Booking a meeting? Consider these points…

Location

This is usually the biggest factor in deciding on a venue for a meeting as it can impact on who will be able to attend the event & how many people you will get. A venue for any event needs to be in a location with good transport links whether by car or by public transport. This will ensure your delegates will attend the meeting with greater ease and efficiency. If guests are arriving by car you will also need to know if the venue has car parking on site, or close by, and if not free of charge what costs will apply.

Cost – How affordable is the hire of the meeting room?

Most event planners have a budget they need to stick to so being aware of the costs for hiring a meeting room can help in keeping to this target and not exceeding your limit. As a venue finder we do our best to negotiate on our client’s behalf and have the buying power and good industry relationships in order to get the best rates possible for any event. It is also a good idea to research before booking an event room to see what is included within the room hire price, for example; refreshment breaks, AV equipment, water or find out if there are any hidden costs.

Availability

Space and availability can be at a premium when trying to book a meeting room, especially during busy conference periods or in popular locations. Before sending out invites or fixing the date it is wise to check availability at a number of venues to ensure you can secure the meeting space required. School holidays, large local events or trade exhibitions can impact greatly on what meeting space is available.

Facilities

Meeting room facilities available can vary from venue to venue, but some key questions to ask would be;

1. Is there air-conditioning in the meeting room? (This is particularly important during the Summer months).
2. Does the room have natural daylight? And linked with this does the room have black-out facilities?
3. Are water, sweets, paper & pens included in the meeting room?
4. Is the room accessible?

By opting for a conference hotel for your next event, you also have added facilities on site to enhance and add to your guest’s experience. Whether it is access to a variety of restaurants, lounge areas, bars, leisure facilities, outdoor space, bedrooms, or additional breakout areas, a hotel can usually provide this.

AV & WiFi requirements

It is often important in meetings that participants, or at the very least the presenter, has access to the internet. When researching a meeting room find out whether Wi-Fi is available in the room and also if the network is up to speed and won’t fail you when needed.

It is also important to find out what AV is available and included within the meeting room hire. Some costs may apply depending on requirements so it is good to find this out before booking the meeting.

Having technical on-site support can also help an event planner greatly to ensure an event runs smoothly.

Meeting Room Layout

There are many different shapes and sizes of meeting rooms available and most venues will be able to offer a variety of rooms in order to cater for all types of events. Size is a big factor and before booking a meeting you should always check that the maximum capacity meets or exceeds your requirements.

You will need to consider the type of layout required in the meeting room which will be most suitable for your event, the most popular layouts include:

• Boardroom style – ideal for small meetings where conversation can easily be made around a table.
• Theatre style – works well for larger audiences listening to presentations.
• Cabaret style – this works well where delegates are presented to and also need to take notes. With approximately 6-8 delegates sat around each table this layout style does take up a lot of space and therefore a larger meeting room is required.
• U-Shape or horseshoe – great layout for training events where trainers can present to delegates and interact with them.