In the post-COVID era, the office has transformed. With hybrid work now the norm, employees are coming into the office primarily to collaborate. This shift has dramatically increased the demand for enclosed, tech-enabled spaces like conference rooms. It’s no surprise that workplace planners often ask, “Do we have enough conference rooms?” But the answer isn’t always about adding more—it’s about having the right size and right mix.
Why Can’t I Ever Find a Room When I Need One?
In many workplaces, the signs of poor space planning are subtle at first: employees complain that the booking system can’t find available rooms, even when rooms appear empty. Large conference rooms are booked for two-person meetings, while those needing privacy settle for noisy open collaboration zones. Some companies even rely on floor concierges to walk around noting room usage manually—a practice prone to inaccuracy.
Other indicators include:
-
Frequent no-shows or underuse of reserved spaces (aka "ghost bookings")
-
Overbooked mid-size rooms, while larger rooms sit idle
-
Employees opting for private calls in hallways or stairwells due to lack of enclosed space
-
Conflicting perceptions between departments about room availability
All of this makes it hard to answer: Are your rooms really in use—or just poorly matched to how your teams work?
Your Data-Backed Answer Is in the Group Size Chart
This is where the Group Size chart in Connect comes in.
How to Use It:
Step 1: Filter by Tag
Set the Space Type Tag filter to Conference Room.
Step 2: Interpret the Chart
The chart shows the distribution of group sizes using conference rooms, across all recorded meetings. Each bar represents how often a certain group size used the room. The total height of the blue bars represents the average utilization of the room overall.
What to Look For:
-
If your 12-person conference rooms are only used by 12 people 2% of the time, they may be oversized for everyday use.
-
If the majority of meetings only include 2–4 people, you likely need more small meeting rooms and fewer large ones.
-
Compare usage trends by room size to see if smaller rooms are under-provisioned.
This insight helps you align your supply of meeting spaces with actual usage—empowering better decisions on how many large, medium, and small rooms you really need.
Dig Deeper: When Are Conference Rooms in Highest Demand?
To supplement the group size chart, we recommend viewing:
-
Average Utilization by Time of Day: Spot peak meeting hours—are mornings consistently busy while afternoons remain open?
-
Utilization by Day of Week: Identify midweek pressure points (usually Tuesday–Thursday) when most meetings happen.
These charts help uncover when your rooms are needed most, adding another layer of insight for scheduling and planning.
What to Do If the Data Confirms Low Conference Room Demand?
If your data shows that rooms are at or near full capacity during peak times, here are ways to solve it:
-
Add more rooms—or repurpose existing space into smaller enclosed meeting rooms.
-
Right-size the mix: Keep one large room for board or all-hands meetings, but convert the rest to match common group sizes.
-
Deploy behavioral nudges: Encourage teams to book appropriately sized rooms.
-
Integrate utilization data with your booking system to reduce ghost bookings and free up unused space.
Example: If you have 6 conference rooms that seat 6 or more, but data shows they are only being used 18% of the time, this suggests significant underutilization. You could consider keeping two rooms at this size to support occasional larger meetings, and repurpose the other four into smaller rooms that better reflect typical group sizes—ultimately improving availability and overall efficiency.
Use Your Space Data for Smarter Planning
Connect gives you the clarity to move from gut feeling to data-backed decisions. By analyzing how rooms are used—not just whether they’re booked—you can:
-
Improve the meeting experience
-
Reduce complaints about room availability
-
Optimize real estate without adding cost
Curious if your conference rooms truly fit the way your teams meet? We've got you covered—check out our friendly deep-dive on how to use the Group Size Chart and see what your space is really telling you.