Working from a coworking space does not mean you have to meet clients in a noisy café. A booked meeting room gives you a quiet, professional setting without renting a full office, as long as you treat the meeting with the same care you would on your own premises.
Here is how to prepare and run a client meeting from a coworking space, step by step, so that the room, the technology and the conversation all work in your favour.
Book the right room, and book it properly
- Size: pick a room for the number of people attending, plus one seat. Four people in a room for twelve feels empty; six in a room for four feels cramped.
- Time: book 15 minutes before and after the meeting. You need time to set up, and client meetings rarely end exactly on time.
- Equipment: ask what the room has: a screen, the cables it takes, a whiteboard, a camera or speaker for calls. Do not assume.
- Confirmation: get the booking in writing and keep it on your phone in case of a mix-up.
Send the client the address, the time, the name of the space and how to find the entrance. If the building has a reception or an intercom, say so. A guest who has to call you from the street starts the meeting slightly annoyed.
Arrive early and set up the room
Plan to be in the room at least 15 minutes before the client arrives. Use the time to:
- Arrange the chairs so the client faces the screen and has the best seat, not the one with its back to the door.
- Clear the table of anything left by the previous meeting.
- Put out water and glasses, and check how you can offer coffee or tea.
- Set your phone to silent and turn off notifications on your laptop.
- Have a printed agenda or a one-page summary ready if the meeting is important. Many clients still like something they can hold.
Get the screen and the call working before anyone arrives
Most awkward moments in client meetings are technical. Test everything with the actual equipment in the room:
- Connect your laptop to the screen and check that the resolution and display mode are right. Mirror the screen rather than extending it, so your presentation does not open on the wrong display.
- Open the files you will show in advance and close everything else, especially email and chat apps.
- If some participants join online, start the call a few minutes early and test the microphone and speaker from the seat where you will sit. A laptop microphone at one end of the table often does not pick up people at the other end.
- Have a backup: the presentation as a PDF on your laptop and on your phone, and a mobile hotspot in case the network has a problem.
Host your guests well and follow up
Meet the client at the entrance or reception rather than waiting in the room. Show them around briefly: where the meeting room is, where the toilets are, where to get water. It takes a minute and makes the space feel like yours.
During the meeting, keep the door closed and the conversation in the room. Open areas in coworking spaces are shared, so continue confidential conversations in the meeting room, not in the corridor or the kitchen. If the meeting runs over and the room is booked after you, move to a phone booth or a quiet corner for the last few minutes rather than overstaying.
Decide before the meeting who takes notes. If you are leading the conversation, it is hard to do both well. Write down decisions, open questions and next steps, each with a name next to it.
Send a short summary the same day: what was agreed, who does what, and when you will be back in touch. Leave the room as you found it, take your cables and wipe the whiteboard.
Meeting clients at n'Zon
At n'Zon Coworking Space Tirana, in Myslym Shyri in central Tirana, there are two meeting rooms you can book for client meetings, plus phone booths for calls before and after. High-speed Wi-Fi, printing for a last-minute agenda, and coffee, tea and water for your guests are all on hand. If you have a desk in the coworking space, everything you need for the working day is in the same place, and because the space is open 24 hours a day, you can also work there before or after the meeting.
If you have a client meeting coming up, contact us to check room availability and book.