Unique New York. Anyone who has spent time working in the big city knows that it lives up to its tongue-twister. Doing business in New York is fast-paced, it’s high-energy, it’s exciting. And while all of these traits are great, they can bring their own set of challenges and frustrations — especially when it comes to finding the right space for meetings.

There are tons of reasons companies plan remote meetings in major cities around the world, but in New York City it often comes down to three key factors: time, speed, and cost — and each reason lends itself to different needs. Here are a few NYC-specific scenarios that benefit from remote meeting rooms, and the different amenities each meeting deserves. After all, not all meeting rooms are created equal.

When you need extra space and you don’t want to spend all day getting there

Any New Yorker knows there’s nothing quite like New York traffic. If you’ve ever tried to get from a morning meeting in Brooklyn over to Midtown for a late lunch, you’ll appreciate it when we say that the city tends to have a two meeting/day cap. Try stacking your calendar with anything more than that and you’ll find yourself spending more time in the backseat of a Lyft than in front of your computer, coworkers, or clients.

But imagine you could plan your remote meetings to be within walking distance of your office? Whether that means hosting clients and customers in your own borough, or finding room for creative brainstorming sessions that don’t require schlepping across town, convenient meeting space can alleviate New Yorkers’ calendar restrictions, stress levels, and rideshare bills.

Meanwhile, for teams in pitch-mode, being able to prep and/or host somewhere central can be a huge advantage. A private space in Lower Manhattan like this one on Bowery Street gives them an uncluttered area to finalize proposals, before heading off to their high-stakes meeting, or get work done between meetings without resorting to a loud coffee shop.

Some of our faves for convenience:

• 1350 Avenue Of The Americas (Midtown): Great location for meetings with out-of-towners — consider ordering in from nearby Carnegie Deli to give them a true New York experience.
• 64 West 3rd Street (Lower Manhattan): Based in NYU territory, this spot is good for smaller team meetings and consultations alike.

When your calendar is demanding and you can’t afford to miss a step

In a city as fast and competitive as New York, you have no choice but to keep up. That means having access to meeting rooms and office spaces that can ebb and flow as flexibly as your schedule.

Nobody wants to host a client meeting, only to cut the discussion short because their meeting room booking is over, or lose credibility thanks to noise levels and other distractions in a coworking space. Your team wants to feel like they own the space they’re in — whether that’s for an afternoon, a month, or a year.

If it’s spillover space close to home that you need, we’ve got you. Regardless of its specific purpose, a small offshoot to call your own can really come in handy.

Some of our faves for flexibility:

• 608 Fifth Avenue (Midtown West): Ideal for presentations, team meetings, workshops, or client meetings — and, of course, adding a pop of lime green to your day.
• 37 West 20th Street (Midtown): Designed for brainstorming sessions, presentations, or small events, in the heart of the Flatiron district.

When you’re in a state of flux and need room to grow

New York meeting room space is at a premium — especially in water-locked Manhattan. And we all know that the city’s low inventory had led to exceptionally high rental costs. If your company is growing quickly, it can be really challenging to find the right space. You might be anticipating 50% growth by the end of the year, but in a city where square footage doesn’t come cheap, it’s hard to justify paying more rent before they all get there.

If this is what you’re coming up against, outsourcing meeting rooms could be your saving grace. As your workforce grows they’ll need more collaborative spaces (nobody wants to take a conference call in a closet), but you shouldn’t have to pay rent full-time for meeting rooms that sit empty for huge portions of the work week.  

Maybe your open concept Brooklyn startup doesn’t have much privacy for annual reviews or sensitive leadership meetings — at least, not without taking up the only boardroom. In that case, a meeting room on Court Street could fit the bill. (The air conditioning alone is reason enough to book in July or August.)

Or maybe you need something extra full-time. An intelligent design should be able to give different pods the homebase they need until your next big office move, or transform into a second boardroom on an affordable as-needed basis.

Think of your main office as a central hub, with nearby rooms that you can easily spill into on an as-needed basis. When looking for remote meeting rooms, it’s important to find spaces with all of the equipment your teams need — ranging from HD TVs, to whiteboards, to flexible seating.

In a state of flux? Outsourcing can give your team some much needed stability.

Some of our faves for longer term flex space:

• 86 Chambers Street (Lower Manhattan): This 1030-square foot industrial space can serve as an interim home-away-from-home for the day, week, month, or longer.
• 875 Washington Street (Midtown): With multiple spaces for breakout conversations, this space is perfect as a longer-term solution for an entire team.
• 37 East 28th Street (NoMaD): A comfortable HQ — complete with kitchenette — for as long as you need it.

With over 150 unique workspaces in New York alone, Breather will have something to fit your team’s needs. Browse the rest of our New York offices, or check out where else Breather has offsite locations.