Choosing a meeting room: 10 essential criteria

1. Start with the number of participants… but don’t stop at the figure

The maximum capacity listed for a room provides an initial indication. It does not always indicate the conditions under which participants will actually be able to work.

A room designed for 20 people may be perfectly suitable in a theatre-style layout, but far less comfortable if everyone needs to have a computer, take notes and take part in a discussion around a table.

Before booking, therefore, check the following at the same time:

• the expected number of participants;
• the room layout;
• the space available for moving around;
• the equipment required;
• whether it is possible to work in small groups.

For a short meeting of eight people, a compact room can create a more effective dynamic than a large space. Conversely, a training session or workshop generally benefits from having more space and freedom of movement.

At BluePoint Liège, rooms such as Onyx, Opale, Rubis and Saphir allow the capacity and layout to be adapted to different formats of meetings, training sessions or professional workshops.

The right starting point is therefore not just ‘how many of us will there be?’, but also ‘what are we going to do together during this meeting?’.

2. Adapt the layout to the type of meeting

The layout of tables and chairs has a significant influence on how participants interact.

An executive meeting, a training session and a sales presentation may involve the same number of people without requiring the same set-up.

Here are a few guidelines to help you choose more easily:

• Boardroom: suitable for discussions, collective decision-making and meetings around a single table.
• U-shaped layout: ideal when you need to combine a presentation with frequent interactions.
• Classroom-style: practical for training sessions, note-taking and using computers.
• Theatre-style: effective when content is primarily presented to a group.
• Flexible layout: preferable for workshops involving movement, exercises or work in small groups.

One question often helps to decide: what will participants be doing for the majority of the meeting?

Listening to a presentation, working on a document, discussing amongst themselves or handling equipment do not all require the same space.

A room that is the right size but poorly configured can quickly become less functional than a more modest space that is perfectly suited to the format.

3. Prioritise comfort over design

A meeting room must, of course, be pleasant. But for several hours of work, physical comfort quickly takes precedence over visual appeal.

Furniture is the first thing to consider. Seats suitable for a 45-minute meeting will not necessarily be suitable for a full day. The height of the tables, the space available between participants and the ability to move around are also worth considering.

Temperature and ventilation are just as important. A room that is too hot, too cold or difficult to ventilate will eventually affect concentration well before the end of the session.

A scientific review published in 2025 in Building and Environment, covering 54 studies on office design, confirms that physical factors such as ergonomics, the working environment and spatial organisation are linked to various indicators of health and performance at work. ScienceDirect

In the BluePoint Liège meeting rooms, ergonomic furniture and automatic air conditioning are specifically designed with this in mind: to maintain good working conditions without participants having to worry about them constantly.

For a long meeting, comfort is therefore not a luxury. It is one of the basic requirements.

4. Choose a room with natural light

The presence of natural light may seem secondary when comparing two rooms. It becomes much more noticeable after spending several hours in the same room.

A scientific review published in 2025 in Building and Environment analysed 60 studies on light and office environments. The research summarised in the review highlights, in particular, the importance of access to daylight for visual comfort and demonstrates links with various aspects of attention and well-being, although the effects depend heavily on exposure, layout and environmental conditions. ScienceDirect

This factor should therefore not be misrepresented as a guarantee of automatic productivity. It is simply a matter of prioritising a pleasant environment suited to a day’s work.

Before booking, also check:

• the presence of windows;
• the ability to manage screen glare;
• blinds or blackout facilities;
• the artificial lighting available when outdoor light levels vary.

The Onyx, Saphir, Rubis and Opale rooms at BluePoint Liège benefit in particular from natural light, a significant advantage for meetings, workshops and training sessions lasting several hours.

5. Give as much importance to acoustics as to the screen

A meeting depends first and foremost on the participants’ ability to hear one another clearly.

A room with excessive reverberation, constant ventilation noise or poor sound insulation can quickly tire the group and make discussions difficult.

This becomes particularly important when a participant speaks softly, when several people speak in turn, or when part of the meeting is being recorded or broadcast remotely.

Before booking, pay attention to a few very practical factors:

• the room’s reverberation;
• noise from neighbouring areas;
• ventilation;
• door insulation;
• the confidentiality of discussions;
• the clarity of speech throughout the room.

For a confidential meeting or a strategic session, this last point can even be decisive.

The BluePoint Liège brochure, in particular, highlights the high-quality acoustics in its meeting rooms. This sort of feature is less spectacular than a large screen, but much more noticeable over the course of a day.

6. Test the videoconferencing equipment before you need it

Hybrid meetings can no longer be treated as a one-off occurrence.

