The right space can make meetings a dream, or at least less of a headache for meeting organisers. However, there are always problems finding the right meeting rooms in Leeds, even in such a business-focused city. Here are a handful and crucially – how you can overcome them:
- Instilling order into large meetings with lots of attendees. This one can be a logistical nightmare for meeting organisers – getting everyone to the meeting, settled and starting on time. Plus, with so many attendees, it can be difficult for everyone to be heard and the meeting to proceed in an effective way. The solution lies in the meeting space you choose and the way you lay it out. There are lots of ways to layout your space, depending on the type of interaction you expect during your meeting – read our blog for the pros and cons of different meeting room layouts. Find the right layout for your meeting and everything should go more smoothly, but it’s crucial to ensure you have enough if not more space than you need to start off with. Be strict with the agenda and with timings and it’ll all go swimmingly. Another thing you can try to keep things organised with large groups is meeting planning apps and online software – Tom Beas on I Love Free Software has some great suggestions for free online meeting schedulers that should make life easier for meeting planners.
- Technical hitches! For those who’ve experienced it before, just thinking about computer crashes and incompatible connections quite literally brings them out in cold sweat. Technical hitches are presentation killers, causing your audience to get impatient and you to lose your thread altogether. It’s wasted time that most meeting participants just can’t afford to lose. What’s the solution to this one? Better equipment and more time to practise using it will help, as Piper Terrett points out in her blog for Yahoo! Finance UK. Another solution is to choose meeting rooms that are set up with full compatibility and in readiness for all kinds of devices and equipment. However, there is an even better solution – in-house IT support. If you have a problem, call an IT technician and they’ll fix it in minutes, so you can get on with your presentation. Believe it or not, many of the best meeting rooms in Leeds offer this option. So, if you’ve got any presentation involving technology coming up, you’d be a fool not to take advantage of it!
- No access to other facilities. Wouldn’t it be great if you could nip out to print handouts for the group, or get coffees for everyone, without having to leave the building? So many meeting rooms have no access to other facilities, either being in a maze of an office building, surrounded by restricted access spaces, or in isolated buildings in the middle of nowhere. However, some Leeds meeting rooms providers have been solving this most inconvenient of problems by making their facilities all-encompassing. This means that meetings organisers can have easy access to all the extra facilities they want, all in the one space. So, you can arrange for hospitality to provide refreshments, you can use printers, scanners, presentation tools and even videoconferencing technology – and it’s all just so incredibly easy. Problem solved, and what a relief!
- Agreeing on a location that suits everyone. Meetings can be delayed for weeks at a time while everyone tries to agree on a suitable location and venue. How do you choose the ideal location? com’s blog has a few very good pointers for starters. Ultimately, the ideal place needs to be central (relative to where everyone is located) and close to major transport links. Solve this one by suggesting a venue just outside, but easily accessible, to a major city like Leeds. Make sure there is ample parking for everyone and that the venue is easy to find. You could even go one step further and choose a venue like Carrwood Park which has accommodation for everyone to use after the meeting, especially when the drive or flight home is a long one. This kind of gesture can be much appreciated, and can smooth over tensions about choosing a location that everyone is happy with.
- Meeting space that just doesn’t live up to its billing on paper. The solution to this one, where a meeting room is smaller, drabber and less professional than you expect, is incredibly simple. Take the time to visit the space before you book it. Check that it suits you needs and the expectations of your clients and colleagues, and then go ahead if you’re happy. That’s all there is to it – visit first and there will be no surprises and no disappointment. While it may be a guide for event venues, there are many parts of Rob Hard’s article on About Money that are very useful for scientifically evaluating each venue you visit.
- Not being able to book the date/time/room you want. This can be very frustrating, when the space you want is already booked up on a particular day. There are two things that can solve this particular problem. The first is to be organised and book your meeting space well in advance. The second is to find a provider of meeting rooms in Leeds with an organised, efficient booking system and a great reputation, as well as lots of space – as they are more likely to be able to fit you in, and less likely to double-book or mix up your booking. It can be a challenge, but persevere and you’ll end up with great meeting space that suits your needs perfectly.
For more tips on finding meeting space and overcoming the challenges involved in planning and running meetings, the Carrwood Park blog is a mine of useful information and advice – subscribe today for regular updates.
