Discussion, decision making or idea sharing… Meeting rooms are a central space for companies. And this space must meet several constraints, with very different objectives! For example, the same room must allow for strategic exchanges during meetings between managers, but also contribute to the corporate culture by offering a pleasant and comfortable collaborative workspace for employees. Other examples of uses include training, seminars or internal events, such as an afterwork or team building session.

But how do you find the ideal meeting room? Recent rapid changes in the way people work are overturning established habits. Freelancers, SMEs, teleworking employees… Renting a meeting room, for a day or for an hour, is becoming more common. The ideal room is no longer necessarily within the company: large organisations may also choose a venue outside the usual framework, for example for brainstorming or creative thinking sessions. Faced with the multiple possibilities of rooms available to you, how do you choose? Here are the essential criteria to consider before deciding!

1. The surface area of meeting rooms

The available space in the room is logically the first element to consider. Choose your room after defining the total number of participants to be accommodated. If all the people are to be comfortably seated, there is no point in having a room with a capacity of 30 places to accommodate 10 participants. This could even be counterproductive, as it could create a sense of emptiness or distance between the assembled employees.

Need a meeting room? Multiburo offers you access to fully equipped meeting rooms according to your needs. Another advantage: offices are available in the main Parisian train stations (Gare de Lyon, Gare Montparnasse, Gare Saint-Lazare, etc.) as well as in the Lille Flandres and Brussels-Central train stations.

2. Location

An essential criterion: consider the location of the meeting room. With teams increasingly scattered all over France, a meeting room must be easily accessible to all.

Spaces with good transport links or close to railway stations are to be preferred to bring participants together easily!

3. Meeting room equipment

Equipment and connected tools: two essential aspects for evaluating a room! A good Internet connection, with secure and efficient wifi, is a prerequisite. The meeting room should also have a whiteboard (with erasable markers), a projector, or screens, depending on your needs.

Many meetings are now held in a hybrid format, with some participants on site and others remotely. Pay attention to the quality of the equipment: screen, microphone or loudspeaker must be operational in order to communicate smoothly between everyone.

4. Lighting

Lighting is also important. For the well-being of the participants, a natural exposure should be favoured, with windows or a skylight, depending on the building. For artificial lights, the possibility of configuring them in different ways makes it possible to create an atmosphere in the room. This will be even more crucial in a blind room.

Beware of lights that are too bright or too dim: in addition to creating atmosphere, lighting prevents eye strain and plays a considerable role in the comfort of participants over time.

5. Your own criteria

The venue must be adaptable to the intended use of the room:

• management meetings: these meetings generally require a more institutional and neutral space, with classic furniture (armchairs, tables, etc.);
• team building: important for employee motivation, favour a spacious, well-lit and convivial area. Armchairs can be replaced by footstools and the tone can be much more colourful;
• training: comfort should be the key to making employees feel comfortable. The tools must be easily visible and appropriable by the teams, in a setting that favours interaction between participants. Rather than a large central table, several small desks may be more appropriate

Multiburo offers you different services with the rental of the meeting room:

• catering: from breakfast to meal trays and snacks… Practical for enhancing your meeting without having to worry about the logistical details on the day!
• Practical services: each seat in our meeting rooms has a notepad, a pen and a bottle of water. And if necessary, our teams are at your disposal.

5 tips for a successful meeting

Draw up an agenda: or how to structure the meeting, focusing on the most important topics from the start. Employees invited to participate in the meeting should have a direct interest in the topics discussed. For the others, a report may suffice.

Recall the issues: at the beginning of the meeting, restate the objectives and outline the main ideas on the agenda. The main speakers should know their role.

Balance speaking time: try to give as much speaking time as possible to each participant. To encourage the quiet ones to speak, encourage them with simple questions that will energise the meeting. Everyone should feel included in the discussions.

Refocus the discussions: while remaining courteous, do not hesitate to intervene in case of digression, to move the discussion forward and get straight to the point!

Respect the timetable: start and finish your meetings on time. Set up early so that you don’t waste time with your preparation and don’t play the game overtime. Were there any issues that could not be discussed? They will be dealt with at another meeting: participants will stay focused and not keep looking at their watches.