Meetings come in all shapes and sizes and so do the conference rooms that host them. Thoughtful design and careful planning ensure you make the most of every gathering in your conference space. Here are answers to top conference room design questions:
Is Effective Conference Space Important?
Comfortable and effective conference space impacts how productive meetings are—and meeting productivity is likely a top concern of many of your employees. According to Forbes, poorly organized meetings are a top ten office annoyance, with more than two in three office workers surveyed citing it as a pet peeve.
Too often, workers are forced to convene in cluttered spaces that are not set up to contribute to productive work. Simple fixes—from including appropriate seating options, to the appropriate number of seats around the table and taking things like storage, hospitality, tech integration and room features that facilitate ideation—can better support using meeting time productively.
Our experts have prioritized a budget-friendly approach to make your conference space an incubator for productive meetings.
How do I design a conference room on a budget?
There’s not a one-size fits all approach to conference room design: What team needs to make conference rooms high-performing spaces varies. Budgeting for your conference room refresh should be driven by what you need the room to accomplish. A simple in-person ideation space versus a video conference destination come with different costs.
Where should you spend vs. save when outfitting your conference space?
We recommend starting with what your room needs to accomplish and using that to drive your design and budgeting approach. That said, there are some key areas our customers tend to appreciate spending a bit more and some key areas where we help identify opportunities to save:
Spend:
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Outfitting your space with high-quality; durable options: Your conference space will be a high-traffic area. Ensuring you select commercial-grade options that will continue to look polished and professional over time. Conference spaces tend to show wear and tear faster than other office spaces.
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Storage: Adding storage will help encourage employees to keep the room organized. Keeping remotes and cords stashed minimizes the clutter.
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A food and bev service area: Including items like a laminate credenza will double as storage and serve as space for a coffee center or buffet lunches. Adding hospitality goes a long way in creating a place where employees feel productive.
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Tech integrations: Conference tables with integrated power and wire management will minimize disruptions and keep people powered-up and ready to check off meeting agendas.
Save:
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Buying appropriate conference seating: Don’t over-outfit your conference room with seating. Save the fancy ergonomic features for desk seating. The ideal conference chair is comfortable but not super adjustable because occupants are not often sitting there for very extended periods of time.
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Conference tables made from delicate materials: A stylish wood-grained laminate table can provide the warm, residential look and feel and be durable to look great over time in this high-traffic space.
But the No. place to focus your spend is on seating. Giving people the appropriate conference chair will go a long way in helping them stay focused and productive while in the conference room.
What are top conference room design mistakes to avoid?
A top conference room design mistake is overcrowding the space. Squeezing too many chairs around the table likely will hinder meeting participation and effectiveness. Here are some guidelines to help make sure you’re giving conference room users room to do their best work:
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How many chairs fit around a conference table: The rule of thumb here is that the table length dictates the number of chairs. A 6-foot table can comfortably seat 6 people; an 8-foot table, 8 people. This holds true for rectangle, racetrack and boat shaped conference tables.
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How large should a conference room be: You generally want at least 3-4 feet between the table and the walls on the sides of a conference table. You’ll want more space at the head of the table if the room is meant to hold presentations. You’ll want 5 feet of space for the speaker/presenter.
How do I design a conference room for video conferencing or virtual meetings?
Effectively connecting with virtual meeting participants is a top consideration of our customers. Additional considerations for these spaces includes:
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Pushing the conference table against a wall to form a collaborative half circle
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Including mobile TV stands
Learn more about conference room design with our Conference Room Planning and Measurement Guide, Collaborative conference room ebook and post on wire management for your conference room.