6 Tips for Furnishing Your Meeting or Conference Room

Meeting and conference rooms are typical office fixtures that play a vital role in the workplace. They serve as dedicated spaces where employees can hold brainstorming sessions, pitches, presentations, seminars, and other gatherings for work-related matters.

Due to the number of functions they’re meant to serve, meeting and conference rooms must be designed as purposefully as possible. Thoughtfully designed meeting and conference spaces, after all, can increase employees’ focus, fuel their creativity, and encourage greater collaboration with peers, supervisors, and other stakeholders—therefore improving particular outcomes like headway on a major project.

All the same, creating the perfect meeting or conference room atmosphere can be challenging. Companies have to consider a variety of factors, like the right type of office furniture and an appropriate budget for the overall design project.

To that end, here are some practical meeting and conference room furnishing tips from LookingFour. These should help you craft official meeting and conference spaces that can turn routine gatherings into engaging, productive, and collaborative sessions that will boost business growth.

1. Always Remember That Comfort Is Key

Depending on the agenda, some meetings or conferences can last for hours. If employees are expected to attend lengthy discussions on a regular basis, ensuring their comfort will be crucial towards helping them stay focused and engaged.

Knowing that, invest in meeting and conference room furniture like office chairs that have ample padding and that offer good lumbar support. These will reduce the aches and pains that often occur from sitting for extended periods. They can also improve your employees’ posture, promoting better spine and neck health.

You’ll also want to choose office chairs and tables that are easy to adjust. This way, your conference room can flexibly accommodate a large number of employees of various heights and preferences, and they’ll be able to sit comfortably during long work-related discussions.

2. Optimize the Room’s Layout and Space

You should also make sure to optimize the layout of your meeting or conference room, especially if you have space constraints. Furnish the room so that it feels neither too bare nor too cramped.

The ideal office furniture for your meeting or conference room will depend on how big it actually is. For example, if it’s big enough to comfortably accommodate up to thirty people, it makes more to invest in a long boardroom table. For a small room that you’ll use for seminars, where classroom-like interactions are common, you can outfit the space with an appropriate number of smaller office desks.

To find the perfect table size for a large room, make sure that there’s at least a three-meter difference between the length of the table and the length of the conference room. You can further achieve economy of space in a small room using round tables, as these are more compact compared to rectangular surfaces and their shape will foster a sense of equality and togetherness among employees.

3. Provide Adequate Storage Solutions

If your conference room has some space to spare, you can use it to integrate various storage solutions. Organized storage contributes to a clutter-free environment and makes it easier to access essential items like office supplies, ensuring that the flow of your meetings won’t get disrupted.

Office storage furniture comes in various styles, so simply choose a unit that suits your meeting room’s size requirements and theme. For example, if you have additional floor space beside the conference table, you can place a stylish credenza there to provide a high-impact look to the room. If you’re pressed for space, however, you can furnish the room with a conference table that comes with under-the-table storage instead. Multipurpose furniture items such as this one can improve the functionality of the space and give attendees an easier time managing their stuff during gatherings.

4. Mind the Acoustics

It will be difficult to concentrate in meetings or conferences if you’re constantly being disturbed by noises like the sound of a printer running, papers being shuffled, or keyboards clacking loudly. To help address this issue, you may want to incorporate sound-absorbing materials into the meeting room to effectively reduce auditory distractions. Acoustic wall panels, drapes, and carpeted flooring are just some examples of solutions you can apply.

5. Add Some Outdoor Touches Indoors

Placing indoor plants inside your conference room may be a great way to liven up the space and create a calm, but productive atmosphere. Peace lilies, dracaenas, and snake plants can all add natural elements to the room, giving it a more vibrant appeal. They can also help regulate humidity in that area of your office and allow meeting attendees to feel more refreshed and at ease.

6. Feature Some Wall Art or Photography in Your Meeting or Conference Room

Bare walls can make your meeting room look and feel dull or sterile. It’s a good idea to brighten up the space by hanging some wall art or photography. Paintings, posters, and large framed photographs can all give the room more character, which can temper a dull and intimidating setting and, in turn, stimulate casual conversation and creativity among your employees.

Embracing the power of interior design, especially for meeting and conference rooms, can be one of the best things to do to spur growth and productivity within your company. With the help of these tips from LookingFour, you can turn your meeting or conference room into a space that truly encourages a meeting of minds!