Ziferblat opens its largest branch so far in MediaCityUK

The pay-per-minute sitting room will span the ground and mezzanine floors of Tomorrow, a new creative and tech space at the heart of MediaCityUK.

For 8 pence per minute, guests can use the unique co-working space, with unlimited teas, coffees, cakes, biscuits and snacks plus access to Wi-Fi, board games, magazines, and newspapers.

Ziferblat has a series of events lined up for its new location at MediaCityUK, including secret gigs, yoga classes, film clubs, pop-up food events and themed talks. The branch will also be serving its takeaway Ziferblend coffee on an honesty box basis, whereby guests in a hurry can pay what they believe the coffee is worth as they leave.

Ziferblat MediaCityUK also has four meeting spaces and two “sheds” which will be used for community events and will be available for private hire. The space can accommodate meetings for 2-100 people as well as larger conferences for up to 250 delegates.

Simon Kaye, Business Development Manager at Ziferblat, said: “We are incredibly excited to become part of the thriving creative community in MediaCityUK. The pay-as-you-stay concept is an alternative to a café or co-working space, offering more comfort and flexibility for guests than these conventional venues. Since opening in early 2015 in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Ziferblat now welcomes over 10,000 guests per month. There will be another Ziferblat site announced in Manchester by the end of the year.”

Before launching its most recent sitting room, Ziferblat consulted with businesses, visitors, residents and individuals from around MediaCityUK, to find out what they’d like from the new venue. The consultation yielded a wealth of unique, creative ideas, including a digital ‘window’ between Ziferblat’s MediaCityUK and Northern Quarter sitting rooms, whereby live stream screens will give guests a real-time view of the other location.

Simon said: “We loved Alia Sheikh’s idea of the digital window so much, that we have granted her free Ziferblat access for a year. Alia already uses our Northern Quarter venue, but her job as a BBC researcher means she will frequent the MediaCityUK sitting room a lot, and we wanted to show our appreciation for her loyalty and creativity.”

Lynn Haime, asset manager for Tomorrow at MediaCityUK, said: “Ziferblat is a hotly anticipated addition to the creative community here at MediaCityUK, and we have been receiving continuous interest and support from tenants and visitors alike, since announcing them as Tomorrow’s anchor retail and co-working operator at the end of last year.”

“The consultation project has been a fantastic way to engage with those who will use the space, and this collaborative approach is exactly the kind of thing we want to encourage and do more of, with Ziferblat customers and MediaCityUK occupiers. We look forward to seeing them develop their creative community at MediaCityUK.”

Ziferblat is hosting a housewarming party on the 24^th May, where those involved in the consultation will be invited to explore the new space. The free, one-year access to Ziferblat will be granted to Alia Sheikh at this event. To enquire about Ziferblat’s housewarming, co-working space or events and meeting space, contact Ben Davies on ben.davies@ziferblat.co.uk / +44(0)7500 555125.

To enquire about the Tomorrow building or other available space at MediaCityUK, contact Lynn Haime on lynn.haime@mediacityuk.co.uk / +44161 886 5331.