How to Choose a Seminar Room: 10 Questions to Ask Before Booking

Choosing a seminar room is about more than a photo and a price. Before booking, find out the capacity in your chosen layout, the real total price, the equipment, the catering and the cancellation terms. Below are ten questions you can put to every venue and then compare the quotes honestly.

Before you ask: define your needs

If you do not know what you are looking for, the venue cannot give you an accurate quote. Before your first request, write down:

• the number of attendees (and how certain that number is);
• the date of the event and the start and end times, including setup and cleanup;
• the format: lecture, workshop, round tables, meeting;
• the equipment and catering you need;
• your budget range, but not the exact maximum you are willing to pay.

A request like this gets a quick, specific reply. A vague "how much does the room cost?" usually gets the answer "how many people are you?".

10 questions for choosing a seminar room

1. How many people really fit in the room in my layout?

A room's capacity depends on the layout. More people fit in the same room in a theatre layout than in a classroom, round-table or U-shaped layout. Ask for the capacity in each layout separately and ask for a floor plan. If your attendees will be working at tables, the classroom figure is the one that counts.

2. What is included in the price and what is extra?

The price may be hourly, half-day or daily and is often quoted excluding VAT. In Estonia the standard VAT rate is 24% (from 1 July 2025), so a price "excluding VAT" can turn out higher than it first looks. Ask whether the price includes equipment, Wi-Fi, water, coffee, setup and cleaning, and whether anything else is added.

3. Is the price publicly available and is it comparable?

Many Estonian venues do not publish prices and answer "price on request". That is not bad in itself, but to compare you must word your request the same way for everyone. Public prices are a good reference point: for example, the 45 m² seminar room "Sõna" at Telliskivi Loomelinnak costs €45 + VAT per hour (up to 3 hours) and €175 + VAT per day (as of 31 October 2026). Üks Maja in Tallinn lists on its site, for example, the 8-hour price of the Ladvaruum at €275 and the whole-house day price at €550 (excluding VAT). These are examples of how a price can be presented, not the only correct level.

4. When can I start using the room and for how long?

A room "from 9 to 5" often means the seminar must already start at 9. Ask whether there is separate time for setup and cleanup and whether it is included in the price. If chairs and tables have to be rearranged, that takes time.

5. What equipment is in the room and does it work?

Projector or screen, microphone, speakers, presentation clicker, HDMI and USB-C adapters, flipchart. Ask whether you can test the equipment beforehand and whether someone on site can help if something does not work. For a hybrid event, ask separately about the camera, sound and internet.

6. What is the internet like?

"Wi-Fi available" says nothing. If all attendees use a phone and laptop at once, or you are streaming, you need a stable connection. Ask them to check that the same network can carry your number of attendees.

7. What catering is possible and who provides it?

Some venues have their own kitchen and menu; at others you must order coffee breaks and lunch elsewhere, or only the venue's partner caterer is allowed. Ask about the menu options, the price per person, special diets (vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies) and the deadline for confirming the final number of guests.

8. How do people get there and how do they move around?

Parking, public transport, wheelchair access, lift, cloakroom, number of toilets. For attendees this is often more important than the room's decor. If attendees are coming from another town, also look at accommodation nearby.

9. What does the deposit mean and when can I cancel?

Ask whether a deposit is needed to confirm the booking, how much it is and in which cases it is not refunded. Also ask what happens if the number of attendees falls or the date has to change. More detail: deposits and cancellation terms for room hire. For larger sums, have a lawyer check the terms if necessary.

10. Is the date really free and how quickly will I get confirmation?

Some venues say "free" and only later it turns out the same time had already been promised to someone else. Ask whether the room is held for you temporarily and for how long, and how the confirmation will arrive: in writing, with the date, times, room and price.

How to compare quotes

Put the quotes side by side in a table. One simple way is to compare them on the same lines:

The cheapest quote may not be the cheapest: if equipment, coffee and cleaning are separate lines, a higher "day rate" that includes everything may turn out cheaper in the end.

Visit the room before you confirm

If the event is larger or more important, go and see it. Photos are taken from the best angle; in the real room you can see how high the ceiling is, where the pillars are, how much natural light there is and how loudly sound carries from the next room. Take the event programme with you and check where the registration desk fits, where the coffee goes and whether people can move around the room during a break.

Notice the small things too: whether there are enough chairs and tables, whether you may use the walls for posters, whether the room can be dimmed and whether the windows can be covered if you use a projector.

What to do when time is short

If you have to find a room within a couple of days, send the request to three or four venues at once, using the same text. Include directly: date, time, number of attendees, layout, equipment, catering and the question "is the price the total including VAT?". This way you get comparable answers in a single round. Also ask for a temporary hold while you decide, and ask how long it lasts.

Signs that a venue is reliable

• answers your specific questions rather than sending a generic price list;
• the quote is written and readable, with the amounts broken down;
• the deadline and cancellation terms are in writing, not promised verbally;
• invites you to view the room before you pay.

If you rent out rooms yourself

Choosing a room is the organiser's side; on the other side is the venue manager, who gets ten such requests a week. If you are a venue yourself, also see the article venue hire price list template, so that the answers to buyers' questions are ready in advance.

Handling requests faster

If you manage a venue yourself, Saalo helps you reply to requests faster: the request form on your website shows only free times, and the customer sees an estimated price straight away based on your own price rules. See the features. Venues can be searched in the venue directory by town, number of guests and layout.