Using a high-quality meeting room to host your business meetings is a sure-fire way to increase the credibility and general success of your organisation. Some of you may have experienced those moments where you’re forced to meet a client in a crowded coffee shop with poor internet access. It’s really not ideal for anyone and damages your business' reputation. But if you’ve ever held a meeting in a professional meeting room, you’ll know that it undoubtedly produces a more comfortable and productive environment than any make-shift meeting space could.
As the end of the year draws closer, it is inevitable that budgets start to shrink. Your first instinct may be to sacrifice quality and seek a cheap meeting space, or go back to those dreaded make-shift spaces. But don’t panic, we’ve put together 9 ways that you can stretch your meeting room budget until the end of the year without compromising on quality.
1. Connect with another business
Do you know anyone that would be interested in sponsoring your meetings? This could be in the form of anything from providing the catering for your meeting to handing out branded goodie bags to your attendees. If you do the relevant research and get a bit creative with your approach, this tactic can really pay off.
If you want to take this to the next level, you could even get in touch with some industry leaders to sponsor your meeting. Not only will this solve your budgeting concerns, but it will also increase your business’s credibility as well as providing you with content to use on social media.
2. Watch out for hidden costs
Some of the seemingly-cheaper meeting rooms often come with a variety of hidden costs. This could be for anything from the catering to using the wi-fi! We can’t stress enough how important it is to ask exactly what is included in the price before you make your booking.
3. Find an all-inclusive package
Does your current meeting room package include any added value perks? It could be a lot more cost-effective to book an all-inclusive meeting room package. Take time to look for a package to suit your business and you could end up saving a lot of money on things you usually pay extra for! For example, at Carrwood Park our meeting room packages include free parking, WiFi in every room to ensure the fastest connection, luxury designer furniture and more…
4. More rural location
People often assume that a city centre location is perfect for your meetings, but that’s really not the case! More rural locations don’t just tend to be more cost-effective compared to city-centre meeting room facilities, but they may also provide a more convenient location for your attendees. At Carrwood Park we’re just 15 minutes from Leeds city centre, 30 minutes from Leeds-Bradford International Airport and 2 minutes from the M1 – offering easy access for everyone!
5. Set a budget per meeting
Sometimes it can really help to visualise things by writing them down on paper. Take some time to work out exactly how much you can afford to spend on each meeting, down to the penny. From here, you can keep this figure in mind when booking your meetings to make sure you don’t go over your budget. Over time this will lead to you saving money where you haven’t even realised you’ve been overspending. How would you spend your left-over meeting room budget?
6. Host a chargeable business event
Have you considered hosting a chargeable business event to raise some funds for your next meeting? Although this might not be the quickest tactic, it can have a positive impact on your business. You could host a networking event and even hire a professional speaker with views that align with your brand. Not only could this help to increase your meeting room budget, but you’ll also generate a whole range of new business contacts and open up opportunities for future events too…
7. Book in bulk
Some meeting room providers offer discounted rates for any meetings booked in bulk. At Carrwood Park we offer an exclusive membership price for anyone who makes four bookings, which even includes a free day desk pass in our co-working facilities once a month. Why not book your meeting room now?
8. Choose a smaller meeting room
Do you often give your attendees the luxury of a slightly larger meeting room than you need? We do the same! With a tight budget towards the end of the year, surely the best way to cut the cost is by booking a smaller meeting room? Well at Carrwood Park we already allow extra space in our meeting rooms so that you can give your attendees that luxury in every single meeting. And with seamless IT infrastructure and superfast WiFi, you can really relax and focus on making that perfect pitch.
Another way to keep your costs down could be to confirm that everyone is attending prior to the meeting, via email. When setting up the event, always send a google calendar invitation to your guests. If anyone can’t make it, then you could get in touch with your meeting room provider to ask for a smaller room. It’s important to plan ahead as it’s unlikely there will be one available on the day.
9. Find an office with meeting room facilities
At the end of the day, all of this could be avoided if you invest in office space that provides access to high-quality meeting rooms. At Carrwood Park we offer discounted meeting room rates to all of our serviced office residents. We also have over 4,500 sq. ft. of shared breakout areas which can be perfect for those more informal meetings.
As you can see, choosing a cheap, low quality meeting room to meet your budget really isn’t your best option. All it takes is a little creativity and collaboration – you may come up with an even better strategy to stretch your budget than we’ve suggested!
Are you looking for high quality meeting rooms in Leeds? Why not book a viewing at Carrwood Park?
