Meeting room, event space or hotel? A UK day-hire checklist

You have a client day, a board meeting, a team workshop or a product launch coming up, and somebody says the words "let's just book a hotel". Sometimes that is exactly the right call, particularly if guests are staying overnight. But it doesn't have to be the default. Flexible workspace operators across the UK hire out meeting rooms by the hour and event spaces for groups well into the hundreds, in buildings set up for work rather than weekend breaks. This checklist will help you judge every option on the same terms, wherever in the country your day is happening. Small room or big room: where the hotel question really starts For a meeting of eight or twelve, most people don't think of a hotel at all. The hotel function suite usually enters the conversation when the group gets bigger: a 40-person workshop, a 100-person town hall, a launch with drinks afterwards. That is exactly where flexible workspace has changed most. Many centres now list dedicated event spaces, from cinemas and studios to former courtrooms, alongside their meeting rooms. So whatever the size of your group, start with the checklist rather than the venue type. The checklist for meeting rooms Capacity, properly counted. Count everyone, including presenters, note-takers and the person who joins at the last minute. A room listed for exactly your headcount can feel tight once a screen and a presenter are in it. AV and video calls. Check whether the room lists screens, screen sharing, video conferencing, a projector or whiteboards. If one director is joining from abroad, video conferencing matters more than the biscuits. The rate, in full. Compare hourly, half-day and day rates like for like, and check what the listing says is included, such as tea and coffee, wifi and AV. Getting there. Start with where your guests are travelling from, then check walking times from the nearest stations, or parking if people are driving. Room to spread out. If the session might split into groups, a centre with several meeting rooms gives you options under one roof. The checklist for event spaces (40 to 150 people and beyond) Old Sessions House, Clerkenwell, lists event spaces for up to 160 standing. Seated and standing capacity. Listings often give both. A launch with drinks can take far more people standing than a conference can seated. Layout. Theatre style seats more people than cabaret or boardroom style, and fixed seating such as a cinema suits screenings and company updates rather than group work. AV. Look for screens, projectors and microphones in the listed kit. For a town hall or conference, a microphone is not optional. Catering and a bar. Check whether catering is listed as available and whether there is a bar on site for an evening reception. Exclusive hire. For a launch, having the whole floor or building to yourself can matter more than any single room. Timing. Check minimum and maximum booking lengths on the listing, especially if you need set-up time before guests arrive. What the listings show, city by city Here is how those checklists play out on real spaces listed on FlexWorkspace. Prices are listed guide prices at the time of writing, so follow each link for current rates and availability. London. For meetings in the City, LentaSpace Token House lists three meeting rooms for 6 to 16 people, about three minutes' walk from both Bank and Liverpool Street, with AV, a projector, screen sharing and tea and coffee. In Clerkenwell, about four minutes' walk from Farringdon, Knotel's Old Sessions House covers both ends of the scale. It lists five meeting rooms for 4 to 22 people, from £100 an hour, and 11 event spaces , including the Great Room for 120 seated or 160 standing, a Courtroom Bar for 60 standing, and exclusive hire of the whole house for up to 450 standing. On Bankside, FLEX @ TIDE Bankside has a rooftop event space for up to 78 people, plus meeting rooms and catering available. In the West End, about a minute from Bond Street station, Fora Parcels Building…