Meeting Rooms for Hire in London

The benefits of face-to-face networking at meetings, functions and other business events shouldn’t be underestimated. Successful meetings create a sense of camaraderie, foster collaboration, win new customers, close deals, develop high-performing talent and serve as great education platforms. In comparison to conference calls, traditional meetings in rooms are generally shorter and have higher levels of engagement.

Whether you’re meeting to brainstorm, solve a problem or build relationships, getting together in the right venue is a whole lot easier with our smart venue search engine. Just let it know what you’re searching for and it’ll do the legwork for you. Perhaps you’re after a professional interview space in the city centre, a breakout room for a team-building session, or maybe you’re on the lookout for a seminar room with a view over central London? No matter what you have in mind, our smart search platform can recommend a meeting room that matches your individual needs.

Consider some of these trends before planning a meeting

You can make the most of your meeting by nailing down your key objectives early and planning with your purpose in mind. But before you get into the nitty-gritty details, make sure to check out the top meeting trends you can expect to see over the coming year:

• Quirky meeting rooms - Some of the hottest meeting trends include choosing unique, unusual or alternative meeting rooms and conference facilities since one-of-a-kind or funky space will generate interest and make great talking points.
• Green events - Green venues and private meeting rooms in London with eco-friendly touches, like recycled paper, fair trade catering, etc. These should peak your interest especially if you’re organising an event or meeting on anything related with the environment or green energy.
• Themed meetings - While you should always have a clear goal in mind when organising a meeting, a themed meeting could be a point of interest for the attendees. It will give them a clear expectation of the emphasis of your meeting, along with making the event more engaging in general.
• Peer-driven events - These events are driven by the participants - they essentially create the content for the meeting and then choose which sessions they’d like to participate in. These events are a very eye-opening experience as you get to discuss many different issues from a completely different perspective. 
• Hybrid meetings - Thanks to modern virtual conference apps, meetings with web-based audience participation and/or virtual attendance is easier than ever before. Hybrid meetings got very popular over the last few years thanks to the reduced space requirements, and the flexibility fit for the worldwide remote working model.
• Meetings in co-working spaces - Those are a good alternative for those who are on the lookout for affordable meeting facilities. Co-working spaces are getting very popular in London as more and more have popped up in the city over the last decade.
• Meetings with a view - Organising a meeting in a room with a view (especially from high buildings) helps people experience an enhanced feeling of empowerment, confidence, and desire to take risks.

Details to focus on while organising your meeting

There are a number of things to do in order to make your meeting a success. We’ve made a list of additional elements for you to consider for your meeting to be smooth and productive:

• Think about the wellness of the participants. Fitness breaks, smoothie stations and customised menus that accommodate dietary preferences could maximise and sustain meeting participants’ energy levels.
• Consider how to boost delegates’ engagement. Try incorporating video conferencing, live polling and pre and post-event web content. If you’re holding a presentation, you can use many different techniques, such as cracking a joke in the middle of the speech, asking questions to individual participants, or incorporating short tasks and exercises.
• Try to include some impressive event technology. Event organisers can now choose from dedicated event apps with real-time social media integration, special keynote webcasts, touchscreen screen technology and virtual meetings options (such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc.) Decide what technology will be useful for your type of meeting and choose a meeting venue that will support your needs.

For more information on how to organise a successful meeting check out our handy meeting planning checklist.

What to pay attention to before booking a meeting venue

When hiring a meeting room, remember to consider your budget and how the venue prices its space (is it by the hour, by day, or maybe by session). If you’re using Tagvenue, you can filter out the venues according to your budget and pick something that works for you.

Don't forget about the convenience of the location (distance to the airport, public transport connections, parking facilities, disabled access) and the capacity. Look at the number of attendees you expect, because choosing a London venue that will accommodate just the right number of people will help give your meeting the right energy. If you’re holding some sort of open meeting, create a way for the potential attendees to RSVP for your event.

Think through any cancellation policies alongside your catering needs and whether the meeting venue is able to cater to special dietary requirements. Keep in touch with your venue manager so that you can either ask them to organise a buffet, or accommodate a catering firm of your choice.

Consider the type of meeting space that will best suit your event. Do you need a last-minute meeting room for a business meeting in central London? How about a computer & IT training room with teleconferencing facilities? Maybe you’re trying to impress your guests with a large ballroom for a charity gala? If you have figured out both the feeling of your event and your budget, finding a space with what you want will be the easy part.

Furthermore, consider which meeting facilities you will require. Depending on what you want , check with your venue manager if they have video conferencing equipment, computers, WiFi, mics, projectors, flipcharts, space for exhibits, outdoor space or kitchen facilities. You can also ask for technical assistance during the meeting. Take into account the time of your event (day, evening, weekend), how long you’ll have access to the venue before your meeting is scheduled to begin and how quickly you’ll need to be packed up and out of the venue at the end of the session.

