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Month: December 2017

What to provide when holding a conference in the cold

Posted on by aleks

The good news is that December 21st is the shortest day, which means more hours of sunlight in the weeks and months that follow.

Unfortunately, the days don’t get much longer overnight and the weather is likely to stay cold through until at least April – so how can you make sure your conference venues keep guests comfortable in arctic conditions?

Here are five top tips to keep in mind which will hopefully mean you see happier delegates at your next conference or meeting.

1. Getting There

Easily accessible conference facilities with good transport links are a must in cold weather, and make sure you give clear directions to those planning to attend.

You don’t want visitors stuck out in the cold or unsure about which building you’re in – you might want to give them a direct phone number to call you for help if they get lost on the way, just in case!

2. A Warm Welcome

The reception on arrival can make a huge difference to anyone who has just stepped in from the cold, so whatever the weather is doing outside, be ready to offer a welcoming handshake and take your visitor’s coat.

Give people a bit of time and space to unbundle themselves from scarves, gloves, hats and extra layers; our serviced offices have reception areas just for this transition from outside to in, helping to demarcate the unpleasant weather from the pleasantries of the conference or meeting that follows.

3. Food and Drink

Offer a hot drink on arrival – tea and coffee take only minutes to make and our serviced meeting rooms will usually have kitchen facilities available to you, so you can really reinforce that warm welcome for the best possible first impression.

Even a light snack can also help put some warmth into guests – it doesn’t have to be hot food, as just digesting a cold sandwich or other light bite helps to keep the body warm on the inside, not just during the meeting but also for the journey home.

4. Comfortable Furniture

Well-appointed meeting rooms with comfortable furniture can help weary travellers to recover from their journey, and, of course, central heating goes a long way to help too!

Again, people like to have some personal space, so make sure you book conference venues big enough for the air to circulate and for everyone to stay feeling fresh – and don’t overheat the room, as some people don’t feel so comfortable with a big change in temperature when coming in from the cold.

5. A Friendly Farewell

Your guests’ departure should be like their arrival, with plenty of time allowed for them to wrap up warm, so that they don’t face doing so in the cold outside.

See them off at the door, even if it means getting a bit chilly yourself, as last impressions really can count just as much as first impressions do.

With these tips and your own ideas about how to keep warm in conference venues, hopefully you can impress all of your delegates and visitors this winter, for a prosperous start to 2018!

How to find the best place for your meetings

Posted on by aleks

The first – and arguably most important – step when planning a meeting is choosing your meeting room location, as this underpins the smooth running of the event as a whole.

You want somewhere convenient, well appointed and suitable for the job, so here’s our guide to some of the most important factors when finding the best place for meeting rooms.

1. Location first

Think about what matters most to you about your meeting room’s location – do you need public transport links, or proximity to a major motorway, or both? Does it need to be close to your own workplace or headquarters?

Put yourself in the place of those who are travelling the furthest to get there, as by making the location convenient for those people, you get the best benefit out of choosing your meeting room venue. If you can please everyone, that’s even better.

2. Look around

It might be worth a visit in-person if you’re nearby, or you can take a look on Google StreetView or Bing StreetSide for a virtual look at the location – but you’re not just looking at the building the meeting room is in, so have a virtual wander up and down the street too!

By looking around the local area in this way, you can get clued up on any nearby snack bars and coffee shops, and this extra information can be crucial if a visitor asks where they can get something to eat or drink, or if you want to decamp after the meeting to a less formal location to continue a chat.

3. Serviced meeting rooms

Our serviced meeting rooms aim to take some of the stress out of preparing for your main event, with well appointed, comfortably furnished meeting spaces that you can just walk into and start your show.

We make sure all of our serviced meeting rooms are clean and ready for your guests to arrive, with well stocked kitchen facilities nearby for drinks and light snacks throughout the meeting – just ask for full details of what we can provide at each location.

4. Prime postcodes

A centrally located postcode is all part of making a good impression on visitors, and serviced meeting rooms give you the benefit of a prime location without having to pay the cost of having premises of your own in the area.

We can provide serviced offices in Salford Quays and Media City in Manchester, and close to Canary Wharf in London with riverside views – locations that even the biggest companies would pay through the nose to have for themselves.

5. Book it!

Don’t miss out on the perfect meeting room because you just didn’t book it in time – you never know who else is planning an event for the very same day!

Once you’ve picked your perfect location, lock it down with a firm booking, and you can start thinking about the rest of your preparations such as sending out invites and letting everybody know where the meeting will take place and how to get there.