Best Meeting Room Booking System

Companies are introducing new concepts to make the workplace more amenable and employee-centric. Indeed, technology is playing a considerable role in innovating work culture in office spaces. The focus is to enhance flexibility, scalability and improve employee collaboration. This is more applicable to office meetings and conferences too. This is more applicable to office meetings and conferences too. It is an important place where CEOs and managers connect with stakeholders and prospective clients to strike profitable deals. 

Yes, the concept of traditional and outmoded board rooms has nearly faded. Instead, there has been an emergence of a new application known as the meeting room booking system. This ground-breaking software takes your meeting experiences to the next level with real-time scheduling and a simplified booking process. 

The following buyer’s guide will highlight all the essential aspects of the meeting room booking system, emphasizing the vital features and core benefits.

Meeting Room Management is the process of managing the conference room or office premises to schedule an optimum space where employees can comfortably hold their meetings and meaningful discussions to make priority-based decisions. It helps you to maximize the space utilization to accommodate people participating in the conference efficiently. 

You can efficiently streamline and manage meeting room scheduling with viable policies in conjugation with digital room signs and implementing the latest technology. Also, you can provide a seamless reservation system, allowing organizers to book the venue with a few clicks.

The role of a meeting room has evolved over the years. Thanks to the emergence of innovative technologies, discussions and collaborative sessions have become highly mechanized. You can maximize the use of a meeting room for varied purposes. 

• Create a First Positive Impression- If you successfully create a positive and good impression on a potential client, you surely win half the game. A meeting room with an impactful and sophisticated ambiance also builds a professional image. It also helps you to get new clients on board. 
• Hold Private and Confidential Meetings- Are you holding a meeting to launch a new product in the market? Do you want to keep all information confidential? Well, you can have discussions and brainstorming sessions behind closed doors to keep things strictly private. Don’t have to think about eavesdroppers as walls don’t have ears. So, all your business deals are safe. 
• Saves From the Buzzy Office Distractions- When working on a priority-based project, you must take vital inputs and client feedback. Plus, you also have to conduct regular team meetings to track the status of the project. Meeting rooms provide a tranquil atmosphere away from all sorts of distractions to increase everyone’s focus. There is no unwanted noise, which allows you to hear everything. 
• Allows Maximum Space Utilization- You can book a meeting room based on the number of attendees. It can be a small room fit for having one-to-one interaction or a large hall accommodating several people with ease. It allows you to maximize space utilization and provide a comfortable and spacious area. 
• Provides Improved Connection and Collaboration- Since the participants attending the meeting use smart gadgets and equipment with a dedicated internet connection, it improves collaboration and communication. They can access reports, emails, and other essential data in real-time. 
• Offers Enhanced Support Services- The meeting room increases collaboration and provides other essential support services such as advanced office solutions. You can also include catering services and some light refreshments. 
• Serves as a Gateway to Futuristic Planning- A meeting is usually held to make essential decisions and derive key conclusions on moving ahead. You can book a conference room to conduct interviews and find an eligible candidate or professional who can play a crucial role in driving your business forward. You can hold meetings to decide on prospects and strategies based on current trends.

If you plan to book a meeting room, it is essential to keep a few crucial elements in mind. You can follow the following steps-

1. First, you need to determine the amount of space required to conduct the meeting in a comfortable environment. But before that, you need to confirm the number of attendees attending the conference. 
2. Second, you need to know which devices and equipment are pivotal for streamlining the meeting. The equipment depends on the type of meeting. For instance, if you discuss a project’s progress, you may need an LCD monitor, a projector, laptops, tablets, smartphones, a strong Wi-fi connection, and more. You also need to find out if any person is attending the meeting from a remote location. In that case, you may need a video conferencing tool such as Zoom or Google Meet, etc.  
3. In the third step, you need to find an optimal location for conducting the meeting. You need to choose the venue, preferably at a prime location, commuted with ease. Don’t book a meeting room that consumes a lot of traveling time. Also, the locality must be safe from any crime.
4. Fourthly, you need to decide the type of services you are looking for. For example, you can choose catering services for all attendees. 
5. Next, you must consider the reputation of the meeting room service provider. You need to check the reviews and ratings before making a final selection.
6. You can take into account the tariff or charges of the meeting room after deciding your budget estimate.
7. You may hire a lobby greeter who cordially greets and welcomes all attendees upon arrival. The lobby greeter is the first point of contact for attendees answering all their queries related to meetings and facilities offered. 
8. Another way to impress your prospective attendees and clients is by using digital calendars. You can select various solutions such as Microsoft 365 Exchange, Google, and more.

Meetings play a pivotal role in enhancing the efficiency and productivity of your organization. It helps you find viable solutions to critical issues through group discussions and brainstorming sessions. Hence, you should know the tricks on how to manage meeting room scheduling effectively. 

