A vacant room is not always the right room
A room can be available in the calendar and still be unsuitable for a meeting. There may be too little space around the table, no screen or no suitable connection. The person responsible for the rooms and IT should review room details together before employees choose between them.
Start with the information that determines the choice: unique name, location, number of usable seats and the equipment that is actually in the room. MyDesk supports meeting room booking from Outlook, Teams, mobile and web. The specific information and calendar connections must be clarified in your setup.
Describe capacity for the layout you use
Count the usable seats in the normal meeting arrangement. A room with eight chairs is not necessarily suitable for eight participants each with their own laptop. Test whether there is table space and whether everyone can see the shared screen.
If the room switches between a meeting table layout and a workshop layout, explain the difference in the room description or employee guidance. A single capacity figure should not hide the preparation a different layout requires. Count only people attending in person when choosing room size; remote participants still affect audio and camera requirements.
Describe the equipment clearly
- Write whether the room has a screen and how a computer is connected to it.
- Distinguish between a screen and a complete video conferencing system with camera and microphone.
- Clarify whether necessary cables and adapters are in the room or must be brought with you.
- State where the employee will find help if the described equipment does not work.
Use consistent terms across rooms. If one is described as video-ready and another has video conferencing equipment, make clear whether they offer the same facilities. State any known limitation rather than letting a broad equipment label promise more than the room can provide.
Test the information with a regular booking
Try a test with a colleague unfamiliar with the rooms. Ask them to find a room for, say, six people attending in person and two joining by video. Check the choice in their usual booking interface, then visit the room.
Does the name at the door match the booking? Can the six sit and work? Does the described connection to the screen and video conference work? Note the difference between incorrect room information, an equipment failure and a lack of instruction. They do not necessarily require the same correction.
Agree who will maintain the information
Assign responsibility for room details and name an equipment contact. Check the relevant information again when a table moves, a screen is replaced or a room is renamed. Also agree where to make changes if the calendar, booking system and room signage draw information from different sources.
Save the date and result of the review. The goal is for the employee to be able to select a suitable room based on the information displayed and arrive at the same room with the expected equipment.
See the options for meeting room booking in MyDesk.
Use the audio, room and participant checklist for hybrid meetings.