What is Meeting Management?

Meetings are a source of wasted time and frustrated people!

In fact, according to recent research, meetings are considered the No. 1 time-waster at the office.

Add it all up to 62 hours a month that the average office worker spends sitting in meetings, 37% of which are ranked as having no value. Just as frustrating as an unnecessary or low-value meeting is the inefficient tasks that are required to meet in the first place.

Workers report that one of the most significant meeting challenges and reasons for friction in the workplace is finding a place to meet and to manage all the associated tasks and to-dos that comes with booking a meeting.

Consider the different organizational units involved in meetings. Facility Management must ensure that the right amount and configuration of rooms are available with the necessary table arrangements. The corporate kitchen prepares food, beverages, or other services. Reception must track the day's visitors, manage check-ins, print visitor badges, notify the host upon attendee arrivals, and check-out guests. Finance must settle costs and manage tax and cost centers.

It's an error prone team sport

Meeting management is a true cross-organizational discipline with many tasks elements that are prone to poor processes that harpoon employee productivity. Without the right tools that integrate the process and bind organizational units together, every one-hour meeting is more likely a five-hour meeting.

A 1-hour meeting, is never just a 1-hour meeting

Meeting organizers are tasked to assemble a group of busy people at the same time and place. Once everyone agrees on a time to meet, organizers must find a meeting room that fits their needs, reserve audio-visual equipment, order catering, and other additional services, register guests at the reception, and ensure the necessary information is available to the finance department for tax purposes.

When finally finished coordinating a meeting, meeting planners may find that they’ve spent more time scheduling the meeting than they’ll spend in the meeting itself.

Meeting Management software helps

Navigating and understanding the space of Meeting Management can be complex.

In this site we have gathered the most important information on Meeting Management Software and Applications helping you dive into the solution landscape and category.

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The role of Meeting Management

The role of Meeting ManagementRead More

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What does Meeting Management software do?

What does Meeting Management software do?Read More

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Learn about the category

Learn about the categoryRead More

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Meeting Management according to Gartner

Meeting Management according to GartnerRead More

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The most common features of Meeting Management software

The most common features of Meeting Management softwareRead More

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Meeting Room Management according to G2

Meeting Room Management according to G2Read More

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Features and function must haves

Features and function must havesRead More

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Where does AskCody fit in

Where does AskCody fit inRead More

Introduction to Meeting Management Software

The Role of Meeting Management Software

Meeting management software helps organizations plan, coordinate, and optimize meetings by integrating scheduling, room booking, resource allocation, and analytics into a single software platform or application. It ensures that meeting spaces are utilized efficiently, reducing disruptions and enhancing productivity across a workplace.

Meeting room booking systems simplify and optimize the process of scheduling meetings and reserving physical spaces. While the name suggests a focus on conference rooms, many solutions also supports and play an important role in booking desks, larger venues, and other shared resources.

Meeting Managmenet software, or Meeting Room Booking systems centralize all aspects of managing meeting spaces, often integrating with or including features similar to visitor management, venue management, service or catering management, digital signage, and calendar software. This ensures a seamless experience by covering every aspect of booking and utilizing physical spaces efficiently.

Organizations that implement meeting management software benefit from:

Automated and intelligent scheduling

Avoid conflicts and double bookings with intelligent scheduling tools.

Optimized workspace utilization

Ensure meeting rooms, desks, workspace resources, and shared spaces are used efficiently.

Seamless resource and service management

Manage AV equipment, catering, and visitor access effortlessly.

Data-driven decision making

Gain insights into meeting trends, space utilization, and employee collaboration.

What is it?

What does Meeting Management Software do?

A Meeting Management software platform or application supports organizations in outlining, organizing, running, services, managing, and evaluate great meetings.

Meeting Management Software is designed to streamline and optimize the entire meeting process, from scheduling to execution and follow-up. It integrates various tools and automation features to ensure meetings are efficient, well-organized, and free from common administrative burdens.

It's the piece of software you didn’t know your business needed.