What to think about before starting your meeting

To host a top-notch meeting avoid surprises when booking a venue or working with vendors by getting all agreements in writing. Communicating with suppliers and arriving at the venue early is a must, so you have plenty of time to set up and check last-minute arrangements. If you want to see the venue in person before signing the contract, this can certainly be arranged.

Make sure to test computers, internet connections, projectors and other A/V equipment in advance (and if you’re showing a PowerPoint presentation, have it saved in three formats – PC, Mac and PDF), just to be on the safe side.

Schedule regular breaks, especially for half-day or all-day sessions (rest breaks every 60 to 80 minutes are ideal) and don’t forget about connectivity, especially if you’re hosting a hybrid or virtual meeting (and even if it’s not essential for the meeting, wireless internet connection is always nice to have).

While this seems like a lot to consider, the more answers you can get from the venue manager, the more prepared you’ll be. Having a solid plan for the day will help your meeting, conference or function run smoothly and ensure attendees get the most out of the session. More importantly, it will guarantee that valuable group time is spent productively, making it faster to solve problems and reach key objectives.

How to own the meeting space like a boss

Facilitating a group session is no easy task. Leading a conference, meeting, seminar or training session is a balancing act, requiring you to keep your audience alert while covering all the essential information. It’s also important that you guide your group in a constructive way while remaining objective, open-minded and fair.

It will be easy to host your meeting with flair if you ask for input about who should be at the meeting beforehand. Let the attendees know why they’ve been asked to take part, so they can come fully prepared. At the beginning of the meeting, you can provide some background information about the topic. Tell them what will be covered during the meeting and what the main objectives are. You can keep the attendees engaged by presenting your material in a variety of ways (cartoons, videos, PowerPoint slides, etc.). Make a good first impression by preparing well-packaged, value-adding materials and bring your material to life by including relevant personal anecdotes or interesting case studies.

Don’t forget to encourage participation and active learning by incorporating activities into your session (Q&A sessions, role play, trivia etc.) and remain fluid with the agenda if attendees are making progress outside of the time parameters. It is important to leave plenty of time for questions (but be careful not to let the discussion digress) and ask for feedback, whether it’s via a web-based tool, like SurveyMonkey, a follow-up email or an old-school printed feedback form (remember that feedback works best when it’s written and anonymous).

Think about what information you want attendees to leave the meeting room with, and be sure to include your website, email address or social media site on which you want participants to connect back to you.

What to stay away from during your meeting

There are some things to avoid when holding a meeting. Consider the following:

• If you’re finding it difficult to identify the meeting's objective(s), it’s probably better not to go ahead with it.
• If an online chat, phone call or video conference will achieve the same goal as a face-to-face meeting, consider the first option (as this is usually a much cheaper and easier one).
• A very common issue is overloading the agenda. Remember that topics usually take longer than allocated, so it’s wise to schedule the most important agenda items at the start of the meeting. It’s wise to add like 20% to your target meeting length to make sure you’ll be able to get through all your material.
• It is unprofessional to restart or recap the meeting for late arrivals. If you want to help them catch up on what they missed, you can record the meeting for everyone to access.
• Try to prevent attendees from putting their own agendas ahead of the best overall solution. 
• Bad conflict management can also undermine your presence, so always try to stay positive and offer a solution or redirect the conversation if need be. If any sort of polarising issue arises, maybe it’s best to schedule a separate meeting or conference call later?
• Staying on time is also extremely important. In some situations you can start the meeting a little early, but do not stretch the meeting over the time frame you and the attendees have agreed on.

Meeting Rooms in London FAQ

How much does it cost to hire a meeting room in London?

The average cost of a meeting room in London is £250 per meeting event. Prices vary depending on the venue location and event length, as well as a range of other factors such as room standard, catering and extra tech. (Based on Tagvenue.com data.)

What are the most popular locations for hosting a meeting in London?

Meeting rooms are in high demand in several key areas, particularly around airports and financial districts. The airports Gatwick, Heathrow, and business districts such as Soho, Kings Cross, Victoria, Shoreditch, Covent Garden are all popular locations for meetings.

What is included in the price of a meeting room?

Hire fee per hour usually includes only the use of the meeting room space for the duration of one hour and the use of available equipment onsite, such as tables, chairs, whiteboards, flipcharts, projectors, Wi-Fi, etc. Price per person usually includes the use of the meeting room space for the duration of a few hours, the use of available equipment onsite, and refreshments.

How can I hire a meeting room in London?

• Check out the Tagvenue platform for a range of meeting rooms all throughout the city.
• Narrow down your search results by specifying the number of expected delegates, the meeting date and time, and the desired location.
• In case a meeting room with special features is needed, use additional filters to see only rooms with different catering options, licences, room facilities like Wi-Fi, projector, AV equipment, natural light, onsite parking and accommodation, and more.
• Compare rooms prices, photos, customer reviews and create a shortlist of favourite spaces.
• Contact the venue managers and discuss your booking.