So you want to learn how to organise a meeting? This might sound straightforward enough, but it can be difficult to set up valuable and successful meetings for everyone in attendance. At Absolute Venues, we’ve helped businesses plan hundreds of successful meetings and events and in this blog, we’ll teach you the key steps to organising a meeting and give you some handy tips for success.
Whether you’re planning a corporate event or hosting an internal meeting this blog covers everything from meeting agendas to choosing the right venue.
Make your event planning worry-free with our services at Absolute Venues. We’ll find the perfect venue in a location and budget that works for you.
Establish a Purpose
The first step is to establish if and why you need to hold a meeting. Can you send a simple comms email or hop on a quick Teams or Zoom call? Employees are said to spend around 31 hours in unproductive meetings each month, so it’s crucial to ensure your meeting is productive, useful and needs to take place. If you can’t achieve your goal online, then you’ll most likely need to host a meeting.
Once you’re set on holding a meeting, you’ll need to determine the purpose. You might want to give your staff some training, relay some important information or host a session with business partners. Whatever the reason, once you know the purpose of the meeting you can begin to plan the other crucial details.
Determine Your Guests
Now you know what your meeting is going to be about. It’s time to decide on the attendees. As an example, let’s say you’re hosting a meeting to administer training. Determine the coworkers who you think would benefit from the course and add them to your list. You might also want to consider inviting senior members of staff to confirm the training took place. Managers that attend the session can offer additional support and come away with the knowledge to train others.
Group numbers should also be considered. If you want to roll out new training across the company then larger numbers may need to attend. If you’re hosting an internal team meeting to discuss workflow or client information then you’ll only need to invite a smaller group of your own team members.
Identify and Assign Roles
If you’re hosting a formal meeting you’ll need to document the event and establish the different responsibilities of each attendee. As the organiser of the meeting, you’ll be the one who is in charge. You’ll be the point of contact for any questions and will need to decide all the details of the meeting including participants and location.
Someone in the group should be appointed note keeper and another timekeeper. The notekeeper will be in charge of noting down key points mentioned throughout the meeting that will then be written up for the group to take away.
A timekeeper should be assigned to ensure the meeting is kept on track and that there is enough time to discuss all points on the agenda.
If you’re discussing or exploring new ideas within the group you may want to invite a guest speaker or industry expert. They can not only give their own presentations but also help guide any questions and ensure the efficiency of your meeting.
Time and Location
Selecting a location and time that accommodates your team and attendees is an important part of meeting planning. You’ll need to pick a time and date in advance to ensure people have space in their calendars to attend.
Choosing where to hold your event is also important and the type of meeting you’ve arranged will affect your location choice. If you’re planning a big corporate event with many partners and clients involved, you might want to hold your meeting in London, Britain’s cultural and financial hub.
If you’re hosting a smaller meeting you may want to save on money and hiring expenses. At Absolute Venues, we have an amazing range of locations to choose from so you’re bound to find a local venue that’s perfect for you and your team whenever you choose.
Pick the Perfect Venue
Now you know your meeting agenda and group numbers as well as where you’d like to host your meeting, it’s time to find the best venue. If you want to know how to organise a meeting successfully then selecting the right venue is crucial.
Hybrid Event Venues
If you’re planning an event that involves both in-house and external guests, you may need to accommodate and select a hybrid event venue. This type of venue will allow guests to take part in person and remotely. This can help attendance levels for external guests as they won’t have to fund travel and accommodation.
Business Event Venues
If you’re holding a business meeting you might want to select a more formal venue with amenities available for all attendees. A business meeting venue like a hotel is a perfect place to host both external and internal business meetings to impress all your guests.
Seminar Venues
If you’re wanting to organise a meeting or seminar that involves training then you’ll likely need a large space with plenty of room for an audience and an area for speakers to present. A seminar venue has the capacity to host large groups and typically offers equipment that allows you to share presentations and interactive materials.
Send out Your Invitations
Now you’ve got all the details of your meeting down such as time, place and agenda, it’s time to invite your guests. This is arguably the most important step as you can’t host a meeting without people to attend!
The type of meeting you are hosting will affect the type of invites that you send out. If you’re arranging a company meeting or an internal business meeting you can invite people via email or a calendar invite. If you’re hosting a formal and professional event with investors and clients you should aim to invite your guests personally via post or a telephone call for good measure.
Plan an Unforgettable Event with Absolute Venues
Now you know how to organise a meeting, it’s time to learn how Absolute Venues can turn your corporate event into a first-class function. Once you’ve planned your meeting brief and guest numbers, our experts will take the stress out of venue hunting and find the best venue for your needs.
We’ve been helping companies find perfect event venues for over 20 years and have success stories from clients across the UK. To find the perfect venue at the right price for you, get in touch with our team today. We’ll be able to answer any queries you have on the venue finding process and help make the first steps to finding the right venue to make your meeting a success.