Despite the seemingly straightforward purpose, Meeting Management software come packed with features sure to keep an office organized and on track to ensure many important aspects and functions of running a modern workplace and office:

One of the key functions of meeting management software is scheduling and coordination. It automates the process of booking meetings, preventing conflicts and double bookings. By integrating with calendars like Microsoft 365, it synchronizes schedules, suggests available time slots, and ensures smooth coordination among participants.
Another essential feature is room and resource booking. The software allows users to reserve meeting rooms, desks, and shared workspaces while also managing necessary resources like AV equipment, catering, and other meeting essentials. This prevents ghost bookings and ensures that unused spaces are automatically released for others to use.
Visitor management is also a crucial component. The software enables organizations to pre-register guests, send automated invites with entry details, and streamline check-in processes for a more professional and secure experience. It can also integrate with access control systems to enhance security.
To help businesses make data-driven decisions, meeting management software provides workspace and meeting analytics. By tracking room utilization and meeting trends, it offers insights into how efficiently workspaces are being used. This data helps optimize office layouts, reduce unnecessary costs, and improve overall meeting culture.
Another major advantage of meeting management software is automated check-ins and no-show management. Attendees receive reminders and check-in prompts before their meetings. If a participant doesn’t show up, the system can automatically release the reserved room, ensuring space is not wasted. This feature helps enforce workspace policies and increases efficiency in shared office environments.
Finaly, with hybrid work and flexible office environments becoming the norm, businesses need a centralized platform to manage meetings effectively. Meeting management software eliminates manual processes, enhances productivity, and ensures that meeting spaces are used optimally to support business goals.

Learn about the Category

Understanding the category of Meeting Management Software

The Meeting Management software category is a bit like an amorphous net that, depending on whom you ask, can encompass much more than initially meets the eye.

Like most tech segments, the category is ever-changing as new technologies develop and new expectations of what it means to be an efficient office evolve.

Meeting Management systems, Resource Scheduling applications, Meeting Room Booking systems, and (Integrated) Workplace Management systems (IWMS). What is the difference? Is there one? Each of these software solutions supports various aspects of scheduling spaces and amenities in a corporate setting, but on different levels, with dirrefent complexities and for different types of users across the workplace.

Overall, these solutions simplify the process of finding available space and resources, which saves time better spent on more essential tasks.

Executed broadly and effectively, they transform workplaces and workplace experiences.

Technically speaking, each of these categories falls under the general umbrella of Resource Scheduling, which can include everything from room rentals to visitor management and beyond. Is a Meeting Management system that only helps users find and book rooms considered Resource Scheduling? Yes.

How about a fully integrated system that takes care of everything – rooms, catering, messaging, visitor management, and analytics? Yes.

So before understand the category, it is actually even more important that you understand the chalenge and pain that you solving for, before looking for a solution to fix your problem.

You need the right software

Without the right software, meeting scheduling and workplace bookings are eating time and killing productivity

Meeting scheduling and managing workplace bookings is an everyday activity in the workplace. Still, although being a routine activity, it is often cumbersome, labor-intensive, and time-consuming, and for too many organizations a task that hasn’t received the attention deserved, compared with the value a streamlined process brings to the company.

For many organizations, meeting managers, assistants, facility managers, canteen managers, and all involved in meeting planning, managing their job related to a specific meeting, is based on manual processes.

When booking a meeting, these meeting stakeholders are faced with a number of challenges due to primarily manual work procedures and siloed, un-integrated solutions by a variety of different vendors, or simply just due to trying to manage meetings and associated services in an old paper log or using Spreadsheets.

Meeting planners can easily spend more time scheduling the meeting than the duration of the meeting itself. On average, a meeting can take 20 minutes to book. And this might not even include ordering associated services like catering, a table arrangement, AV equipment, or contacting facilities management to ensure that the right IT equipment is onsite and operating in the room.

Now add the time spent on booking a desk, workstation, huddle room, focus room, or just some space for that project meeting next week your hosting.

No, or poor solutions, has three major consequenses for meeting planners

As scheduling procedures are labor-intensive and manually demanding, it can be a challenge to maintain a full overview of all meeting activities and meeting facilities. This ends up having an effect of poor room utilization which is expensive-
Manual processes result in unnecessary time and resources wasted on informing all parties involved using multiple solutions and communication channels which has critical consequences for businesses. People get stressed and frustrated, and friction is added to the workplace experience.
Using decentralized or disjointed solutions for meeting scheduling and communication with involved parties increases the risk of errors in your planning and room booking and often forces you to re-do the entire process over and over again with no value added to the task at all.

Who are the users

Who uses and benefits from Meeting Management Software?

Who feels the productivity pinch at every meeting and your organization?

There are teams throughout the organization who feel the productivity pinch at every meeting. Consider the Facility Services, Company Cafeteria, Front Desk, and Finance Department whom all have a role to play to ensure a smooth, seamless end-to-end meeting process that makes the most out of the entire organization's resources at every meeting.

