The 3 C’s of Conference Room Rental
Many organizations experience occasions when they need to gather a larger group than their facilities can handle. Whether your purpose is for networking, relationship building, new project presentation to a client, planning, creating, or training, selecting the right conference room rental package can make your event a success.
Ahead of your meeting or event you’ll naturally be focused on the business objective you want to achieve. To ensure that your attendees’ focus will likewise stay on track, it is just as important to cover the following three C’s in your conference room rental planning. Doing so will ensure that your goals are not derailed by needless distractions.
Conference Room Rental
Comfort
Physical discomfort is a powerful distractor and disruptor. When someone is too cold or is hungry or in need of a caffeine boost, it’s hard to concentrate on the task at hand. Having cold water and hot coffee available throughout the meeting helps to make people feel at ease, taking their attention away from their own needs and directing them to the information being discussed.
Offering a light breakfast is a good way to encourage people to arrive early. It gives them time to settle in, get reacquainted with colleagues, and prepare themselves to concentrate. This pre-meeting arrangement also provides a buffer for late arrivals, reducing the likelihood that the meeting will be interrupted and jostled off track early on.
Select a conference room of the right size to accommodate your group. You do not want to be overcrowded. Nor do you want your participants to feel dwarfed by a huge, mostly empty room.
Proper setup can go a long way to help make the room feel welcoming and pleasant. Comfortable chairs, notepads and pens, timely breaks and refreshments, and easy access to sparkling clean rest rooms make guests feel like they are valued.
When you begin to plan your meeting, describe in the invitation the amenities you will be offering so people feel confident in their planning. Specifically mention whether a business or casual dress code is expected and instruct people to bring a jacket or sweater to ensure their own comfort throughout the day. In any gathering of multiple people, it’s impossible to set a thermostat so that everyone is happy. You’d be surprised how many people do not give this a thought until some of them begin fidgeting or griping because they’re too cold or too warm.
If you plan to have meals catered on site, include a request in your invitation that those with dietary considerations—vegetarian or gluten-free, for instance—contact the meeting coordinator so their needs can be smoothly accommodated.
Communications Technology
Nothing about off-site meetings is more frustrating than not having the right technology for your presentation or conference session. Avoid appearing unprofessional and unprepared by communicating clearly about communications needs ahead of time with your presenters and with your conference room rental facility staff.
Will you be teleconferencing with another group at a different location? Will part of the presentation be delivered remotely via videoconferencing? Will your presenters be bringing their own projection and computer equipment or will they expect the facility to have the latest presentation capabilities, extra cables, and extension cords?
You need to have this important day run smoothly. Book a room that has the latest equipment. If the facility has an IT professional on staff to assist on your meeting day, that’s even better. Or send your own IT pro to scout out the location in advance.
Convenience
When choosing the right conference room rental, take into consideration convenience to airports for those who will be flying in for the event. The facility should also offer plentiful off-street parking. When you or a client or presenter will be bringing equipment, it is helpful if there is someone on hand to help with loading and unloading heavy or bulky items.
And don’t forget your own convenience. One of the nicest benefits of holding a meeting off-site is to save yourself from the time-consuming hassle of setup and cleanup. Place your detailed orders for food and beverage requirements in advance with the facility’s on-site coordinator and let their professional staff take care of room setup, equipment setup, procuring items, and staging and restocking food and beverage selections behind the scenes so that your staff and your attendees are focused on your mission.
At Montville Executive Suites, our experienced staff is ready to work with you and your staff to cover these three C’s for your event so you can concentrate on growing your business. Contact us today.
