For almost two years, coronavirus-induced lockdowns put a stop to face-to-face meetings, rendering traditional meeting rooms obsolete for a brief span of time. However the demand for meeting and conference rooms is once again surging, with small and medium businesses wanting increasingly either to rent meeting rooms, or move to office spaces that have meeting rooms. A recent Futuresource Consulting survey suggests that small businesses are adding more meeting rooms and huddle spaces to their offices, and that 25% of companies are expected to embrace the trend in the next few years. It must be noted that renting a meeting room can have several benefits for a business —they can be used for meetings with clients and colleagues, for conducting interviews with job candidates, and much more. 

Benefits of Renting a Meeting Room

The key benefits of renting a meeting room for your business are as follows: 

• Equipped with the latest tech infrastructure, a meeting room provides a distinctly professional environment for your business discussions and presentations.
• Notwithstanding the great utility of meeting apps and platforms, a good old-fashioned meeting room paves the way for clearer communication with clients and among colleagues. 
• A meeting room provides a private setting, ensuring that confidential business plans and meetings can take place without noise distractions and anyone eavesdropping on conversations. 
• An elegant and neatly furnished meeting room reflects your brand, allowing your business to project a professional image. This allows you to make a positive impression on prospective clients and interviewees. 
• The collaborative environment afforded by a meeting room is ideal for brainstorming creative ideas, fostering innovation, and building and maintaining professional relationships. 
• Hiring a meeting room allows you to save costs while enjoying convenience. Everything – from office equipment such as projectors to a fast and secure internet connection, and coffee served to guests – is typically covered in the rental fee. 

Things to Consider when Hiring a Meeting Room

While a meeting room is a great solution to work-related situations such as meetings and interviews, it is important to engage in a bit of research before deciding on one. Here are five essential things to consider when hiring a meeting room: 

• Affordability

Cost is an important factor, especially if you need a meeting room only for an hour or so. Most office and co-working venues let businesses hire a room by the hour. Some even offer slightly discounted rates for half day, full day and a whole week. This allows you flexibility to choose what suits your needs.

• Space

You need to take into account the size of the space. This will be determined by the number of guests, but also the kind of seating arrangement you would like for the meeting room.  While the theatre style is meant to accommodate more people, the cabaret arrangement is widely regarded as more efficient and convenient.

• Facilities & Equipment

To make sure your meeting runs as smoothly as possible, do check the equipment that is available – monitors, projectors with speakers, adapters, whiteboards, and markers among others. There should be a fast and secure Wi-Fi connection as well as access to refreshments. You may also want to consider parking facilities and easy accessibility to public transport. 

• Aesthetics

Meetings are likelier to fulfil their objectives if they’re conducted in an aesthetically pleasing environment. A clean and tidy space with tasteful furnishings and verdant views would be ideal. Remember to also consider factors such as adequate natural daylight. 

• Sustainability

Opt for meeting rooms with management systems that could reduce your business’s carbon footprint, giving it a competitive edge in the market. Meeting room booking software could be deployed to help prevent double bookings, eliminate paper-based room reservation policies, identify which rooms and workspaces are under- or over-utilized, and reduce electricity  and energy usage through space optimisation. 

Have specific workspace requirements? Your search should end at GO Bermondsey’s co-working space in London. A sleek and contemporary space located inside a heritage building, GO Bermondsey offers businesses a gamut of workspace solutions. Make pre-bookings of elegantly furnished, state-of-the-art meeting rooms, flexi desks, and private office spaces on a flexible basis, from as briefly as an hour to as many as five years.