Beyond Four Walls: Reinventing the Purpose of Meeting Rooms

Meeting rooms have long been a staple of the traditional office environment, but its purpose and functionality are evolving rapidly. With the move towards remote and hybrid working, businesses are reimagining the everyday meeting room, transforming its original purpose, and reshaping perceptions of what a meeting room should look like, feel like and how they are used.

In this article, we look at how the meeting room has transformed, and how businesses are fostering creativity, driving innovation, and creating spaces that support employee wellbeing.

How the meeting room has evolved

From the political meetings of ancient Rome to the formation of academic and corporate institutions, meeting rooms have remained at the centre of all important news, updates, training sessions and changes that have a wider cultural or business impact. While corporate meeting rooms were previously used for training purposes and team discussions, the development of collaborative technologies has resulted in the reimagining of a contemporary workspace.

In comparison with the traditional office layout, featuring siloed cubicles, uncomfortable seating, and outdated legacy tools, the impact of COVID-19 has accelerated the dematerialisation of the workplace and furthered employee demands for flexible working models. This has, of course, redefined the layout of meeting rooms, with comfortable chairs, tables, whiteboards and tools designed to boost productivity and transform the employee experience. The purpose of meeting rooms has also been overhauled, with the adoption of a flexible, multifunctional design that unlocks creativity, promotes innovation and supports agile working. The inclusion of virtual meeting tools has also enabled seamless collaboration amongst employees, irrespective of their location.

Redefine the purpose of the meeting

As employees increasingly work remotely, in a hybrid role or in coworking spaces, a cohesive office design should accommodate various work styles, all of which include zones for solo working, collaborative team projects, and private meeting and office spaces. Employers will need to take a closer look at their missions and objectives, the nature of the work being undertaken, who attends each meeting, alongside the functionality of their overall workspace design to remain efficient and effective.

Importantly, the purpose of each scheduled meeting should be a key consideration to ensure all important parties are included. A clear, comprehensive agenda should be featured, which will help employees stay focused, identify essential participants, and boost productivity.

Overhaul your meeting room design

This may sound like common sense, but if a meeting room design is accessible and equipped with much needed tools, it will create a welcoming atmosphere for all.

Replacing harsh artificial lighting and uncomfortable seating, modern meeting rooms should be light, airy and inclusive. Whether by using glass to provide ample natural light, providing an ambient temperature with adequate ventilation, incorporating sustainable materials and energy-saving LED lighting, or even adding plants to improve air quality and humidity levels, small touches make a big difference in enhancing the form and functionality of meeting rooms, and fully look to promote positive health and wellbeing.

Moveable walls can also create various flexible spaces that can be adjusted to meet the varying needs and preferences of meeting planners and users. Super-fast Wi-Fi alongside sufficient soundproofing are also crucial to minimise distractions and improve audio quality and connectivity, particularly for virtual meetings.

These additions can be complemented by modular furniture and ergonomic seating to keep attendees comfortable throughout the day or to safely accommodate the various needs of workers. The use of standing desks, as well as ergonomic furniture will keep participants engaged during meetings, whether they are brainstorming, collaborating or presenting new ideas. Supportive cushions also offer additional support and comfort.

For more tips on overhauling your workspace design, check out our informative article.

Create a welcoming atmosphere

The use of bright colours can boost energy and creativity in a meeting or create a relaxed atmosphere with light colours to create a sense of space. Alternatively, why not opt for graphics to make a positive impression on all who walk through the door? This can also be a surefire method of highlighting your brand strategy and showcase your corporate values in a fun, exciting way. Even your flooring matters – is it old and worn, damaged or stained? These things can significantly impact the overall impression of meeting rooms.

The use of shared facilities should also be multipurpose. A social coffee station with healthy snacks can bring people together, while quiet zones can enable users to relax and unwind in an area which can aid in driving productivity, while reducing feelings of isolation, commonly seen during remote working.

Invest in collaborative tools

Whether you are fully office based, a hybrid worker or working remotely, organisations have had to adopt flexible, agile tools to further networking opportunities, improve employee interaction and support employees wherever they may be.

The number of meetings have risen post COVID-19, but more workplace meetings now occur online, with more than 85% of one to one meetings occurring remotely. Moving beyond classic PowerPoint presentations, contemporary collaborative tools include:

Meeting room booking systems: for busy organisations, these help teams to schedule regular team meetings, one-to-ones or private meetings.
Video conferencing software: supporting remote and hybrid workers, these tools feature teleconferencing, screen sharing and recording abilities to enhance engagement both inside and outside of the office.
Cloud technologies: important data can be uploaded into the cloud, ensuring enhanced accessibility and data security.
Multi–factor authentication: this security measure provides an additional layer of protection for workers using desktops, tablets or mobile devices.
Interactive screens: these enable the development of agile presentations and promote collaboration both inside and outside meeting room spaces.

Implement meeting room analytics

In today’s data-driven world, every piece of information can provide valuable insights into business performance, as well as highlight concerns, opportunities, and areas for improvement – this holds true for meeting rooms as well.

By leveraging meeting room analytics, organisations can make informed decisions to improve current meeting spaces so that they remain flexible and meet the needs of employees. This type of software and use of analytics can include a deep dive into resource management, which can examine how meeting room spaces are used, who use these spaces, peak usage times, the duration of meetings, and whether meeting room sizes, as well as resourcing remains sufficient. Looking at whether meeting rooms can meet the needs of each team can also work to ensure positive employee satisfaction and long-term retention.

In summary, to drive engagement, collaboration, and boost long-term productivity, it is essential to provide a robust agenda for each meeting, involve the right participants, and invest in collaborative technologies. Meeting room analytics also play a crucial role by delving into usage data, allowing organisations to successfully identify areas for improvement, unlock future opportunities, and create versatile meeting spaces that guarantee long-term growth.

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