• Make Use of a Digital Calendar- Clients and stakeholders have busy schedules, and they don’t rely on a manual system to check out the date and timing of the meeting. Instead, they prefer using a calendar system that keeps them posted with real-time updates on schedules and cancellations. 
• Clearly Define the Meeting Room Policies- It’s essential to publish a few pivotal policies and guidelines regarding the meeting room’s use. Make sure people are utilizing proper space based on the number of attendees. For instance, it makes no sense that a one-to-one interview is going in a large spacious area and the entire room looks deserted. 
• Promoting the Meeting Room-  Advertising your room becomes crucial if you want to increase your customer base. It is advisable to display all the room assets clearly through pictures and videos. You also need to show the total space available, the seating arrangement and capacity, and other facilities on offer. You can also showcase quiet areas to conduct private meetings. 
• Display the Schedules on Screens- Show schedules of meetings and agendas, key participants, schedules, etc. all on the screen. It helps attendees find all the conference details, such as the room number, names, and starting times. 
• Use of Digital Signs-The use of digital signs becomes critical when you are searching for a particular place to conduct a meeting. These are small screens showing the day’s schedule so that people can reach the right spot at the right time. 
• Name of the Meeting- One of the critical elements of managing a meeting room is setting the name conventions. You must give a short and concise name to your meeting. It can be related to a specific department or project for which the meeting is getting conducted. 
• Easy Cancellation Process- Meetings can get canceled or postponed even at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances or any other reason. You can easily cancel the meeting through an application and send real-time notifications or alerts to all attendees. Write in short about the cancellation of the meeting. 
• Setting Reminders- Again, you can use an application to send quick reminders about the next day’s scheduled meeting.  You can send automatic emails or real-time alerts through push notifications. You can set up calendar reminders to update both organizers and attendees on track.

Scheduling a meeting or booking a meeting space comes with its own challenges. Let’s find out what the critical challenges of meeting room reservations are. 

Not Able to Find Out Which Rooms Are Available- When you are booking the rooms manually, you usually cannot find out which rooms are available for the meeting.  As a result, the participants have to wander from one room to another to search for a proper place. This wastes a lot of time, and productivity gets hampered. 

Not Able to Book the Preferred Room- There is another unwanted situation where you cannot book your preferred meeting room. Probably, you have started booking right at the last minute just before the meeting. You find that all rooms are preoccupied. It may be that someone has forgotten to cancel the booking, but unfortunately, you cannot use it. 

Booking Multiple Rooms or Double Reservation- This type of issue is common in large organizations where meeting rooms are reserved in bulk. But only a few of them are utilized, the rest remaining unused. The situation occurs when the organizer or company forgets to cancel the booking. It is a waste of money, as well.  

No Information Available on Room Amenities and Facilities- At times, the company has to compromise on meeting rooms that do not offer amenities and proper facilities. You may also have to deal with the problem of space crunch with a shortage of seating arrangements. You do not get adequate information on the room facilities. 

No shows mean that you have booked a meeting room for a specific purpose, but the meeting gets canceled. If the organizer does not confirm the scheduled meeting a particular limit of time, the booking stands canceled. 

Not Having Proper Equipment Arrangement- You are conducting an important professional meeting to discuss the company’s prospects. But what if there is no supporting device or equipment to carry out seamless presentations or an internet connection to find out information. You have certainly missed out on the bus because then the meeting would only be limited to verbal interactions. 

Lack of Data on Resources- Data is the most critical asset for a company. Most meetings stay focused on necessary data, statistics, numbers, and insights gathered through various resources and analytics. But what if you cannot display a report just because the meeting room does not support the use of projectors and LCDs, etc.

Interestingly, the above-mentioned challenges can easily be resolved with an efficient and effective meeting room booking software that provides an extensive range of features to simplify various tasks. You can book a meeting room for an internal conference, reserve a space for multi-location meetings, manage the visitors, and leverage many more benefits.

A Meeting Room Booking System is a pioneering and innovative software that streamlines and simplifies the meeting room scheduling process. The tool includes advanced hardware interfaces and digital signage to reserve the preferred room with a few taps. 

The meeting room booking software allows business organizations to schedule conferences online using an application. The booking tool is extensively used in various locations such as hotels, banquet halls, restaurants, studios, auditoriums, shared workplaces, reserved desks, etc. 

The software aims to provide comfortable accommodations with ease so that people can carry out their meetings hassle-free. It also helps managers to maximize office resources and manage attendees. 

The Meeting Room Booking System can seamlessly integrate with calendar software, allowing both organizers and attendees to view the meeting’s full details such as date, time, venue, etc. You can also align this tool with email management software to send electronic invitations and reminders in real-time. The digital signage software provides all meeting information on the meeting, digital entry, and check-in process. If you want to track real-time data and details about guests and attendees, combine visitor management tools with meeting booking software.

