New projects have the ability to appear at leisure. It’s no longer necessary to be in a company boardroom to generate conversations and viewpoints that give rise to new business advances, now things are much more informal and far more innovative than before.

The ideas, in other words, flow freely and without a corset. They are ideas that are launched, on which there is a common and collective interest in being able to promote very diverse initiatives.

Therefore, there are now spaces where there are so many services and activities that we might not think of as spaces for creativity, training, listening, and entrepreneurship. This is the case of the famous Work Café in Banco Santander, a place where you can grow professionally and personally informally where, in addition, new opportunities can arise because it is a shared interest.

Today this new type of coffee – for which Ana Botín says the coffee is also very good – already has 58 spaces across Spain: 43 on university campuses and 15 in urban areas.

It’s not just coffee

It’s true that at first glance it may look like a cafeteria, but it’s actually much more than that. It is a way to grow professionally, educationally and personally, as it hosts events, talks, conferences and courses where you can learn new tools. This is one of the goals of the Banco Santander Work Cafe, an open space designed to create a more informal and open relationship between customers and financial institutions. Especially in the case of young people.

We must consider that young people’s relationships with companies, as well as with banks, are very different from those of their parents. But, equally, they have to get in touch with them, because they will become part of their finances at some point. For this reason, the branches that Banco Santander has on university campuses throughout Spain have been completely transformed and these Work Cafes have been promoted on university campuses, adapted to the new needs of university students and staff.

To create a connection between business and youth, the 43 Work Cafés on the university campus are equipped with the latest digital technology; personal attention; advice on employability, entrepreneurship and scholarships, and specific products and services; benefits, discounts and a variety of recreation and culture.

Collaborative space

This new branch concept, where the opportunity for connection between people is provided, responds to the new habits of consumers and society. Its success is based on a new branch model that places human relationships and closeness with clients at the center, in an environment of digitization and innovation. The result is an innovative, interactive, technological and modern space.

A work cafe is a space for sharing, collaborating, where any user can work, connect to the Internet, hold meetings or perform ordinary financial procedures. You also have the possibility to organize events and organize talks, conferences and courses. Likewise, Work Café customers can start direct conversations with their managers via the app and create phone contracts to save time.

Entrepreneurs also have a channel that allows them to multiply the visibility of their business. Areas where they have the possibility to advertise their services, for example, via Work Café digital screens or on bulletin boards.

During 2020, pandemic restrictions prompted the creation of an online Work Cafe model. In this way, these spaces go beyond the confines of their physical base to open themselves up to the world. Conferences, master classes and talks with interesting content for individuals and companies who wish to take advantage of the opportunities to expand their knowledge are offered on these online communication channels.

This new branch concept was born in Chile in 2016 and is already present in nine countries where Grupo Santander is present: Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, UK, Poland, USA and Spain. The first office of this type in Spain opened in 2018 in Madrid, at Plaza Sagrados Corazones. Currently Grupo Santander has 150 centers of this type spread throughout the world and is continuing its expansion plans.