Who cares about how the conference room looks, right? After all, clients and employees only care about how business is conducted. Nobody really pays attention to the conference room design.
Wrong!
The layout and design of the conference room matters. This is where important decisions are made. And this is where companies and clients forge and build long-term relationships.
Think the design of your meeting area is still insignificant? Looking to optimize your meeting space for better company performance? Read on for some ways the design and layout of your conference rooms impact client relationships!
Open Space Encourages Communication
Getting the space right in a conference room can be challenging. Not every conference room is the same size. And not every client has the same taste in room preference. So, what’s the most effective conference room design to create with every client in mind?
The rule of thumb for space is this: Too little and too much space are equally uncomfortable. You want to make sure that everyone in the meeting isn’t bumping into one another. But too much space can feel cold, intimidating, and impersonal. People communicate better when there’s space between them. You can encourage more communication by creating space that’s not too spacious.
Keep the table away from the walls and center it appropriately. People should be able to pull their chairs in and out with ease. Finding a balance between the walls and furniture is also key. That means making sure space works for big and small meetings alike. You’ll also want to make sure there are also enough chairs to go around!
Natural Light Enhances the Mood
People can feel drained when they’re surrounded by fluorescent lights all day. And some people even get headaches from the harshness of them. Most offices have fluorescent lighting. So, this the challenge when it comes to planning the lighting in your conference room design. This is where natural light comes in.
Natural light is softer than artificial light. Yet, it turns out that brightness affects mood both negatively and positively. So, ultra-bright days can have as gloomy of an effect as rainy days. That’s where it helps to have curtains or blinds. That way, you can tone down the brightness of a room when need be. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help conference rooms that have few or no windows. But luckily, you can incorporate floor and desk lamps.
Aim for lamps and lighting systems that are easily adjusted with dimmers. That way, you can adjust the lighting and make it mimic natural light as much as possible.
Poor Sound Management is Distracting
Conference rooms with poor acoustics can subconsciously affect clients and their decisions. So, it’s important to pay attention to how sounds reverberate and echo throughout the room. Consider how the chairs sound when they’re pulled in and out. Listen to how things sound when they’re dropped, or how laptops sound when used in the room. This is also a good time to test the sound equipment of the computers or projectors. Are they distracting and noisy? Every now and then, check the chairs and tables. If they wobble or squeak, fix or replace them.
Don’t underestimate sound when planning your conference room design!
Technology Can Help (or Hinder) the Experience
Projectors, computers, TV screens, and whiteboards are staples of the conference room. Your meetings can’t survive without them. But when can they be a problem? For one thing, it’s embarrassing when a display screen or whiteboard is too small. Broken equipment or computer chords that spill over each other look just as bad. It’s important to plan around the purpose of the room. You should have the necessary equipment and make enough room for it.
With that said, you should also be wary of excess decor. It’s good to add personal touches like paintings, photographs, or plants. But too much decor, or decor that speaks loudly, can be distracting. It’s also important to choose the right furniture that’s both professional and comfortable. The more comfortable the clients are, the happier they’ll be.
Find Your Perfect Conference Room Design
Ready to generate more clients and build better partnerships? Prepared to create a meeting space that clients and employees alike will love? We’re all about creating the best business environments here at Work Space Solutions.
Contact us today for your conference room furniture needs!