Meet the Board: Caroline Van den Eynde on Brand Building and the Power of Community

Caroline Van den Eynde didn’t stumble into marketing. She was drawn to it for exactly what it offered: a balance of creativity and strategy in a business setting. With a degree in psychology and minors in communications and behavioural science, she set out to understand not just what people do, but why they do it.

Her career began in the home improvement space, and yes, she can still help you install a laminate floor. From there, she moved into commercial real estate, which eventually led her to coworking. What started as a new challenge quickly became a career she felt deeply connected to.

“I wasn’t very familiar with coworking at first,” she says. “But what stood out to me was how rare it is as a marketer to be this close to your audience. I could observe how members interacted with the space, listen to their challenges, and understand what helped sales close a deal. That kind of access is so unique.”

Today, Caroline is the Marketing Manager at iQ Offices, a Canadian-owned coworking company with locations across Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. Over the past three years, she’s helped build a high-performing marketing team focused on brand differentiation, campaign testing, and data-driven strategy.

“No coworking space is the same because no building is the same,” she says. “I’ve spent a lot of time studying what makes each of our locations unique and figuring out how to bring that to life through marketing. One space might be perfect for a team of five and completely wrong for a creative freelancer. My job is to help the right people see themselves in the space.”

At iQ, Caroline has helped shift the marketing approach from traditional tactics to one that is more iterative and insight-driven. She and her team are constantly testing, refining, and focusing on what actually resonates. “Don’t just push a product or a service,” she says. “Focus on the problem you’re solving. Focus on creating a feeling people want to be part of.”

Marketing That Makes People Feel

Looking ahead, Caroline sees the coworking industry becoming more brand-led and emotionally driven. “It’s not going to be about square footage or amenities. It’s about how people feel when they walk through the door,” she explains. “That’s what gets someone to make the commute.”

She expects to see stronger storytelling, more personalized digital experiences, and an even greater focus on marketing as part of the member journey. “We talk a lot about design, but not enough about the feeling a space gives you or how that shows up in your digital presence,” she says. “There’s also huge untapped potential in using member voices and community-led content to tell more authentic stories.”

If she could change one thing overnight, it would be awareness. “There are still so many misconceptions about what coworking is and who it’s for. People think it’s just for startups or freelancers, but the reality has expanded so much. If more people understood that, it would solve a lot of our marketing challenges.”

Caroline’s boldest idea for the future of coworking is building brand labs into the spaces themselves. “Imagine giving members tools to grow their businesses, like podcast rooms, headshot sessions, or being featured on the company’s social channels,” she says. “It creates real value and turns your space into a platform, not just a place to work.”

When asked which industry she draws the most inspiration from, she doesn’t hesitate. “High-end hotels have figured out how to market a feeling. It’s not about the bed or the minibar. It’s about how you feel when you scroll their website or walk into the lobby. People aren’t commuting in for Wi-Fi. They’re coming for a feeling.”

Why FLOC Matters

As Director of Marketing and Industry Relations at FLOC, Caroline is helping build a space that brings forward the voices often overlooked, especially those working behind the scenes who are driving impact.

“There are so many people earlier in their coworking careers who are doing incredible things, and we don’t hear from them enough,” she says. “FLOC gives us a space to share what’s working, what’s not, and grow together as the industry evolves.”

Her hope is that FLOC becomes a platform that reflects the full spectrum of talent across the industry. “There are people who’ve been leading coworking for years and people just beginning to shape its future. We need both. FLOC is about making space for more voices.”

And her advice for the next generation of coworking professionals?

“Be curious. Ask questions. Try new things. There’s no single right way to do coworking—that’s what makes it so exciting.”