Half-day room hire is perfect for a focused meeting and is a cost effective option if you don’t need a full day for your meeting.
Structure Your Agenda Tightly
Three to four hours is enough time to achieve one or two aims. Distribute any background reading ahead of time and use your time in the meeting to reach a decision. That means to keep to a strict agenda and avoid running over time for the next party booked.
Confirm Setup Time in Advance
Will the time that we need to set up the room for AV etc. and to rearrange the furniture be included within the half-day booking time? Some venues allow for 30 minutes before the start of a half-day booking but others start the clock immediately.
Keep Catering Simple
It’s usually sufficient to book a half-day meeting for the provision of tea, coffee and a light snack to be served mid-session. Please ask for the cut-off time for placing orders for your half-day meeting when placing your booking. Many venues require 24 hours’ notice for the provision of catering.
Check Flexibility Around Timings
Be clear about what will happen if your meeting exceeds the scheduled time. Some venues will be happy to extend the time of your meeting, whilst others will have other bookings that commence immediately after your meeting.
Compare Local Options Before Booking
Be sure to check if the half-day rate is any good for smaller numbers, for example a room booked for 12 people is unlikely to be cost effective for a team of 4. Also read the Tewkesbury Borough Council’s guidance on how to run a productive meeting to ensure your half-day hire is done effectively.
If you are looking for Meeting Rooms Tewkesbury, see https://hatherleymanor.com/conference-venues-gloucester/meeting-rooms/meeting-rooms-tewkesbury/.
A half-day hire is another way to save time and money but deliver what your meeting needs to be successful.
Running the meeting once you are in
A well chosen room only helps if the meeting itself is run well. Make sure the key decision makers will be there, because without them nothing can be agreed. Start exactly on time and aim to finish a few minutes early, which soon earns a reputation for efficiency.
Stick to the agenda. If someone raises an unrelated subject, park it and record it in the notes for a later discussion rather than letting it take over. Take notes throughout so that questions and tasks do not slip through the cracks, and follow up the same day by email or phone while everything is fresh.
Face-to-face time has a value of its own. Much of our communication happens through body language, so meeting in person is the best way to read how a team is really feeling, and good meetings give people a place to support each other and share ideas.