Planning a team offsite in SE1: what a day delegate rate should include
Our head of events on the questions to ask before you sign: what is in the package, how room blocks work, and where the extra costs hide.
Liam Turner, Head of Events and Groups · 19 September 2026
Most of the companies who meet with us are not running one big conference. They are running the same meeting four or five times a year: a leadership offsite, a quarterly planning session, a sales kick-off, with twenty to forty people and rooms for those travelling in. If that is you, the contract matters more than the canapés. Here is what I would ask any venue, including us.
1. What exactly is in the day delegate rate?
A day delegate rate (DDR) is a per-person price for a meeting day. It usually includes the room, basic AV, coffee breaks and lunch. The differences are in the details: is the coffee unlimited or two breaks only? Is the screen included but the clicker and the microphone extra? Is Wi-Fi good enough for a hybrid call with the people who couldn’t travel? Is lunch a sandwich platter in the room or a sit-down meal? Ask for the package in writing and price the extras you know you will need. Ours is £89 per person including VAT, and includes a video bar, unlimited coffee and a two-course lunch, because those are the things people otherwise end up paying for.
2. How does the room block work?
A block is a number of rooms the hotel holds for your group at an agreed rate. Three dates matter: the rooming list date (when you tell the hotel who is staying), the release date (when unclaimed rooms go back to the hotel) and the attrition terms (how many rooms you can drop without paying for them). Hotels in central London commonly hold you to 80 or 90 percent of the block. If your numbers move around, settle the attrition terms before you settle the rate: a cheap rate with harsh attrition can cost more than a fair rate with room to move.
3. Minimum spends and service charges
Some venues ask for a minimum food and beverage spend on top of the room hire. Others add a service charge to everything, including the room block. Neither is wrong, but both should be on the first page of the proposal, not the last.
4. One contract or four?
If you meet every quarter, ask for one agreement covering the year: the same rates, the same terms and the same contact for every date. You save time on each event and the venue gets to know your group, which is where the real value is. Our planners keep a file on every regular client: who needs a quiet room, who is vegetarian, which layout worked last time.
5. See it before you sign
Do a site visit, ideally with a night in the hotel. Sleep in the room your colleagues will sleep in, eat the lunch they will eat, and try the Wi-Fi. A good venue will be happy to show you round on a weekday, and the best ones will make sure the person who will run your event is there.
If you are planning next year’s programme, send us an enquiry or try the indicative quote.