Whatever the nature of your business, you will from time to time need to have meetings, large or small, formal or informal. Business centers in cosmopolitan cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad offer conference and meeting rooms along with their commercial office space, office space and serviced offices. These are available in different sizes and can be used for multiple purposes.
Conference rooms and meeting rooms are like quick-change artists. They can change avatars depending on the purpose of the meeting.
To configure conference and meeting rooms for a designated objective, different set-ups can be followed.
Here are some conference and meeting rooms set-ups that have been found to be successful for most requirements.
Boardroom Style
This is the classic set-up for a larger group (upto 30 people) depending on the size of the room. This tends to be a more formal set-up, with the leader at the head of the table and other participants on either side.
U-Shape Style
This style works well for presentations and video conferencing, with participants facing the screen before them.
Classroom Style
In this set-up participants face the front of the room. Ideal for lectures but not so conducive to group discussions.
Hollow Square Style
This is a good choice for easy and efficient group discussion. It gives the moderator or facilitator the option of working from the centre of the space.
Banquet Style
Here participants are seated around tables.Ideal for discussion over a meal. Best if each table is restricted to about eight participants.This set-up also facilitates movement between tables.
Auditorium (or Theatre) Style
This set-up is similar to the Classroom Style but is aimed at larger groups.More people can be accommodated in this configuration.
Factors to consider before deciding on which set-up to follow:
- The purpose of the meeting
- How many attendees expected?
- Is group interaction essential?
- Will there be a facilitator? It’s important that the facilitator be easily seen and heard
- Will the meeting need LED projection or video conferencing facilities?
- Tech requirements –for instance, is the power supply outlet conveniently placed?
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
Once you have taken all factors into consideration and decided which set-up would be best for
your purpose, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. That is the only way you can anticipate problems and avoid surprises.