PwC Herald Talks: A holistic approach to the sharing economy

Nick Shewring, co-founder of Bizdojo. Photo / Supplied

The sharing economy isn't just about commercial gain - it's about meaningful relationships, says Nick Shewring, co-founder of coworking operator BizDojo.

"Everybody's aware of Uber and Airbnb and how they've transformed public transport and accommodation," Shewring said.

"But the sharing economy is deeper than just commerce."

In his keynote at PwC Herald Talks this week, Shewring will discuss the human element of the sharing economy, its evolution and potential.

"You can see it in so many businesses these days where they are starting to put their customers and people at the heart of decision-making and what's good for them, and that's when they start to scale and grow because people want to interact with them and people want to utilise their services or assets."

Coworking space, Facebook community groups, Uber and Airbnb were examples of the sharing economy done right.

The sharing economy was an emerging phenomenon and has great potential, Shewring said.

"More and more of this stuff is starting to happen.

"If you look at Facebook groups, pay it forward pages - people give away stuff for nothing in exchange but to try help others, and I think that's a really beautiful thing that's coming of the sharing economy."

He hopes the new economy is able to break down the boundaries of commerce.

"The world has evolved. It's not longer B to C or B to B, it's H to H - human to human," he said. "As the sharing economy evolves I think we will start to have far more meaningful commercial and personal relationships with our customers, suppliers and our business partners."

PwC Herald Talks

• When: Wednesday 15th November

• Where: SkyCity Theatre, Auckland

• Tickets: Available from iTicket for $89