The features are undoubtedly regarded as the backbone of any software tool. The meeting booking software cannot be an exception. Indeed, any company selects the meeting room management system after viewing its core characteristics. The features of meeting room management software include-

• Digital or Electronic Booking of Meeting Rooms- One of the exclusive features that you may come across in any premier meeting reservation software is that it allows you to book the room electronically. You have to log in to the tool, select the preferred space, choose your desired seats, and do so. You can reserve the meeting room through any application or device.
• Reserve Tables or Particular Seats for Meeting- With the meeting room booking system, you have the option of choosing your preferred seat. You can select the meeting room layout, such as U-shape style, auditorium, banquet, classroom, boardroom style, etc. You can even choose your seating arrangement and get it customized based on your requirement. 
• Streamlined Visitor Management-  The meeting room booking tool streamlines the visitor management system. It helps you easily track all the visitors and attendees who attend the conference and maintain the security arrangement. You can even book spaces for parking, assist any disabled person, and more. The software automatically notifies the organizer upon visitor’s arrival, and register at check-in kiosks. 
• Choose the Preferred Location- The meeting room management software enables you to choose the preferred location. You can select a hotel, restaurant, conference hall that can be reached quickly and located in a prime area. 
• Automated Processes- The software automatically sends notifications and alerts to all participants and attendees as soon as a meeting gets scheduled—the attendees’ instant full updates on the conference, including the schedule, the date, timings, etc. 
• Real-Time Availability- The organizers can get real-time updates on room availability, floor plans, facilities provided, services offered, and more. The attendees can also synchronize the meeting with the calendar in real-time. 
• Third-Party Booking- The meeting room reservation app can also serve as a third-party booking platform that helps companies search the meeting room and make bookings similar to travel websites.  
• Usage Analytics- Usage analytics is an incredible feature that allows you to gather vital data on meeting room usage and analyze the same to understand when the room remains occupied most and when it remains empty. 
• Integration With Digital Signage-  The integration with digital signage software helps you improve the visibility of meetings with enhanced room screens. You can optimize your space and cancel no-shows. It also puts a full stop to all conflicts and confusion over room booking. 
• Integration of Calendar System- The integration with the daily calendar system helps you book seamlessly through a preferred calendar in real-time. It saves time, and you don’t have to use multiple portals. You can use different tools such as Microsoft Exchange, Office 365, and Google Suite to integrate the calendar. 
• Transparency- The meeting room reservation software brings more transparency where you can view all details of the meeting room through a single portal. You get more repository on room information, such as the available amenities and facilities. 
• Utilization Reporting- The central meeting room booking system provides an intuitive graphical dashboard for advanced and accurate data analysis. You can also maximize the utilization of office space for conducting meetings. Also, keep track of no-shows and monitor room occupancy.

1. Centralized Booking Platform- The room booking software is credited with a central, standardized process that manages everything from one place. You can search for the meeting room based on location, attribution, capacity, and more. The online meeting room booking system also helps check the permission and verify the access levels depending on their authority. 
2. Book Meeting Room with Ease- One of the most significant advantages of the meeting room booking system is booking a room with much ease. The meeting room scheduling software comes with simple drag-and-drop functionality, allowing you to reserve a room with only a few clicks.
3. Integration with Advanced Tools- The next-generation conference room scheduling software is integrated with advanced tools such as Office 365. It is essential to note that Office 365 plays a crucial role in streamlining workplace space management. Office 365 can further align with Microsoft Outlook Web Access, even on Android and iOS apps. The software can schedule a meeting appointment in the Outlook Calendar. 
4. Mitigates the Issue of Double Booking- In a traditional approach, the organizers booked multiple rooms and forgot to cancel them. But all thanks to meeting room reservation software, which has eliminated this issue to a great extent. It only saves money but also allows others to book the unreserved room. 
5. Optimize Room Occupancy Management- The Best Meeting Room Booking System allows you to optimize room occupancy. It means you can maximize room utilization. You can check the duration of room occupancy and how often rooms are used. Besides, you can keep track of no-shows with an advanced reporting system to monitor repeated offenders. 
6. Real-Time Resource Usage Monitoring- The meeting room booking tool is equipped with digital signage and video conferencing capabilities enabling you to track vital resources that play a significant part in making a meeting successful. You can trace all the resources and find out those that are used frequently and those that are not very important. 
7. Streamline Visitor Management- Enhancing the client, or attendee experience is on the top of your priority list. Hence, implementing the meeting room reservation software can improve and better manage the visitors arriving to attend the meeting. You can even trace the number of visitors daily, weekly, or monthly and ensure that the client’s waiting time gets minimized. 
8. Robust Reporting- The room reservation software has a powerful in-built reporting applet helping you to create pivot table-based data reports with a drag and drop facility. You can also use other tools such as statistics, trends, and analysis, materials used, costs by departments, etc. 
9. Touch Panel Integration- The touch panel integration is an advanced facility allowing attendees’ to schedule meetings in real-time using the RFID card reader. They can also view the check-ins and check-outs of the conference. The touch panel also contains bright LED lights. Plus, it even helps in simplifying the sitting arrangement through centralized panel management.  
10.  Add-on Services Based On Requirements- There are various other add-on services you can offer to clients and participants attending the meeting. These include catering and beverage services. You can boost the experience by installing high-end devices and equipment to conduct the conference smoothly.

