Purchasing guide: Successfully set up your meeting room furniture with Manutan EXPERT

At the very heart of a company, the meeting room is an essential space supporting the company’s image and playing an undeniable role in its functionality. However, the rapid evolution of the working world has changed the traditional concept of business meetings. Teams now meet not only to make important decisions, but also to seek out innovative ideas, strengthen team bonds, or provide a quick overview at the start of the day. Therefore, setting up a meeting room goes through several stages, starting with the identification of needs. Next is choosing meeting room furniture and accessories that are in line with your budget and your company’s procurement policy.

How to set up a meeting room? The essentials

To set up and decorate a meeting room properly, you should start by defining the layout required according to the room’s dimensions, its intended use, and objectives. It is important to keep some basic rules in mind when laying out professional workspaces.

Needs assessment

Every company follows its own set of policies in terms of room organisation, management, and occupation. And meeting rooms are no exception. They should be arranged to strike a balance between budget, sustainability, and design.

Here are some questions to address before setting up a meeting room:

• How much room can the furniture take up without compromising movement?
• Number of people to accommodate?
• How often will this space be used?
• Is the meeting room intended to serve several purposes?
• What impression should visitors get?
• What atmosphere should the room create?

Our advice when setting up a meeting room

Employees spend less time in meeting rooms than at their desks. However, comfort and usability should not be overlooked. When it comes to setting up an official meeting room, comfortable seating and high-quality materials should take priority.

If the number of people attending meetings in this room varies, it may be worthwhile opting for a modular version, with folding chairs, or even folding tables which can easily accommodate more occupants. On the other hand, for smaller meetings, a modular space is practical because it is not cluttered with empty chairs.

The aesthetic feel of the room is also worth considering, both in terms of decoration and furniture. This way, you can create various atmospheres from neutral, to formal or cosy, etc.

Lastly, thanks to video conferencing, more and more people are attending meetings remotely.  Ensuring a pleasant background is therefore essential to maintain company image. You may decorate the walls behind the participants with plants, pictures, or even bookshelves.

Choosing the right meeting room furniture and accessories

From tables to chairs or accessories, meeting room furniture comes in all different materials, shapes, and styles. At Manutan, we have developed a wide range of products with our customer’s expectations in mind so that they can find everything they need on one single website. We have also created the Manutan EXPERT, which has additional benefits to offer.

Meeting room tables

The choice of meeting room tables plays a crucial role in facilitating effective communication and collaboration. Round, oval, square, rectangular, modular: Manutan’s meeting room tables offer a wide choice of shapes best suited for conference rooms and their usage. We favour materials such as melamine, chosen for its resistance over time and its lightweight characteristics.

Some tables are even made from recycled materials. Modular tables, like the Trapezoid conference room model, allow for a variety of configurations including the choice of a large meeting table or the creation of several separate workspaces.

Rectangular meeting tables, with their elongated shape, are ideal for a boardroom, providing a clear visual hierarchy and a designated head of the table. They offer ample space for documents and devices, allowing participants to work comfortably. On the other hand, round or oval shaped tables encourage a sense of inclusivity and equality, promoting open discussion and a more relaxed atmosphere.

For tidying away and storing cables and electrical connections on meeting tables, some models are equipped with a cable management tray and a desk grommet on the top. These solutions hide the cables discreetly and keep the space safe.

Meeting room chairs

Just like tables, meeting room chairs come in all different shapes, materials, and colours. To optimise space and offer versatility, alternating chairs with and without armrests is a decent option. Another alternative is stackable chairs which can be easily stored or brought into the space if extra seating is needed. Investing in ergonomic chairs or adjustable executive chairs can also ensure optimal comfort and support, while also encouraging productivity and well-being of employees throughout lengthy discussions.

Regarding colour, basic colours like black or white are recommended for executive boardrooms that are mainly used for formal meetings. However, when the focus is on creativity, particularly during brainstorming sessions, vibrant-coloured models are more appropriate.

The type of upholstery is also important. Vinyl upholstery lends a sophisticated touch, while fabric-covered chairs reflect warmth.

Accessories and decoration to optimise spaces

For a successful layout, do not forget to add additional office furniture to your meeting room. Display cases featuring the company’s products, a clock, desk accessories, posters, or even plants contribute to creating a pleasant environment.

A meeting room might also need a whiteboard to jot down ideas while brainstorming or to keep note of thoughts from participants. In a similar same way, a retractable projector screen has become a must-have for visual presentations and for adding another dynamic to meetings.

Other equipment can occasionally be brought into a meeting room to give it a second functionality. By adding acoustic screens, the room can adapt to the demands of flexible workspaces. This equipment is just one of the solutions that meet the new needs of the world of work. It means, for example, a conference table seating 20 occupants can be transformed into a coworking space giving everyone some privacy.

If the room lets in a lot of light, anti-UV film can be applied to exterior windows. It is also possible to install opaque films to maintain privacy if the room faces the street.

The benefits of the Manutan brand

This range combines three benefits. It meets our customers’ everyday needs, which we know very well from our long years of experience.

The Manutan brand promotes quality, which is regularly tested in-house or at the laboratory. What’s more, all our products, excluding supplies, are guaranteed for 10 years.

Finally, thanks to competitor monitoring, we ensure that this range is affordable at the best market price. Manutan branded products are at least 15% less expensive than those from competitors offering the same quality.

As most of our products are in stock, deliveries within France and Benelux are guaranteed within 24 to 48 hours. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is also part of our brand commitment. Almost 15% of our products have obtained an eco-friendly certificate.

What are the current challenges for meeting rooms?

Business challenges are changing and workspaces must reflect these changes to better support them. Managers are also looking for their employees to take on greater responsibility, in particular by developing remote working. They now prefer team unity as a performance driver.

Adapting to new uses for shared areas

Business organisation has undergone major changes over the past decade. Today, the desire for performance and productivity involves the well-being of teams. Employees are becoming more autonomous with working hours that are more flexible. Companies are moving away from presenteeism to goal-oriented work. Remote working and flex offices are gaining in popularity, and both these work practices are creating new uses for office spaces.

Remote working is transforming these reception spaces as certain companies make the decision to move to smaller premises or restructure their office spaces. While some use coworking spaces, most employees who work remotely do so from home. Going into the office has therefore become more of vector for socialisation. Places, such as meeting rooms must lend themselves to this new role.

Promote teamwork among employees

Meeting room spaces are still where major strategic business decisions are made, but they now serve a variety of purposes. They become places which convey business culture and where teams come together. They are collaborative workplaces, encouraging a sense of collective intelligence towards innovation. Meeting rooms should be welcoming places, where employees can develop a feeling of belonging towards their company.

Setting up a meeting room should address challenges specific to the company, as well as convey its image to teams and clients alike. To choose the meeting room table that best suits your conference room design, explore our “Meeting room furniture” product category page.