According to Eurostat, 70.1 per cent of Belgian companies with ten or more employees organised remote meetings via the internet in 2024, compared with 52.9 per cent across the European Union. Belgium is therefore among the countries where this practice is most widespread. European Commission

A room used regularly for business meetings must therefore be able to accommodate one or more remote participants properly.

A simple computer placed at the end of the table is not always sufficient.

Check:

• that there is a correctly positioned camera;
• the quality of the microphones;
• the speakers;
• the ability to share a screen easily;
• the internet connection;
• compatibility with the solutions commonly used by your company;
• that remote participants are visible to the whole group.

Technical quality is only part of the picture. Simplicity matters too. If it takes ten minutes to work out how to start the meeting, the equipment becomes a problem rather than a solution.

BluePoint Liège’s meeting rooms are equipped with videoconferencing facilities, allowing remote participants to be included without having to improvise a setup at the last minute.

7. Check what equipment you actually need

The amount of equipment advertised by a venue is not in itself a measure of quality.

A workshop may mainly require good Wi-Fi, several power sockets and a screen. A client presentation might require a larger projection screen. A hybrid meeting will need a camera and microphones. A training session may require a flipchart or additional materials.

So start by considering your specific needs.

Common points to check include:

• Wi-Fi connection;
• screen or video projector;
• accessible power sockets;
• connectors;
• video conferencing;
• microphones where the group size warrants it;
• flipchart;
• sound system;
• technical support available.

Also ask what is included in the price and what incurs an additional charge.

Ease of use deserves particular attention. A simple system, set up and tested before participants arrive, is often more effective than a highly sophisticated setup requiring several steps to operate.

Discover BluePoint Liège’s event spaces and their various configuration and equipment options.

8. Consider breaks and lunch when choosing a room

For a meeting lasting several hours, the choice is never solely about the room itself.

Coffee, breaks and lunch directly influence the pace of the day. A break area located nearby makes it easier to resume on time. Conversely, having to leave the building or cross several floors during each break can quickly disrupt the programme.

The Meeting Room of the Future 2025 report, published by IACC and Development Counsellors International, ranks food and beverage provision as the second-highest priority when selecting a meeting venue, just behind location, journey time and accessibility. Meeting SpotLight

A few simple questions can help you plan ahead:

• Is there a café near the room?
• Can lunch be served on site?
• How much time should actually be set aside for the break?
• Are dietary restrictions taken into account?
• Are there different catering options depending on the meeting schedule?

At BluePoint Liège, the meeting rooms have a café area nearby. Day packages can also combine a fully equipped room, a welcome coffee, access to the coffee corner and lunch. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated.

Lunch is therefore not a detail to be sorted out after booking: it forms part of the meeting’s logistics.

9. Assess accessibility from the participants’ perspective

A room may be perfectly equipped yet still impractical if getting there complicates the day for the majority of participants.

The IACC 2025 report still ranks location, journey time and accessibility as the top criteria used by organisers when selecting a meeting venue. Meeting SpotLight

Before booking, therefore, look beyond the address.

Assess:

• road access;
• availability of car park spaces;
• public transport links;
• proximity to a railway station;
• charging facilities for electric vehicles;
• access between the building entrance and the room itself.

A difference of fifteen minutes’ journey time may seem insignificant when comparing venues. Multiplied by 20 or 30 participants, however, it becomes much more significant.

BluePoint Liège is situated in the Vennes district, close to Angleur and Les Guillemins stations. The centre also has a secure underground car park, charging points and rooms located on the ground floor.

Download the BluePoint Liège brochure to find out about the rooms, layouts and services available.

10. Check what’s included in the price… and the support provided

Two rooms advertised at different rates are not necessarily comparable.

The hire price may cover just the venue or a much wider range of organisational services: set-up, audiovisual equipment, coffee, lunch or technical support.

Before comparing offers, check the following carefully:

• what the hire price covers;
• the equipment included;
• any set-up fees;
• access times;
• catering;
• audiovisual support;
• options for last-minute changes;
• the availability of an on-site contact person.

This last point is often underestimated. Someone capable of quickly resolving a projection problem, adjusting the layout or coordinating a break can save the organiser a great deal of time.

The packages offered by BluePoint Liège allow you to combine a fully equipped room with coffee and catering services, whilst the sales team supports the organisation based on the number of participants and the chosen format.

The best meeting room is therefore not necessarily the largest, the most spectacular or the cheapest. It is the one that minimises obstacles between the participants and the purpose of the meeting.

Discuss your next meeting with the BluePoint Liège team and find the room and package best suited to your group.