July 2011

Place 2.5 – The magazine and online forum for productive well-being

The first major project successes have confirmed the feasibility and effectiveness of Sedus' unique concept "Place 2.5", which aims to transform working in an office into a profitable experience for both companies and staff. Top decision-makers can follow the finest reference projects and find a wealth of information all about "Place 2.5" in the special-interest magazine and online forum of the same name.

Ideas which were no more than virtual plans a mere five years ago have been turned into real projects over the course of recent years. In a self-experiment of sorts, the Building Consultancy and Customer Service Team departments at Sedus' production facilities in Geseke/Westfalen have been completely redesigned, and the new Development and Innovation Centre at the main production plant in Dogern/Hochrhein is now also a "Place 2.5" par excellence. Examples of customer projects include Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Nostalgic-Art and Econcern. Without doubt, one of the finest recent project successes is the headquarters of the fashion brand Diesel, near Milan.

"Place 2.5" will interest entrepreneurs who wish to introduce the concept of "productive well-being" into their workplaces. It's incontrovertible: in a long-term study, the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart found that there is a direct connection between office design and the performance of employees, and that it is possible to boost performance by up to 36%. A study conducted by the Gallup Institute reported that at least one in five is extremely dissatisfied with the office equipment. These employees feel underappreciated and their reaction to such feelings can, at worst, even be destructive.

It is therefore time for change in the business and in the office. This is the aim of the "Place 2.5" concept. It is far more than a furniture solution: it is a philosophy, a philosophy with which Sedus intends to inspire leading entrepreneurs.

For this reason, the company has created a magazine called "Place 2.5 - The magazine for productive well-being", which is targeted at top decision makers across Europe. The magazine informs readers all about the exciting concept and also provides lots of tips and information in addition to topics on lifestyle, all aimed at making the lives of managers more pleasant and interesting.

The magazine will also be available online in six languages in the "Place 2.5" forum. The forum will have more detailed content which only the Internet can offer, like virtual tours of reference projects, plans and interviews. A total of ten journalists from six countries write new articles for the forum on a regular basis. These can be accessed by a simple mouse-click at www.place2point5.com.

This provides Sedus with a medium through which to interact directly with top decision makers and inspire them with the philosophy that is "Place 2.5". Entrepreneurs who register in the online forum will receive a free subscription to the print magazine or the normal newsletter if they so wish.