When renting an external meeting room for your business the choice you make has a direct impact on the impression your business portrays to its partners and clients. It is therefore imperative that your chosen venue meets your expectations, providing exceptional facilities and business services to ensure your business meeting runs smoothly.

So what factors do you need to consider when selecting an external meeting room?

Decoration

First impressions count and the decor of a meeting space are the first thing partners and clients will see on arrival to your business meeting. Selecting a venue that portrays a professional image automatically puts your organisation in a positive light, reinforcing your expertise and skill within your chosen industry.

Ideally you will want your chosen meeting venue to be well maintained both inside and out, including the approach to the building. Decor should be fresh and inviting with no chipped paint or ripped carpets in sight. Meeting rooms should be clean and tidy with no rubbish on show or no bad food smells left over from a previous meeting room booking.

Furnishings

All meeting rooms should be fully equipped with adequate furnishings that compliment the interior decoration; this in turn will help create a focused business environment. Meeting tables should be well-made and hard-wearing and chairs should be comfortable and sturdy. Always check to ensure furniture is in perfect condition, wobbly tables and broken chairs are distractions you want to avoid during your business meeting.

Lighting

Good lighting is a must for any business meeting. Poor lighting can not only make it difficult for participants to see important documentation, but it can also act as a de-motivating factor causing a loss in concentration.

If possible you will want to find a meeting room that offers lots of natural light, if not a meeting room that has good lighting fixtures and fittings that you can adjust to your needs. You will want to avoid meeting venues that are dark and dreary as this can often create a discouraging business environment; something you do not want to associate with your business.

Space

How many can I fit into a room? An important question as space is what you’re paying for. Careful consideration should be made when selecting meeting room size - too small and your delegates will be cramped together, too large and you end up paying for wasted space. Company budgets will limit the amount of meeting space that can be hired so these factors will have to be taken into account with cost considerations in mind.

Adjusting your meeting room configuration can help maximise space within a larger room. An auditorium layout will help you get the most delegates into your meeting space, whereas boardroom, horseshoe or classroom layouts will offer greater comfort to your attendees.

Equipment

All professional meeting venues should be able to offer high-tech audio and visual conferencing solutions. Equipment such as air conditioning, flip chart and white board with pens are also available, but be careful to read the small print as some providers will charge extra for the use of these smaller facilities.

Operators like Avanta Managed Offices will offer the above meeting room equipment as standard, so there is no extra cost to your business. They also offer free Wi-Fi enabled meeting rooms and free IP to IP calls when using AV equipment.

Video conferencing is another service offered by external meeting room providers. It offers a cost effective alternative for many businesses which operate around the globe, something to consider when choosing a meeting venue.

Look out for part 2 of this informative article, where we look into additional factors such as cost, location and services and how they impact your choice of meeting venue.