Host Your Next Annual Grand Meeting at Roam

The Short Answer: Your annual grand meeting deserves more than a cramped conference room with flickering fluorescent lights. The best corporate gatherings happen in spaces designed for connection, collaboration, and productivity. Roam’s meeting and event spaces give you everything you need for a successful Q1 kickoff or company-wide meeting, from A/V equipment to full-service catering, all without the stress of coordinating a dozen different vendors.

The start of a new fiscal year brings a familiar challenge: where do you host that big annual meeting? You know the one. The meeting where leadership shares the vision, employees get aligned on goals, and the entire team walks away energized for the year ahead. Finding the right venue can make or break the experience.

Too often, companies default to their usual conference room or a generic hotel ballroom. But here’s the thing: your employees can tell when a meeting space was an afterthought. The environment you choose sends a message about how much you value their time and attention.

Why Your Meeting Space Matters More Than You Think

When your board of directors, department heads, or full team gathers for a general meeting, the stakes are high. You’re setting the tone for the entire year. You’re reviewing what worked over the past year and mapping out what’s next. You’re trying to create genuine engagement, not just fill seats.

The physical space plays a bigger role in this than most people realize. A well-designed environment with natural light, comfortable seating, and the right technology keeps people focused. A cramped or outdated space does the opposite. Attendees check their phones, zone out during presentations, and leave feeling like they just survived another meeting rather than participated in something meaningful.

This is especially true for annual meetings where you’re covering significant ground: company performance, strategic priorities, team recognition, and goal-setting for the months ahead. When employees feel like they’re in a professional, intentional space, they show up differently.

What to Look for in an Annual Meeting Venue

Not every meeting space is built for high-stakes gatherings. Before you book your next annual grand meeting or Q1 kickoff, consider what actually matters.

Technology That Works

Nothing derails a meeting faster than technical difficulties. Your chief executive officer is mid-presentation, and suddenly the projector won’t connect. The audio cuts out during a remote participant’s update. The WiFi buckles under the weight of 50 people trying to access the same slide deck.

Look for venues that include:

• Complimentary A/V equipment (screens, projectors, microphones)
• Business-class WiFi that can handle your entire team
• Hybrid meeting capabilities for remote employees
• On-site tech support for troubleshooting

At Roam, technology is built into the experience. Every meeting room includes the A/V essentials at no extra cost, and our team is available to help with setup and support throughout your event.

Flexible Room Configurations

Annual meetings come in all sizes. Maybe you’re hosting 15 people for a board meeting. Maybe you’re bringing together 150 employees for an all-hands. The venue should adapt to your needs, not the other way around.

Consider how the space can be configured:

• Theater-style for presentations
• Classroom setup for workshops
• Boardroom arrangement for discussions
• Breakout spaces for smaller group sessions

Roam offers a variety of room sizes across our locations in Atlanta, Dallas, and Greenville, from intimate boardrooms to training rooms that accommodate larger groups. Need to break into smaller teams after a main session? We have spaces for that too.

Catering That Keeps People Engaged

Let’s be honest: food matters. A working lunch that actually tastes good keeps energy levels up. Quality coffee during breaks helps people stay sharp through afternoon sessions. Thoughtful catering shows your team that their comfort is a priority.

The best venues partner with local vendors to offer menus that go beyond the usual sandwich platters. Look for options that accommodate dietary restrictions, offer variety, and present well. At Roam, we work with trusted local restaurants to provide full-service catering tailored to your event. There’s no food and beverage minimum, so you can order exactly what you need.

A Dedicated Point of Contact

Planning a large meeting involves countless details: room setup, A/V requirements, catering timing, parking logistics, attendee flow. Juggling all of this while also preparing your actual agenda content is exhausting.

This is where having a personal meeting coordinator makes a real difference. Someone who knows the space, anticipates potential issues, and handles the logistics so you can focus on leading a great meeting. At Roam, every event comes with a dedicated coordinator who partners with you from the planning stage through execution.

Making the Most of Your Q1 Kickoff

The beginning of a new year (whether calendar or fiscal year) is the perfect time to bring your team together. A strong Q1 kickoff sets the tone for everything that follows. Here’s how to make it count.

Set a Clear Agenda

Before you book the space, know what you need to accomplish. A scattered agenda leads to a scattered meeting. Outline your agenda items in advance:

1. Review of the past year’s performance and key wins
2. Strategic priorities for the year ahead
3. Department or team-specific updates
4. Employee recognition for employees who went above and beyond
5. Open Q&A or discussion time

Share the agenda with attendees beforehand so everyone arrives prepared to engage.

Build in Time for Connection

Back-to-back presentations without breaks lead to glazed eyes and checked-out employees. Schedule time for people to actually talk to each other. This is especially valuable for distributed teams who rarely see colleagues in person.

Consider adding:

• A networking breakfast or lunch
• Breakout sessions for cross-functional collaboration
• A casual happy hour after the formal agenda wraps

These moments often generate more value than the presentations themselves. Ideas get sparked. Relationships get strengthened. People remember why they like working together.

Choose a Space That Feels Special

Your employees spend most of their days in their usual work environment. An annual meeting is a chance to do something different. Getting out of the regular office signals that this gathering is worth paying attention to.

A professionally designed meeting space with thoughtful details, quality amenities, and an atmosphere that feels intentional creates a different kind of experience. It tells your team: this matters, and so do you.

Why Roam Works for Annual Meetings and Corporate Events

Roam was built for exactly these kinds of gatherings. Our spaces blend hospitality with functionality, giving you a professional environment without the stuffiness of a traditional corporate venue.

Here’s what you get when you host your annual grand meeting at Roam:

• All-inclusive pricing with no hidden fees or surprise charges
• Complimentary A/V and technology, including screens, projectors, and conference phones
• Personal meeting coordinator to manage every detail
• Full-service catering from local vendors with flexible menu options
• Multiple locations across Atlanta, Dallas, and Greenville for convenience
• Flexible room options from boardrooms to training spaces that seat 200+

Our spaces are designed to inspire productivity and encourage collaboration. Unexpected design elements keep things interesting without being distracting. Everything you need is on-site and ready to go, so you can focus on running a great meeting rather than troubleshooting logistics.

Ready to Book Your Next Big Meeting?

Your annual grand meeting or Q1 kickoff deserves a venue that matches the importance of the occasion. Roam’s meeting and event spaces provide everything you need for greater efficiency and engagement, all in one place.

With locations across Metro Atlanta, Dallas, and Greenville, we make it easy to find a space that works for your team. Our meeting coordinators handle the details so you can focus on leading a productive, energizing gathering.Ready to see what’s possible? Schedule a tour of our spaces or start planning your event today. Your team will thank you.