Then think of all the employees and administrative assistants who book and manage these meetings, too. Everyone has a role to play in smooth meeting scheduling and management. That’s why meeting management must be handled in intelligent systems that allow organizations to get the most out of their time spent on meetings.

So, who uses and benefits from Meeting Management Software?

Meeting management software is essential for organizations that rely on structured meetings, efficient workspace utilization, and seamless collaboration. Various industries and roles benefit from these solutions, improving productivity, reducing administrative burdens, and optimizing resource allocation.

Businesses and Corporations

Large enterprises, mid-sized companies, and small businesses use meeting management software to streamline scheduling, room booking, and resource coordination. It helps eliminate scheduling conflicts, improve meeting efficiency, and provide insights into workspace utilization.

Facility and Office Managers

Facility managers and office administrators benefit from these tools as they gain control over workspace management. They can track room occupancy, ensure optimal use of meeting spaces, and manage visitor check-ins effortlessly.

IT and Operations Teams

IT departments rely on meeting management software to integrate with existing enterprise tools like Microsoft 365. Operations teams use it to automate workflows, maintain compliance, and enhance overall workplace efficiency.

Engaging_in_a_meeting

HR and People Operations

HR professionals use meeting management software to coordinate training sessions, interviews, and team-building events. It also ensures a smooth experience for employees and visitors by managing access and security measures.

Event Planners and Conference Services Coordinators

For those managing large events, conferences, or corporate gatherings, the software provides tools for scheduling, venue management, and equipment allocation. It helps maintain order and ensures seamless coordination between teams.

Consulting and Professional Services

Law firms, financial consultants, and advisory firms benefit from meeting management software by improving client meeting scheduling, reducing administrative tasks, and ensuring confidential discussions take place in secure, booked spaces.

Why it all matters

Across industries, meeting management software enhances productivity, reduces wasted time, and ensures smooth collaboration. By automating scheduling, resource allocation, and visitor management, organizations can focus on what truly matters: effective decision-making and seamless operations.

Eliminating tedious manual tasks with the right software

With the right Meeting Management software, organizations can truly digitalize their workplace: no more paper-based booking methods, spreadsheets, and other outdated tools that add to the workload of busy administrative staff.

Meeting Management software allows organizations to ditch the manual, back-and-forth processes of arranging meetings with phone calls, emails, and post-it notes. Users manage everything within one, integrated, and familiar interface.

This reduces the organizational load by slashing the number of hours each employee spends on scheduling and organizing meetings and increases operational efficiency by enabling people to meet more effortlessly.

“We chose the AskCody Meeting Management and Resource Scheduling platform, and today we have a solution that very well meets our needs and makes everyday life more efficient for our employees and visitors."

Sondre AndersenDigitalization & IT Manager

According to Gartner

Meeting Management according to Gartner

According to Gartner Peer Insights, the resource scheduling market consists of vendors that offer technologies that support various aspects of scheduling for corporate facilities such as meeting rooms, conference spaces, offices, and desk hoteling. These software solutions may also include scheduling of other services such as catering and visitor management.

A highlight and key feature of resources scheduling software is that it allows organizations to support large and mobile workforces with a smaller real estate footprint without sacrificing employee productivity. Meeting management and resources scheduling applications simplify the process of finding an available space, determining which amenities are provided, booking the space, and providing other services.

What are the most common attributes?

Meeting Management software consists of many elements playing together in harmony

Room and workspace scheduling
Associated service requests and scheduling
Integration with calendars and other applications such as Microsoft 365, Microsoft Exchange, and Outlook
Hardware compatibility, including sensors for space utilization and meeting room displays

Visitor management, vendor management, and facilities management
Access via mobile devices to support activity-based work and the mobile workforce
Workplace utilization analysis to track data related to the usage of physical spaces and equipment

According to G2

Meeting Room Booking according to G2

Gartner takes a highly functional lens to what these solutions offer companies. G2 includes most of the same features and functions that Gartner calls out in their definition of meeting room booking systems—such as booking capabilities and integration with calendars and email systems—but they also more prominently comment on the value added to individual users.

According to G2, meeting room booking systems provide simple tools for reserving conference rooms and other spaces or resources within an office or workplace. The software ensures that organizers and attendees have the necessary accommodations for important meetings, and at the same time, office managers maintain an accurate, up-to-date view of how the company utilizes resources. Office managers can even program the solution with user permissions and other restrictions to ensure appropriate utilization of resources.

