> doesn't sound unreasonable [...] if you were using a private companies space
I've seen meetups, hosted by Amazon in Boston IIRC, where upon exiting the elevator, you were unexpectedly required to sign an NDA-ish contract in order to leave the vestibule. Now preregistration deadlines, signing in/out, license capture, headshots, and NDAs, aren't necessarily unreasonable for a company. Nor bag searches, nor surrendering electronics to lockers. But as expectations diverge, between "private companies space" and "I'm just here for a room of conversation and pizza", the energy barrier to attending, discomfort, and absence, may increase. Microsoft Boston in contrast, was built with access-control elevators and a floor of conference rooms, and so could provide "just name the meetup at the desk and go up".
It's a bit strange to not have a lower-security more accessible space, though. The previous company I worked at (which was quite security-conscious) hosted meetups like this in the cafeteria which, while not something that normally was accessible to the general public, could be opened up as such without exposing any other part of the building.
This doesn't sound unreasonable to me if you were using a private companies space. The company providing the floor space and security.
Sure there may be easier venues but I wouldn't expect less than this if I was going to be using a company's boardroom for my meeting space.