Making a good first impression is important for any business. So if your conference room or meeting space features worn, outdated or unappealing tables, chairs and other furniture, what is it telling the customers you bring there?
Having an appealing conference room that defines your company’s mission is an easy and affordable way to build long-term relationships with your customers, vendors and other outsiders.
What story does your existing conference room tell? Does it express the values you company wants to express? Or was it put together as an afterthought? The answer to these questions could determine the way important people both inside and outside your organization view your business.
Form vs Function
If you are only using your conference room for executive meetings, then its decor may be less important. But an increasing number of companies are seeing the the benefits of having spaces that can be used for multiple uses.
Consider what value your current conference room is bringing to your company. Is there an opportunity to make it contribute more to your bottom line? If so, you might consider renovating your current space so that it offers more versatility.
Offering Versatility
In any business office, space is often a commodity. So maximizing the value of any given space is essential to reducing costs and building the bottom line. That’s why you should consider a conference room or meeting space that offers a variety of different uses.
If you install a single large, heavy conference table in the center of a single conference room, it loses some of its viability for use as a classroom, for social events or to accommodate larger presentations.
New construction is always easier to optimize than existing spaces that can be limited by load bearing walls, expensive lighting fixtures and other utilities that can be expensive to replace or move.
But interior meeting space offers more versatility if it can be expanded or contracted at will. For example,air walls or other semi-temporary barriers can be folded up either manually or mechanically to make meeting areas bigger or smaller depending on your needs.
Types of Meeting Spaces
Once you have adequate meeting space, the next question is what kind of setup best serves the purpose of your event. There are several types of event meeting space configurations, each of which serve different needs. These include:
- Theater Style — Chairs are lined up in facing a speaker. This type of setup is ideal for making presentations to large groups, such as for shareholder meetings, employee training or news conferences.
- Classroom Style — Long narrow tables are set up in front of rows of chairs facing a speaker in the front of the room. This type of configuration is best for teaching classes or any other time attendees are required to take notes.
- Banquet Style — Guests are seated at large tables, either round or rectangular. This type of setup is best for luncheons, dinners and other events in which food and beverage will be served. It also can be an effective multi-use setup that can accomodate both training and food service.
- Conference Style — Chairs are set up on all sides of a large table, either solid or with a hollow space in the center. It is ideal for business meetings, negotiations, committee meetings and other functions.
- U-Shape — Rectangular tables are set up to form a “U” with chairs around the outside. This is often used for board meetings, committee meetings or breakout sessions in which audio-visual equipment will be used.
When you are ready to build or replace your existing meeting or conference space, Bahrns offers a full assortment of tables, chairs and other conference room furniture to help you present the best possible image for your company. Check out the conference room and meeting space solutions we have for you!