All business organizations need to follow the meeting room booking system’s best practices to reap maximum benefits. If you are not abiding by the rules, your meetings may end up in confusion and a messy state. For example, no-show meetings tend to waste valuable time and money if the rooms are not canceled within time. Here are a few best practices to follow-

• Don’t Follow the Multiple Level Process for Booking- You should keep your booking simple and straightforward. Avoid using the multiple channel communication approaches which require you to take approvals or go through the back and forth interaction process. 
• Don’t Make Things More Complex- As a business entity, you should use one email id and application to make the bookings. All employees are familiar with the same procedure. Hence, it becomes easier to implement a meeting room management system instead of using different email ids and servers, complicating things. 
• Maintain Balance Between Physical and Digital World-  The next essential aspect to keep in mind is striking a balance between the physical and digital worlds. Ensure to utilize space if booked and update your calendar system if in case the meeting stands canceled. By doing so, you are making the rooms available for anyone else to book. The bookings and cancelations are reflected in the email systems and updated outside the room. You can even manage the no-show via the check-in function. It automatically cancels the room if no meeting takes place within the stipulated time limit. 
• Monitor Room Usage- You need to track room usage. This helps you discover which rooms are most frequently booked and are more prevalent in comparison to others. You can also find out the average time duration for which a meeting room is reserved. Plus are conference rooms used fully to their potential. You can also track the kind of meetings for which these rooms are scheduled. You can better understand your room usage and improve its usefulness. 
• Train Your Staff Appropriately-  You also need to train your employees on how to use and execute the room meeting booking system best practices. Hence you need to make a meeting room usage policy and ensure that every employee attending the conference adheres to it.

There is a broad set of factors to consider when selecting an online meeting room booking system. You want to conduct your vital conference and sign the best deals in a calm and comfortable atmosphere. The factors include-

• Size and Capacity of Conference Room- The first vital factor you need to consider is the room’s size and capacity. You need to book the meeting room according to the number of attendees attending the conference. You can reserve a small space for one-on-one interaction, and for an AGM (Annual General Meeting), you can book an auditorium or a large banquet hall. 
• Features and Technology it Offers- The next essential factor is considering meeting room booking software’s characteristics. It must be user-friendly with easy access. It must have a built-in reporting system, higher scalability, real-time synchronization, tracking room usage, visitor management, and others. The room booking software must also be supporting the latest technologies such as digital signage, conference room displays, real-time analytics, customization tools, etc. 
• Integration With Mobile Apps- The meeting room reservation software should be integrated with mobile applications so that anyone can book or cancel rooms from anywhere with a few taps. The Best Meeting Room Booking System is cross-functional, supporting both Android and iOS platforms.  
• Benefits- Check out the advantages of the meeting room scheduling software before choosing one. Analyze how these software benefits will prove a bonus for your organization. 
• Price-  The price is indeed an essential aspect that you need to consider. You can also find a free meeting room booking system if you are not willing to invest money into the software. You can also check out the trial version of the software before making a final decision. 
• Support- You need to check the kind of support available from the software vendor.

Various crucial factors are considered when it comes to determining the cost of a meeting room booking system. For example, you need to consider the essential elements, the deployment methodology, integration with other advanced tools, support systems, and more. If you are on the hunt for the best free and open source meeting room booking system, you can choose classroombookings. 

Also, you have different free meeting room booking systems such as SuperSaaS, SimplyBook.me, Picktime, Roomzilla, and more. 

If you have a small budget, you can select Skedda, which comes with a starting price of $19 per month and a 30-day free trial. You can also go for MeetingRoomApp, which costs about $17 with a free trial period. Workspace is further less priced, starting at $8 per month, and offers a 14-day free trial period. 

The Best Meeting Room Booking System with premium features include Meetio costing around $189 per year. The other options are Robin priced at $240 per year and others.

Goodfirms is one of the most trusted ratings and research platforms that provides you with the broadest range of software categories to suffice every type of business domain regardless of its size, including startups. Also, explore the optimum service providers to take your business on top. You can even get your company listed on the Goodfirms page to gain an edge over your competitors. 

Select the best meeting room booking software from the authentic list and enable your clients and employees to conduct a critical conference to strike an optimal deal.