Training Room Hire

A good training event is dependent on a number of factors one of which is training room hire. Of paramount importance of course is the performance and enthusiasm of the presenter / speaker. Every training presenter should be knowledgeable, approachable, and confident, if they hope to engage with attendees.

Being a great presenter is one thing ( we have probably all be highly entertained at one time or another during a training session) but without great content the training will be useless. The training content to be presented and discussed must interest and educate equally; delegates are after all present to learn.

The suitability of the venue itself is underpinning both those points. Failure to secure the right training room can undermine even great presenters with great content. To avoid training room hire pitfalls lets consider five things to consider when booking a training venue.

1. Ease of access

Training days are no different to meetings and conferences in that they must be easy to access. If the training rooms are difficult or problematic to reach that can cause issues and stress to delegates before any training has even started.

Poor access to the facility in question will discourage would-be learners from attending outright. When researching venues then, it pays to consider transport links.

Gauging likely journeys by car, bus, bicycle, walking and train is sound practice. Factoring in peak times and pinch points to those same trips is also wise.

Unearthing a conference, meeting and training facility that is easy to arrive at and depart from is simply fundamental. This principle extends to the process of getting inside the actual building itself. We have probably all encountered buildings that appear impenetrable.

A professional conference and training centre will include disabled access for those requiring it as the needs of the many and not the few are duly catered for.

It is easy to forget the importance of car parking, which could prove a horrible oversight. If you can reserve spaces for those attending do so, otherwise be sure to locate nearby alternatives and send out directions to those very locations well in advance. If the nearest parking is in paid car parks advise delegates in advance so they can come prepared with correct change / bank card / credit card or app. If there is FREE onsite car parking let delegates know as it will make them very happy and start the training stress free.

2: Training / Presentation Equipment

Presentation equipment has moved on along way since the need for an overhead projector, acetates and a whiteboard. Whilst technology isn’t everything, having the correct equipment and materials will allow the trainer to deliver their training as intended.

Such tools range from Large LED Screens to microphones, laptops to white boards, speakers to DVD players and so much more besides as well as flip charts and pens.

A training room top tip is don’t presume complete availability for all of the above. Some conference and training centres will come up trumps in that regard but do not count on their generosity. Those with on site technical managers generally seem best suited to come up with a strange connector or adapter that allows you to utilise your electronic equipment, when you forget yours.

If you are arranging training ask your hosts on exactly what can be lent from them and what needs sourcing from elsewhere. If it is available to hire or borrow identify the costs as third party costs can quickly accumulate. That training room that seemed a day rate bargain can suddenly become the most expensive

Strong and Free Wi-Fi should almost be considered mandatory and access to it is the most important of all technology. Often entire training sessions are often cloud based and failure to secure a connection can cause great embarrassment. No matter how good a presenter you are it can prove very difficult to replicate a slide show on a flip chart.

With modern training its common for delegates to be informed of certain additional website links. So if they want to access them onsite it’s always preferable if their connection is not subjected to any company firewall.

Finally on the subject of Wi-Fi if there is a login process to access – make sure your training room hire location make this super simple. You don’t want to confuse delegates at stage one of the day simply trying to log on.

3. Everybody remembers the food and refreshments

Great motivational trainer, superb comfortable venue, what’s the first thing a delegate mentions about the training “The food was horrible” or “Wow the food was unbelievable”, or “the pastries on arrival were fantastic” etc

Your own budgets may impinge on plans for a lavish banquet but there will be an expectancy for you, or rather your company, to provide refreshments or at a minimum have somewhere for delegates to get some food. In our experience venues that have an on site restaurant and cafe will be able to provide the highest quality or greatest variety of menu options.

A variety of food options is especially important to ensure you cater for multitude of food preferences and food allergies.

Water, biscuits and sweets are standard training / conference event elements along with a hot drinks machine that is easy to operate. To be brutal any training venue / conference centre / meeting room should offer the above.

4: The Physical Environment

The format of training sessions can vary significantly which will impact on how you want training rooms and areas organised. Therefore the training room venue should be able to easily reconfigure any spaces to best suit your needs.

A death by PowerPoint training session with delegates sat looking at slights will differ significantly from product training demonstrations where lots of touching / discussion / participation and interaction will be required.

When weighing-up the pros and cons of a potential venue consider whether it is sheer capacity you desire or the freedom in which to engage, move around during the training and generally interact with your audience.

The make-up of your training day may necessitate a re-ordering of tables / chairs as training activities change during the day. The best training & conference centres are those that allow for such movement

It may be beneficial to have additional adjoining rooms as well your main training room for a training day. This will provide participants with a change of scenery at break time, allowing delegates a dedicated and private area in which to seek refreshment, catch-up on e-mails, mingle or simply discuss the training.

Extra space allows for attendees to split into small groups and complete any practical training tasks they are set. Breaking away from the crowd will afford them quiet and room to both discuss and implement ideas.

It cant be stressed enough how much comfortable chairs and furniture makes for a successful training session. When assessing the suitability of a venue look beyond the building itself and focus attentions on the chairs and tables it houses. Uncomfortable chairs and wobbly tables will impact on a delegates ability to concentrate on the training being provided.

Too Hot / Too Cold / Just Right

Conducting training in a sweltering room, with everybody feeling hot, bothered and utterly uncomfortable is hardly conducive to a learning experience. Unsatisfactory room temperature can derail even the best training conference.

Depending on the time of year attendees may feel too warm or too cold and by extension distracted from the training. Make sure that your training room hire includes air conditioning .

We would suggest that before training “proper” begins gauge the collective opinion on the room temperature to appease as many attendees as possible. Note – its always going to be too hot and too cold for some , that’s just the way it is. Testing the air conditioning before delegate arrival will alert you to any drawbacks, such as it being too noisy.

5: Light & Sound

Very few people like to have training conducted in a windowless environment in our eyes there is no substitute for natural light, in a training room. When natural light isn’t bright enough switch on the electrical lighting, which should always be sampled early to ensure suitability.

Dimly lit rooms can make training materials hard to read, whilst overly bright lights can prove off-putting. It is just like the room temperature scenario and a happy medium should always be sought.

Whilst we think windows are beneficial they can impact training. Internal windows that lead onto corridors may be distracting as people walk past. Depending on the training course content this may present an opportunity for bored eyes to wander.

It is fundamental that trainers / speakers can be heard. Less of a challenge for a small group training session being held in a small meeting room. If you are presenting to a larger group in a larger area it is important that everyone in the session can hear the speakers clearly.

For larger groups the quality of sound equipment can make or break an event of this kind. Indeed, if presenting to a large room there is a danger a lecturer could go unheard if their microphone or speakers fail.

Acoustics are best sampled in person. Before confirming a booking ask to test the system yourself by standing in different parts of the room and determining whether you can hear when others present.

Ensure that your training and meeting room features an induction loop system for those who are hard of hearing.

Training Room Hire Summary

If you are looking to hire a training room contact Michelle Craig at Brightfield Business Hub on 01733 595885 or email Michelle Craig. Arrange an appointment to see the wide range of training rooms at BBH. Click here to have all your training room questions answered.

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