A professional conference room can be the difference between running a successful meeting or leaving attendees feeling confused and unsatisfied. In order to maintain prosperous business relationships you need to ensure the space you’re inviting people into has them feeling comfortable, and has you feeling prepared to accomplish the task you set out to do.

Hosting an effective meeting starts with the room you are hosting it in, so make sure you know what to look for when choosing a space.

What to Look For In Professional Conference Rooms?

There are many aspects that go into making your conference room rental a professional setting. When choosing your room, consider the lighting, location, technology and other amenities that you are provided with before making a final decision.

Lighting

An easy aspect to overlook when booking a meeting or conference room is the lighting. Since most of us use laptops with backlit screens for work we don’t always think about checking how well lit a space is. However, when we need a room for the purpose of interacting with people, no one will want to be in a space with insufficient lighting that makes it hard to see the person sitting across from them.

Studies have shown that rooms with access to plenty of light result in higher levels of productivity and engagement; this is especially true when people are experiencing seasonal depression. This is a condition where lower levels of temperature and natural light in winter seasons can lead to a lower mood. Therefore, ensuring your meeting room has access to quality lighting and big windows is crucial to the overall outcome of your meeting. When people see better they work better.

Location

Choose a location that is accommodating and easily accessible. Some factors to consider are:

• Is it easily accessible by public transportation
• Are there parking spots available
• What shops, restaurants, or cafes are nearby

Consider a scenario where your attendees feel disgruntled because the location of the meeting was difficult to get to. Or after the meeting they wanted to go to a nearby restaurant, but there were no good options available. These circumstances could taint the entire experience of the meeting, and in the long run, may affect business relationships.

The goal is always to accommodate your meeting attendees as much as you can; therefore location is key.

Technology

There are so many moving parts to organized meetings, so you need to make sure you have all your bases covered; the worst thing you can be is unprepared. What if a laptop dies and you need an outlet, or you’re expecting a call during the meeting and there’s no professional answering service. Whatever the case may be, when deciding between different conference rooms, make sure yours comes stocked with everything you might need to ensure a successful outcome.

Some pieces of tech to look out for include:

• LCD Projector
• High speed network for strong internet connection
• Smart T.V
• Conference Speaker Telephones
• Phone Lines, Modem Lines
• White Board
• Flipcharts
• Projection Screen
• Computer Laptop Rentals
• Software Support
• HVAC and lighting system
• Telephone answering services personalized for your company
• Colour, black and white photocopier
• Network printer
• Scanner
• Fax
• High volume/security shredder
• Mass mailing machine

Amenities

You want your meeting room to be a space where people can sit and enjoy a view in comfort and luxury while maintaining a professional atmosphere. You’ll also want to ensure that there is enough space for the activity you are hosting. Look out for amenity features such as:

• Cafe lounge area
• Beautiful views
• Coffee or snack options
• Break out rooms
• Open concept common areas
• Training rooms

Different Meeting Room Styles

The way a room is organized can affect how well people engage in the meeting. Therefore, to ensure a successful event, it is important to choose a room that is optimized for the way you want your meeting to run.

Theatre Style

In theatre style conference rooms chairs are placed side by side in horizontal rows that all face towards the front of the room (towards the stage or speaker) – just as you would see in a movie theatre. This type of seating arrangement is useful for conferences with a larger number of people, where one person is speaking for a long period of time, and does not require too much engagement from the attendees. For example, an announcement, product launch or presentation. However, this style is not very well suited for people who want to take extensive notes ( since there is no desk space) or have group discussions.

Classroom Style

The classroom style layout is arranged with several square or rectangular tables fitted into the room and there will be a few chairs surrounding each individual table (this way 4-6 people can be seated at each table). Thus, creating a space where people are broken up into smaller groups. This type of seating arrangement is great for fostering group discussions and will provide attendees the ability to take notes as the speaker is presenting.

The classroom style meeting room is best suited for interactive conferences where people are expected to collaborate within their group/table and as a whole. .

Boardroom Style

Boardroom style conference rooms are more traditional. This style is for smaller meetings and includes one long rectangular table placed in the center of the room with chairs surrounding it. Instead of breaking the room up into smaller groups (as we saw with the classroom style) the boardroom allows for everyone in the room to collaborate at one table.

This is useful for meetings where attendees are required to give smaller presentations or when everyone in the room has equal (or close to equal) say in the matters being discussed.

U Shape Style

The U shape style conference room (as known as the horseshoe style) is exactly as it sounds – the desks create a U shape in the room. This is well suited for smaller groups (around 30-40 people) where there is one main speaker, but group discussions are equally as important as the main presentation.

For example, if you have an extensive presentation, but want the entire audience to collaborate as a group afterwards, the U shape conference room would be a good choice.

Whether you are looking to host a training event, a presentation or an organizational meeting, Telsec offers a variety of training and seminar room options that you can choose from to best meet the needs of your business.