Should You Choose a Hotel or Meeting Venue for Your Next Team Gathering?

You’ve been charged to coordinate the details for an upcoming meeting and discover that no onsite meeting space is available. Where do you look? In past years, options were limited and the solution would have been relatively simple—hotels. But as many companies continue to decrease their corporate footprint, meeting venues and dedicated event facilities have emerged. Working to the buyer’s benefit, there are now options for hosting offsite meetings. So the question arises—When planning for your next important business gathering, is it better to meet in a traditional hotel or dedicated meeting venue (like Roam)? To aid you in your decision making process, here’s how we’ve evaluated your offsite meeting space options.

BUSINESS AMENITIES

Both hotels and meeting venues offer a wide array of business amenities. Hotels, however, typically charge for these services a la carte. Unless you simply need to purchase Wi-Fi, this is an imperfect solution for any reasonably budget-conscious professional as the additional fees related to whiteboards, projectors, screens, microphones, and other essentials can add up rather quickly on the expense report.

In contrast, the same services that are charged per amenity at hotels are all-inclusive at a dedicated meeting space. At Roam, we provide business class Wi-Fi, audio/visual equipment, Apple TVs, conference phones, whiteboards, webcams, flip charts, microphones, customizable seating arrangements and even a personal meeting coordinator to help you plan your event. And there is no need to consult a third party vendor for trouble shooting technology or prepare a thorough list of technology requirements in advance. All Roam team members are cross-trained and available to assist with any technology concerns you may encounter, and all business amenities are available and included in your meeting reservation.

Advantage: Meeting Venue

CATERING OPTIONS

In today’s globally competitive marketplace, business meetings occasionally require extended periods of brainstorming and collaboration. Often turning meetings into all-day affairs. If attendees are expected to participate in a six or eight-hour meeting, they’re going to need sustenance. That’s no problem if you’re booking a meeting at a hotel as they typically require you to pay a food and beverage minimum anyway. But don’t forget, you’re also obligated to utilize their food service to cater the event; not exactly a flexible arrangement.

In most meeting venues, you have options. Typically, there are no food and beverage minimums, which is especially helpful if your meeting is only scheduled to last a few hours. However, if you’re hosting a longer event or just want to provide your guests with the nutrition needed for a recharge, most dedicated venues have the option to purchase everything from coffee and donuts to crave-worthy appetizers and gourmet lunches. At Roam, our Meeting Coordinators work with you to curate a menu that meets the needs of your attendees, budget, meeting agenda and of course—your taste buds. Take a look at our selection of food and beverage options here.

Advantage: Meeting Venue

ENVIRONMENT

Meeting spaces in hotels resemble a ballroom much more than a place for your team to innovate, strategize and craft a plan to disrupt the industry. Meanwhile, the environments at Roam are intentionally designed to inspire your inner creator with productivity and innovation in mind. We want to help you launch your most groundbreaking ideas and revolutionary thought processes, so we’ve designed our spaces to include unique décor, natural light and whiteboard walls. From dry-erase conference tables and automated garage doors to exposed brick and hanging canoe light fixtures, our space will energize your team and break the mold of boring meetings. To put it simply, our meeting rooms are meant for innovation and creativity, rather than wedding toasts and line dancing.

Advantage: Meeting Venue

THE RESULT

Based on our evaluation, dedicated meeting venues are worth a try for your next offsite meeting. Break the mold of traditional hotel ballrooms and explore creative meeting venues in your area. And if you’re located in Metro Atlanta, we would love the opportunity to host your team at Roam. Each of our 5 Greater Atlanta workplaces strives to create exceptional meeting experiences from beginning to end. Request a meeting room or contact us today for more information. We’re excited for you to experience elevated meetings at Roam.