Complete guide to renting a meeting room: maximize the efficiency of your meetings

Renting a meeting room is sometimes necessary for certain professional events: team building, study day, training, customer meeting, seminar... The choice of meeting spaces is very important in the success of your event, because they contribute to the effectiveness of the meeting. Renting a meeting room makes it possible to work more effectively with the right tools, but also to boost the creativity and motivation of employees.

In this article, Formeret gives you all its tips for finding the perfect location, the steps to follow to rent a meeting room, as well as techniques to optimize the efficiency of your professional meetings.

Renting a meeting room: what are the advantages?

Take advantage of flexible rooms

Renting a room can be used for various types of professional events: customer presentation, important work meeting, training, job interview, conference, etc. Renting a room therefore offers you a certain flexibility concerning: the location, size and capacity of reception, the configuration of the room, but also the equipment and ancillary services. Even if your business offers meeting spaces, they may not always meet your needs.

In addition, flexibility also concerns timings. It is possible to rent space for a few hours, half a day, a full day or more, depending on your needs. It is possible to book a room occasionally, for a one-off customer meeting for example, or several times a week for work meetings, seminars, etc.

Work in a fully equipped environment

Some professional events require state of the art equipment (for example, seminars, conferences or hybrid meetings), which may justify renting a room equipped and provided for this purpose. Some providers offer fully equipped places to facilitate organization. Most often, we find at least a microphone and a sound system, a whiteboard and a video projector. Also check the wifi access with high-speed internet. The equipment of the room and the services included should allow you to work effectively with the right tools.

Demonstrate professionalism with customers and partners

Not all businesses necessarily have meeting rooms that are large enough or well equipped to host certain professional events. Some organizations don't even have meeting space on their premises. This is especially the case when they do not necessarily need to meet their employees regularly: they thus only offer offices and break rooms.

In these cases, it may be necessary to rent a room to organize meetings with customers and partners. In addition, most providers specializing in space rental, such as the Formeret group, also offer additional services : breakfasts, catering, luggage, hosts and hostesses, etc. These services may be necessary depending on the format of the meetings and allow you to Make a good impression for important meetings.

Boosting the creativity and motivation of employees

As part of a seminar, training, or even a work meeting, it is sometimes complicated to motivate employees when the event always takes place in the same place, within the company. Renting a room can then be a way to breathe new life into these professional groups.

The work environment plays an important role in motivation, theinvolvement, but also in the creativity workers. To stimulate the creativity and motivation of participants, the ideal is to reserve atypical spaces, even unusual. Coworking spaces are also conducive to the creativity of employees. Don't overlook either The importance of daylight : a bright room will positively influence troop morale, especially if the meeting lasts a long time.

How do I choose the right meeting room?

The ideal place will be the one that will be adapted to the profile of the participants and the type of event : seminar, training, customer presentation, afterwork, etc. In addition to that, here are some criteria to take into account when choosing the best room to rent.

Location: accessibility for participants

Of course, renting a beautiful room is important, but first of all, you have to choose a space ideally located and accessible to all. Location is essential, especially if you rent a meeting room in Paris or in another major city. The neighborhood should be central, dynamic and easily accessible. Find out in advance about transport and nearby car parks. Accessibility for people with reduced mobility must also be checked if necessary.

Size and configuration: a space adapted to your needs

One of the first criteria to take into account is reception capacity from the meeting room. Of course, you need a space that can accommodate all employees in a comfortable way, but not too big either. If your meeting takes place in a small group, there is no need to rent a large room that can accommodate 50 people, for example. So take the time to List the participants to rent a room of the ideal size: a space large enough for everyone's comfort, but not too spacious to maintain a friendly atmosphere.

The needs in terms of acreage And of layout of the rooms will also vary according to the type of event: is it a work meeting where employees will have to move from one table to another? Is it a presentation in the form of a conference? The ideal is to opt for a modular room.

Services and equipment

Before booking a room, remember to check the equipment included and those that may need to be rented in addition. The equipment required, depending on the type of meeting, is generally the following: flipchart, microphones, audiovisual equipment, projection screen and projector. Make sure you have a high speed connection for the presentation to be fluid, especially if some participants are on video.

Depending on the type of meeting, you may need additional services, for example: spaces for coffee breaks, meal trays, reception, luggage, etc. If the professional meeting lasts a day or more, it is also useful to offer a access to the outside : a garden, a terrace or even an interior courtyard to take breaks and make the most of natural light.

At Formeret, the Espace La RocheFoucauld And the Espace Vinci offer access to the outside for an exceptional event: a panoramic rooftop for the first and the interior courtyard of a beautiful mansion for the second.

Budget: find a room within your budget without sacrificing quality

Finally, it is essential to set a budget for renting your meeting rooms, equipment and any ancillary services. To plan your budget, therefore, start by listing your needs such as capacity, location, planned activities and necessary equipment, etc. You can thus find the rooms that meet your criteria and get an idea of the budget to be planned.

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What are the steps to rent a meeting room?

The rental of a meeting room is as follows:

• Search for available options : start your search for the ideal setting with a small benchmark. Depending on your criteria, you will see what types of spaces are adapted and available on the dates you want.
• Comparison of offers and prices : select several locations that meet your criteria and ask for quotes. It is important to compare each quote on the same criteria, and therefore to include equipment, services and ancillary services, etc.
• Booking and confirmation : when your choice is made, remember to block the room as soon as possible in order to guarantee its availability on the desired dates.
• Preparations before the meeting (planning, logistics, etc.): this step is essential, especially for important meetings with a large number of participants. Nothing should be left to chance: catering management, reception, equipment checking, etc.

Renting workspaces is sometimes complicated: Finding the rare pearl can be time-consuming. If you are short on time or want to ensure the success of your meeting, conference or seminar, you can also entrust this mission to an event agency.

Optimizing your meetings: what should you do?

Have you found the perfect conference, seminar or meeting room? Now here are some tips to make sure the event goes as smoothly as possible.

Effective use of available technologies

First and foremost, before the start of each meeting, take the time to check that all technical equipment is working. We have all experienced a meeting that starts badly with faulty WiFi access, a video projector that does not work... There is nothing like it to undermine the motivation of the participants. If you have access to modern and efficient equipment: take advantage of it! Some equipment will make it possible to boost efficiency of your meeting, especially for hybrid formats.

Use presentation and communication techniques

Facilitating a meeting effectively requires a minimum of preparation. There are a large number of presentation and communication techniques, for example:

• Define from the start of clear goals and transparent and share theagenda ;
• Encouraging participation of each and maintaining commitment : to do this, you can start by creating a friendly atmosphere right from the start with a Ice-Breaker, ask open questions throughout the meeting, propose collaborative formats...
• Structure your presentation in a logical and clear way: do not hesitate to use visual supports (PowerPoint, videos...) to facilitate the understanding of key points.

Good time management

During a meeting, whether short or lasting several hours, it is essential to Set a time limit And of Respect it. This will encourage efficiency and productivity. If the subject takes longer than expected, do not hesitate to schedule a new meeting rather than overtaking the time limit.

Where can I find offers to rent a meeting room?

To save you time in your research, there are a large number of online platforms bringing together a maximum of room offers for rent: conference rooms, seminar rooms, meeting rooms, training rooms...

However, organizing a professional event and finding the ideal room can be complicated and time-consuming, especially if it is not your job. In these cases, it is interesting to get closer to a specialized agency who will ensure the success of your corporate event. At Formeret, we put our expertise at the service of your professional events. Do not hesitate to discover our many exceptional places in Paris for a turnkey event and to contact our teams for a free quote on request.

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