A guide to the perfect meeting room

Choose your furniture wisely

A meeting room needs to impress clients and promote a relaxed atmosphere that is separate from the rest of your office.

You must fill the space efficiently. The furniture you choose should ideally be moveable, so you have the option of changing the layout whether you’re hosting a meeting for two people or 20 people.

Tables with wheels are a good idea. That way you can easily position them so employees can see, hear and interact with each other more effectively. Furthermore, tables and chairs should be easy to stack away.

You also need to think about comfort when it comes to seats. After all, you could be in a meeting for hours on end.

Think carefully about light and lighting

Employees tend to work better in a room lit by natural light rather than a room illuminated by artificial light, so all blinds should be up during meetings to let as much natural light into the room as possible.

If you haven’t got big windows, or any windows whatsoever, you need to be clever with your lighting. Avoid using direct lighting and typical overhead solutions, which can reflect off computer screens.

Instead, opt for more subtle and unobtrusive lighting. Indirect lighting that is angled so it fills the room is less disrupting and helps create a relaxed atmosphere. Just remember to position it away from the gaze of participants.

Get your hands on the latest technology

Having the latest technology can make a huge difference to the productivity and eventual success of a meeting.

Digital whiteboards, for instance, provide you with an effective method to engage employees or clients, while tablets remove the need for paperwork, which can clutter the room and slow down proceedings.

If you’re working on a limited budget, and therefore cannot afford such luxuries, just make sure your meeting room has a good spread of power outlets and a decent Wi-Fi connection. Both features are essential.

Pay attention to décor

Going back to aesthetics, the simple process of decorating the room has the power to make or break a meeting.

Believe it or not, the colour of your walls can actually affect things like productivity. Employees are inspired and motivated by what they see around them, while clients form impressions based on what they see.

Light shades of yellow and blue are considered to be stimulating and creativity-inducing colours, pink evokes a sense of tranquillity and green is seen as smart and traditional, so mix up your walls rather than staying neutral.

Go green

Introducing plants is a way of enhancing meeting rooms with minimal effort. They soften right angles, add a splash of colour and even oxygenate the room, making them an extremely worthwhile investment.

Non-flowering plants work best, while it’s better to introduce those that require little or no maintenance.

Their presence is enough to lift the spirits of employees and clients, so stick a tall fern in the corner of the room or put a potted plant on a few of the tables.

Posted by Julie Tucker