A leading UK events company has reported an increase in demand for small meeting rooms from space-strapped businesses keen to interact with clients and colleagues face to face.

Sodexo Sports & Leisure, which partners sports stadia, galleries, museums and tourist attractions across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, takes enquiries from event bookers through a central sales hub.

And its team has noticed a growing trend for meeting rooms for around 20 delegates or fewer – which, Sodexo UK Sales Hub manager, Tracey McDade, said: “It indicates two things.

“It shows that businesses are recognising the value of personal – rather than digital – communication and it also shows that, where many companies used to have spare, on-site office space, that is now at a premium.”

Sodexo’s portfolio comprises more than 50 UK venues, including Scotland’s National Stadium Hampden Park, Belfast’s National Football Stadium Windsor Park, Bateaux London, The Crystal and Brighton’s AMEX Stadium.

Each has a variety of conferencing and events spaces which are available for everything from private dining and team building events to large scale gala dinners and award ceremonies.

But, while demand for large spaces has remained healthy, it is the smaller ones which are enjoying a surge in popularity and Tracey said businesses increasingly value the importance of stepping away from their place of work when catching up with colleagues or clients in a different environment.

“It’s about bringing people together in a neutral space,” she said. “Nothing frees the mind and inspires creativity and imagination quite like a change of scene.

“And if that new setting can be somewhere inspirational – like a sport stadium or museum – then it can be incredibly beneficial in a way that a conference call or email conversation simply can’t match.”

In order to help meeting and event bookers navigate their way through the choice of venues, spaces and catering packages on offer, Sodexo’s UK Sales Hub offers, essentially, a concierge service, taking the customer through the entire process – from initial enquiry to booking – in one step.

For full details of the Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events portfolio see #BringingPeopleTogether and @SodexoPrestige, call the UK Sales Hub on 0845 6055 699, email Venues&Events.Prestige.UK@Sodexo.com or visit www.prestigevenuesandevents.sodexo.com.