Choosing a room for a client meeting

Most meetings can happen anywhere. Some deserve better than a noisy café or a video call where half the cameras are off. A first meeting with a new client, a pitch, a hard conversation with a partner: these go better in a room where people can hear each other, see the screen and stop thinking about the time.

Size

Book for the number of people coming, plus a little breathing room. Six people squeezed into a room for four feels cramped. Three people in a hall for twenty feels strange and echoes. Every listing says how many people the space holds, so use that as a guide rather than a target.

Location

In Lagos, where you meet can decide whether people turn up on time. A room that's convenient for you but two hours across the bridge for your client isn't the right room, however nice it is. Think about where everyone is coming from, and what the traffic will be like at that hour, on the way there and on the way home.

The screen

If you're presenting, check what's in the room, whether that's a TV or a projector, and what it connects to. Bring your own adapter anyway. Most of us have watched a meeting stall for ten minutes while someone hunts for a cable that fits their laptop.

Comfort

You want AC that works and chairs you can sit in for an hour without shifting around. If the meeting will run long, ask the host whether you can bring food in or order from somewhere nearby. And check for backup power, especially if you're the one presenting.

Arrive early

Book the room for half an hour before the meeting starts. That gives you time to find the building, get past security at the gate, set up the screen and test the wifi before anyone arrives. If your client turns up early, you're already there with the slides on the screen, which is a good start before anyone has said anything.

When you're done, leave the room the way you found it. Hosts review guests after every booking, and a good review makes the next booking easier.