Most meetings rooms look alike, but you can easily spot a well-equipped one. It has all the necessary bits and pieces to make business meetings as efficient and productive as possible.
Sure, you could have a conference room like the one from “The Office”, but just imagine how (un)productive your employees would be if all they had to work with was some janky old wooden chairs.
Today, we’re going to talk to you about some of the most essential equipment every meeting and conference needs to have, so when the time comes for you to equip yours – you know exactly where to start.
You’ll start with…
1. Conference Table
It goes without saying that a conference table is the most important piece of equipment in any meeting room. Regardless of what kind of a sit-down you’re having – it needs to be around a table. It’s the proper way to do it.
As for what kind of table you need – that’s up to you. You can go with a sturdy, wooden table or a glass-top table – totally up to you. Just make sure it fits the room properly, both in size and style. Also, make sure that everyone can comfortably sit at it. That’s it.
2. Chairs
You can’t forget about chairs. As we said in the intro, forget about lousy, wooden chairs that hurt your back and behind. Instead, invest in high-quality, high-back, lumbar support chairs.
Naturally, you don’t have to get ten or twenty Embody chairs, but you don’t also don’t have to skimp out on them. One thing to keep in mind is you’ll want to keep them uniform. Whatever you decide to buy, just make sure you get the same chairs for everyone.
3. Whiteboard
A whiteboard is an essential piece of any meeting and conference room. More often than not, you’re going to have to explain something or write something down, and the best way to get everyone involved while you do – is to get them to face the whiteboard.
Nowadays, you don’t have to go for the chunky old whiteboards that need to be nailed into the wall. Instead, you can get magnetic whiteboards from manufacturers like ddscustom.com.
What you can also do is maybe even go for an interactive whiteboard if that is what your job requires.
4. Speakerphone
In today’s day and age, most of the meetings are conducted online. Partially because of the ongoing health crisis, but mostly because during the crisis, most people have come to realize the benefits of working remotely.
So, in order to easily and efficiently conduct a remote meeting – you need a good speakerphone. You need a quality electronic device with several microphones and a quality speaker so that everyone involved in a meeting can be equally invested.
5. Projector
While it is true that most of us are kind of tired of PowerPoint presentations, the truth is – they still have their place in the corporate world. We’re still not quite past dealing with PowerPoint presentations, let alone presentations in general.
As you can probably guess, the only way to properly conduct a presentation is through a projector. You could do it through a TV, sure, but there’s just something almost nostalgic about conducting a presentation through a projector. Therefore, we really believe that a projector is an essential meeting room item.
6. TV
As we’ve said, a television set can be very useful in a conference room setting, but showing presentation is hardly all that a TV can be useful for. As we have also previously mentioned, a good amount of meetings is conducted online, so having a TV connected to the internet can also help you conduct a video conference call with your colleagues, clients, or anyone else for that matter.
Furthermore, a TV can be used to display training videos or discuss company campaigns and marketing videos, or any other visual medium.
7. Sound System
You don’t need the most expensive audio system in the world in your conference room, nor do you need extra loud or high-fidelity speakers in your room. However, you do need a reliable, high-quality sound system for a plethora of reasons.
One of the reasons could very well be conference calling or Zoom meetings. No matter how good the speakerphone is, it isn’t a match to an actual sound system.
What’s even better is that nowadays, you can easily get a hold of excellent wireless and Bluetooth speakers, eliminating the need for time-consuming cable management, leaving your conference room both good-looking and well-sounding.
8. Wireless Solutions
High-speed internet is no longer something you might end up needing someday. High-speed internet has become a necessity in every home, let alone a business office. However, you can’t expect your meeting room to look like a server room, with LAN cables spread around everywhere. Instead, you have to invest in wireless technology and solutions.
Routers, Wi-Fi access points, and all that good stuff are an absolute necessity for your meeting room. From video calls, conference calls, all the way to outright communicating – all of that is done through the internet. And, the only viable solution for a meeting room is wireless internet.
9. Video Conferencing Equipment
Video conferencing has become an integral part of every business. So, you’ll need to equip your meeting room with proper equipment.
Whether you decide to invest in an all-in-one video conferencing gadget or go out and buy all the conference equipment separately doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you get it. Video cameras, microphones, or just laptops – all of those must be present in a meeting room.
10. Conference Room Software
Finally, you have to invest in proper conference or meeting room software. Now, there are two programs you’ll need. One – you’ll need A/V solution software that will control all your audio-visual equipment from one hub, and two – you’ll need scheduling software to make sure you make the most out of your meeting room, avoiding scheduling conflicts and so on.
Conclusion
There you have it. There are probably some other things that you also need to invest in, like privacy blinds if you have a glass conference room or things like proper lighting and décor items – but we feel like you already knew that.
Hopefully, our little guide has shed some light on what are the necessities for a meeting room. We certainly feel like it did.
