Meeting Rooms

Reasons to Use Meeting Rooms

September 16, 2008 - 11:42 pm

With a serviced office provision you will have access to meeting rooms to accommodate all your business meeting needs.  It’s a great benefit to tap into as and when you need it and here is how you can use them effectively for your business:

Sharing & Providing Information

You can ensure that a group of people get the same message at the same time.  It’s a great way of disseminating information and getting your message out quickly.  Telling people individually takes time and the delivery can vary each time.  It also takes time.  Memos and emails can be misconstrued.  However if the information is not important, don’t waste people’s time!

Make the Most of Your Serviced Meeting Rooms

September 10, 2008 - 11:51 pm

At a serviced office you will have access to stylish meeting rooms for client and internal meetings.  Meetings can be fruitless if you don’t plan them carefully.  Here are some tips for making them effective:

Keep it short and sweet

Do not waste time when a meeting has come to its conclusion.  Often people will continue to labour the point because the meeting isn’t scheduled to finish yet.  Aim to keep the meeting as short and concise as possible.  This will maintain the momentum and people will remain enthusiastic.  Meetings that run over tend to become tired and aimless and its not good policy to keep the next client waiting!

A Winning Meeting Formula

August 22, 2008 - 1:24 pm

If you have called a meeting you’re responsible for ensuring the meeting is a success.  Depending on the reason for the meeting the outcome can be of paramount importance to the business so you’ll want to get the most out of the meeting.  Here are some tips for making sure you achieve your meeting goals:

• Smart Technologies for Meeting Rooms

  July 14, 2008 - 2:16 pm

  Smart Technologies and Steljes have recently launched new technologies that are set to transform meeting room service offerings in the serviced office industry.  Collaboration is the new business buzz word and Smart Technologies have released three innovative products that are aimed at developing meeting room collaboration.  These new technologies are called Smart Hub SE, Smart Hub PE and Meeting Pro.

  Be the Perfect Chairperson

  July 2, 2008 - 9:31 pm

  Being a great chairperson doesn’t mean you have to have fabulous public speaking skills but how you present yourself will determine whether or not you are accepted as the meeting leader.  Here are some tips for staying in control:

  • Room layout

    June 25, 2008 - 8:36 am

    If you’re holding a meeting you need to give some thought to the room layout. Are there going to be a large amount of attendees or just a few? Are you meeting internal staff or clients? Are you training the group or informing them of important news or events? Will people need to break out to do group discussions and exercises?

    If you choose a serviced office solution for your office space requirements you will get expert guidance on how best to accommodate a particular audience. Staff will be on hand to set up the room appropriately and to provide food and refreshments. Reception staff will meet and greet attendees as they arrive and usher them through to a reception room until you are ready for them.

    These facilities are available as and when you require them offering a virtual office location in prime business areas and cities. They come fully equipped with conference equipment and there is a back up team on hand to deal with any technical issues ensuring a smooth run.

    Here’s a quick guide to how you can use various room set ups to aid meeting your objectives:

    Boardroom - a standard boardroom set up is great for board meetings, external client meetings and brainstorming sessions.

    Cabaret – This is suitable for special events with round tabled seating when catering for a high number of attendees. It is also good for training sessions which are interactive and follow a workshop format involving group breakout sessions.

    Classroom – this is a popular choice when holding conferences or educational sessions. It facilitates note taking and is great for engaging attention with the trainer at the front of the room.

    Theatre – this is excellent for presentations and when you need a room with maximum seating

    U-Shape – another great layout for training events but also good for presentations and discussions

    Things to Remember When Holding a Training Session

    June 24, 2008 - 3:34 pm

    If you’re holding a training day there are some key things you can do to make sure it’s a success:

    Location
    Choose a location that is easily accessible via public transport and car. Double check that the building has car parking facilities and do people have to pay. Think about using a serviced office solution. These offices provide you will stylish surrounding in a prime location that is easily accessible. There is staff on hand to help you set up and manage the day.

    Communication
    Let people know in advance of the training the date, time and agenda. Also include a map of how to get there. Remind attendees the day before to make sure you have the best attendance possible. An email is a fast and effective way.

    Room Set Up
    Give some thought to how you want the room set up. Do you want it set up similar to a lecture theatre or a classroom environment? Perhaps you want a more informal feel to the day so a circle of chairs may suffice. Make sure you have all the equipment you need for the day – pens, paper, flip charts, lap top and projector for example. If you’re using a serviced office solution let the office staff know well in advance so you have access to the equipment you require.

    Catering
    Think about where you’ll have breaks in the training and what type of refreshments you’d like. Again a serviced office solution is great as you have access to catering staff to prepare and serve food as and when you request it.

    Stick to the Agenda
    Keep on track with the agenda and state what the training objectives are at the beginning of the session. Summarise what has been achieved at the end.

    Serviced Meeting Rooms

    June 14, 2008 - 10:46 am

    It’s an age old quandary whether to add more office space for meeting rooms or not. On the one hand every business has periods when there is a screaming need for more meeting room space. Sales Directors are cramming themselves into a small office trying to hold a strategy meeting or purchasing are having to hold a meeting with a key supplier out in the open reception. However, no sooner do you add another meeting room but it stands there empty for weeks.

    With office space being such an expensive commodity these days you can’t afford to have meeting rooms standing idol but how do cope when the business requires meeting room space?

    The serviced office solution is a practical and cost effective option. You can enjoy stylishly outfitted meeting rooms at prestigious locations with all the meeting room mod cons your heart desires. You can utilise this service as and when needed whether it’s for interviewing, training or presentation purposes.

    Trained staff is there to support you with administration and reception skills to make sure your meeting runs without a hitch and catering, room and equipment is dealt with on your behalf. They can even sit in and take minutes for you.

    Top 10 Tips for Meetings

    June 11, 2008 - 4:55 pm

    When holding a meeting you want to make sure you are prepared to ensure success. The outcome of a business meeting can be crucial to a sales deal or the future direction of the company so you want to get it right. Here’s some tips for a winning meeting formula:

    1. Think carefully about the location. It needs to be easily accessible to all attendees and you need to provide attendees with directions and possible accommodation details if they are travelling in to see you. If you want a prestigious location try meeting rooms offered by a serviced office provider.
    2. If people have a long distance to travel to attend consider other options such as videoconference or teleconference. This can make the difference between having to constantly reschedule and being able to move forward with your meeting.
    3. Consider the type of room required. Do you have a big audience that would be more suited to a board room setting or is the meeting more intimate requiring less space.
    4. Make sure you have the required audio visual and presentation equipment required for the job. Consider what mediums other attendees of the meeting may need to use if they are also presenting information. If you are using a serviced office meeting room book equipment in advance to ensure its availability.
    5. Make sure you inform attendees of the meeting objectives, time, place and agenda. Make sure someone is responsible for following the agenda and sticking to times.
    6. Get to your meeting room in plenty of time so you can set up the room as required.
    7. Allocate a specific amount of time to each agenda point and try to stick to it. This will avoid having to rush through crucial points later on in the meeting.
    8. Make sure someone is responsible for taking minutes and that these are typed up and forwarded to attendees within 24 hours.
    9. At the end of the meeting summarise what the objectives where and what has been agreed.
    10. Ensure that the minutes make clear what the actions are and who is responsible for them and by when.