Planning Off Site Business Meeting Rooms

When planning an off site meeting selecting the meeting room venue can help define the success of the meeting. Select a meeting room for standard business requirements such as easy access to major road, well equipped with audio/visual and Internet connectivity. If the meeting is all day or even a half day, can they serve food to avoid participant leaving to hunt for a meal? The costs associated of bringing in staff is far out weighted by the room rental fees, so be sure to cover the basics in selecting the right business meeting room location.

It may seem odd also where you choose the location could also influence the mood and ambiance for the meeting. Holding it in a 5 star hotel when you company is asking employees to “cut back”, will generate negative comments even before they enter the meeting room. You don’t want to go too cheap so that the room becomes uncomfortable to be there, and risk that attendees can’t concentrate from the distractions this could generate.

Aligning Meeting Objectives to Meeting Room Location

When thinking about the right business meeting location, consider the meeting objectives, how long the meeting will be, and finally your budget. Is it really appropriate to hold an off-site meeting if you have the space inside the office? Or will “getting out of the office” help create a more relaxed or creative session time with your staff. Sometimes a neutral, off-site location is necessary for confidential, secret discussions of new product launches that are not ready for other employees to overhear is more appropriate.

There are two basic types of business meeting room locations to consider, in-town and travel destination. Let’s review the lowest cost of in-town location options and their pro/cons:

In-Town or Local off-site Business Meeting Venues

The most common is a local hotel conference room, that often can often accommodate a wide range of group sizes. Hotels are well accustomed to hosting meeting and of course offer food catering. Competition amongst hotels for the business conferences is intense so shopping around can get you a good price. Cons: hotels will charge a higher premium based on their location and rating. Setting up for multimedia presentation is possible, but could cost additional.

Restaurant meeting space is another choice that is easier on budgets and ideal for the under 20 attendees. Be sure they have a closed off room, as noise and people distractions will sure to ruin the meeting effectiveness. Cons: Setting up for multimedia presentation could be limited, requiring outside services and may not have ideal lighting.

Alternative Choice for business meeting room can also be found such as the Chamber of Commerce, or even in unusual locations. A restaurant movie theater in Southern New Hampshire (www.chunkys.com) offers business meeting rooms for access along with food catering. Comfortable seating and big screen video makes this an ideal choice for sales presentations, company awards, or training. Cons: You may have to search a bit to find these alternative, but often they provide a better value.