As someone who works from my home office most of the time I don’t really have a place to meet with clients to give presentations or have more formal meetings.
Yes sometimes going to a cafe or going out for lunch or dinner can work, but there are times where you want more privacy, or you need to present to more than a few stakeholders and so a busy cafe just isn’t going to cut it.
Sure you could take the giant step up and lease an office space and that’s a great option for some businesses.
But for many small business owners running their businesses from home, or for people working from home for an employer, that just isn’t a viable option.
Luckily there are now co-working spaces as well as meeting rooms for hire and they are an affordable option and won’t break the bank.
Here’s some of the things I love about hiring meeting rooms instead of having my own office.
Affordability & Flexibility
If I was to have my own office with it’s own meeting room then honestly it would be empty 80-90% of the time.
For myself, and many other businesses it’s not worth the expense of paying rent on a larger space that doesn’t get used very often.
Even renting a meeting room on a bi-weekly basis is likely going to work out cheaper that having to pay for the space full time and committing to a longer term lease.
Some months I use meeting rooms a fair amount and other months I don’t need to use meeting rooms at all and I love having that flexibility in my budget.
It also means I don’t need to invest in things like chairs, tables, projectors, whiteboards and everything else that comes with owning your own meeting room.
Meeting Room Locations All Over Australia
I’m based in Sydney and I’m actually in the suburbs, not the CBD, so my location isn’t convenient for many of my clients.
I’ll also occasionally have clients in other cities or other states and so even if I had my own office in Sydney that wouldn’t help me when I go to Melbourne.
Instead I can check out a variety of the meeting rooms for hire in Melbourne and I can find one that is available as close to my client as possible.
Professional Appearance
A someone who ran a side business for many years, appearing professional to my clients was something that was difficult to do without my own office.
By hiring a high-quality meeting room you’re able to appear more professional that you might otherwise appear if the client was simply to come to your home or meet you at a cafe.
Different Types of Rooms for Different Meetings
Sometimes I running a formal meeting with key stakeholders and I need a boardroom style meeting room so I can share my slide deck and give a more formal presentation.
Other times I’m working on creative or running workshops and in these cases something a little less formal suits me better. Or perhaps I need a larger functional workspace to house 50+ people.
Still other times I’m having more intimate meetings with just 1-2 people and I don’t need the expense of a large room and so I can choose something smaller.
I’ve been to property or business networking events that have been run in those larger spaces and it worked really well. The organisation didn’t need to own the building they just rented it out for the day or evening.
Easier Than Ever To Book
Years ago it used to be more difficult to find suitable meeting rooms to book into, but with new technology and websites like Peerspace popping up it’s now more convenient than ever.
The experience of booking a meeting room is now akin to booking an Airbnb.
You can set your date/time and ideal location and see what’s available or you can look specifically for meeting rooms that fit your aesthetic.
You can even book out lounges, galleries, bars or houses depending on your needs.
Need a spot for a photo shoot? Book incredible fully furnished locations by the hour. There are seriously so many options and it’s so easy to find something that suits you needs.
If you’re a small business and need to host clients or have internal meetings I highly suggest you consider meeting rooms for hire before you jump into a long term office space lease.