START WITH YOUR TEAM
Headcount alone is a poor guide to meeting space. One meeting room for every 10–20 people is a common planning benchmark, but more useful measures are how many conversations need privacy at once, how often you meet as a group and how much happens at short notice.
A useful distinction is between meetings you can arrange in advance and conversations that need privacy at short notice. Overlapping calls, several people speaking to different clients, need a different setup from the same people meeting together.
Within your own office, a built-in phone booth can give people somewhere to take calls while leaving breakout space available for group discussions. For informal catch-ups, a breakout area could be as simple as a small table or comfortable seating, positioned away from desks used for concentrated work.
The setup matters
An interview, a client pitch and a team workshop each need a slightly different setting. Access to bookable rooms lets you choose the layout and equipment for the occasion, from a screen for presenting work to a whiteboard for developing ideas or video-call facilities for bringing others into the discussion.
For client meetings, it also gives you somewhere to welcome guests and present your work without interrupting colleagues at their desks. Your own office can stay arranged around everyday work, with these facilities close by when you need them.
LOOKING BEYOND YOUR OWN OFFICE
At Workspace, our meeting rooms across London are available to book by the hour. Explore the rooms in the building you’re considering alongside those at other Workspace locations nearby. In neighbourhoods with several of our buildings close together, another meeting room may be just a short walk away.
That gives you more options when your usual room is booked, you need a different layout or two meetings need to happen at once. A run of interviews, for example, could take place in a nearby building while regular team meetings continue in your own.
For visiting clients or colleagues, you can also choose a Workspace location that’s easier for them to reach. A room close to their arrival station may make more sense than having everyone travel to your office.
What should you look for in a bookable meeting room?
Alongside the room itself, consider the facilities and support around it:
- The equipment you’ll actually use. Screens, whiteboards and video-call facilities can make a room useful for different tasks. Check the individual room’s equipment and how your laptop connects, particularly if you’re presenting or including people on a call.
- Straightforward booking. Being able to see availability, facilities and prices in one place makes planning easier. Workspace’s meeting rooms can be booked online by the hour, so you can choose a room and duration to suit the session.
- Location and accessibility. A room in your building makes it easy to step away from your desk for a meeting. For visitors, good transport links and clear arrival information matter too. With Workspace meeting rooms across London, you can also choose a location closer to your client’s office or arrival station.
- A room that makes a good impression. Natural light, comfortable seating and interiors with character can make a room feel welcoming. Look for somewhere you’d be pleased to bring clients and comfortable spending a few hours with your team.
- Useful spaces beyond the meeting room. A café for refreshments or a shared breakout area for a conversation afterwards can add to the experience. Explore what’s available in the Workspace building you’re considering.
- Someone to turn to for help. At Workspace, you can contact the on-site team if you need assistance during your meeting
find a setup that can grow with you
Your meeting needs can change as your business grows, but also from one month to the next. Recruitment might bring a run of interviews; a new project might involve several workshops.
Bookable rooms give you scope to accommodate those busier periods alongside your regular meetings. You can choose space for a particular project or occasion, while developing your own office around the way your team works day to day.
Find the right room for your next meeting. Explore our meeting rooms across London here.