Meeting room booking systems help users plan and invite others to meetings, scrums, sales calls, one-on-ones, and brainstorming sessions. The tools make the process of booking rooms and inviting attendees more efficient and prevent double bookings and other meeting faux paus.

G2 also notes that the best and most comprehensive meeting room booking systems include analytics features to offer insight into shared space usage and help refine room-scheduling protocol.

These tools often integrate with or share features of a visitor management software to check in and track information about meeting attendees. This is particularly useful for attendees from outside the company.

Digital signage is also a component of many meeting room booking systems, which display meeting details on tablets or digital displays.

Talking features and functions

A Meeting Room Booking system must:

Provide an overview of company conference rooms, along with scheduled meeting times and details
Allow users with the appropriate permissions to book available meeting rooms, meeting services, modify event details, and invite attendees
Equip administrators (such as office managers) with tools to modify user permissions, room and resource details, and specific meeting information
Allow Conference Services and Hospitality Teams to support and manage meetings and conference scheduling, overseeing conference centers
Integrate with Microsoft Outlook, Teams and Microsoft 365
Enable easy room search and booking; users should quickly find and reserve available rooms based on time, location, or required amenities.
Prevent Double-Bookings and conflicts
Automate check-ins and no-show handling by requirering users to confirm attendance; releases unoccupied rooms if no one checks in.
Provide integrated catering and service requests that enables users to order catering, IT support, or room setup during the booking process, thereby notifying facility teams of service requests in real time.
Provide comprehensive Visitor Management for pre-registering visitors sending automated invitations with meeting details, enableing self-check-in via kiosks or QR codes, reducing front-desk workload, and notifying hosts when their visitors arrive.

AskCody's Position

Where does AskCody fit in?

AskCody’s net in the Meeting Management and Resource Scheduling market is wide. It covers every element mentioned above, and many that are not. We are a part of the Meeting Management market, but we are so much more. We help organizations get meeting management under control.

That’s because AskCody’s entire purpose revolves around efficiency. We dismantled every second of the meeting and resource booking process, examined it from the inside out, and engineered solutions that eliminated wasted time and effort. We found weak spots and frustrations from the front desk to the final meeting minute and rooted them out, replacing them with a technological solution that makes offices more efficient than ever.

More than just a platform to pull of flawless meetings, AskCody is the one tool employees need for booking resources when traveling between offices, finding hot desks, and tracking down colleagues.

The crux of the Meeting Management market matter

No matter what you call the market or which tools you determine are most important for your office, your resource scheduling system should be a tool that drives efficiency and saves time. Meeting room booking and resources scheduling eliminate manual processes and disjointed point solutions and transform your office into a modern environment.

At AskCody, we help companies make that massive shift to a more advanced and modern technological hub that transforms cross-organizational processes, improves productivity, and drives operational efficiency to optimize the way the workplace is managed and how people work, meet, and collaborate.

Meeting management and resource scheduling platforms play an important role in today’s modern workplace. They free employees from some of the most tedious office tasks and enable them to spend more time on what matters.

Offices cannot move forward by holding on to the same technologies of yesterday. The workplace of tomorrow emerges when employees are empowered to work better.

Can you run a modern workplace without Meeting Management software?

Of course!

It's for sure possible for businesses to schedule and plan all the aspects for a meeting without investing in a meeting room booking system or meeting management software, but it almost definitely requires at least three different tools.

Outlook for meeting invites
A tool for room booking
And a third solution for serivce requests, catering or visitors.

Real Meeting Management Software consolidate all the features any organization would need to effectively plan meetings into a single system. These tools even offer additional functionality that will certainly be helpful in managing a physical office space like providing meeting room displays, catering, services, and productivity analytics.

What is Meeting Management Software

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Meetings are a source of wasted time and frustrated people!

Navigating and understanding the space of Meeting Management can be complex.

The Role of Meeting Management Software

What does Meeting Management Software do?

Understanding the category of Meeting Management Software

Without the right software, meeting scheduling and workplace bookings are eating time and killing productivity

Who uses and benefits from Meeting Management Software?

Eliminating tedious manual tasks with the right software

Meeting Management according to Gartner

The Market Guide

Meeting Management software consists of many elements playing together in harmony

Meeting Room Booking according to G2

A Meeting Room Booking system must:

Where does AskCody fit in?

Ready to learn more about Meeting Management