Choosing a Meeting Room: Seating Layouts and Technical Needs

The first question people ask when hiring a meeting room is "how many does it hold?" Yet the same room can seat two hundred in theatre style and thirty around a U-shape. To choose well, you first need to know how the meeting will run, who will speak and what participants will be doing.

Four basic layouts

Theatre. Rows of chairs facing the stage, no tables. Right for launches, presentations and general assemblies where people mainly listen. It uses the room most efficiently.

Classroom. Rows of tables with chairs behind them. Chosen when participants take notes or open laptops. The same room holds roughly half its theatre capacity.

U-shape. Tables in a U with the presenter at the open end. Ideal for up to 25 or 30 people who need to see and discuss with each other. With a larger group the U grows and the far side feels distant.

Banquet and cabaret. Round tables. In cabaret, the side facing the stage is left open. Good for workshops and group discussion.

Estimating room size

Venues give capacity from their own layout charts. For your own estimate these rough ratios help: about 1 square metre per person in theatre style, 1.5 to 2 in classroom and 1.5 at banquet tables. Add space for the stage, screen and a technical desk at the back. Treat these as a starting point, since pillars and door positions change the real figure.

Ceiling height counts too. In a low room the screen cannot hang high enough and the back rows lose sight of the slides.

Technical needs

When you visit, get answers to these questions on the spot:

• Is a projector and screen already in the room, and is it bright enough in daylight?
• How many wireless microphones are there, and can a roaming microphone be provided for questions?
• Can the internet connection handle your numbers, and can a separate line be set aside for presentations?
• Are there blackout blinds?
• Is a technician in the room throughout, or only on call?

Sound that cuts out mid-presentation or a file that will not open can spoil a meeting. Hold the technical rehearsal the day before, or at the latest on the morning itself.

A room outside the city

Taking a team out of the city, even for one day, changes how a meeting goes. Phones ring less, and a walk during the break becomes part of the discussion. For a small management meeting in nature within easy reach of Istanbul, one option is the meeting room at Feel & Live Hotel in Sapanca. The hotel is part of our group.

What to check in the contract

The contract should state set-up and clear-down times, the date by which numbers are final, cancellation terms and whether coffee breaks are included. Where a venue sets a minimum spend, find out in advance what you pay if fewer people attend.

Send us the date, the number of participants and the format of the meeting, and we will send suitable rooms with a layout suggestion. More detail is on our Meeting Organisation page.