When it comes to meetings, companies are on the hunt for spaces that reflect their hunger for successful meeting days. Gone are the days when just any meeting room would do.
Meeting rooms that used to look pretty much the same, with furniture too heavy to move around, too bright or too dark, too large or too small are slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Today, meeting spaces have to have an impact on their own: they need to be visually memorable, and they have to fulfil modern trend requirements. The most important requirements are an efficient and intelligent layout, which is easily adjustable according to the type of event taking place, and smooth access to power stations and broadband connections.
The reason for that is that the time spent in meetings has gradually increased, with an average of 40 to 50% of working time spent in meetings today. That means that most of the hard work gets done during meetings, be it brainstorming or training sessions, internal meetings, team building days, workshops, you name it! It is, therefore, crucial that that important work takes place in spaces that are comfortable and that have all the prerequisites to reach the coveted results.
The human factor: Bringing people back to the centre stage
We have entered an era where connectivity, networking and collaboration, but also comfort and alone time are valuable aspects of working lives. Differing working behaviours and cultures are more valued than ever before. While some employees are happy being always surrounded by people, in dynamic environments, others long for a quiet corner to get some work done in silence.
Hence, while open spaces are essential for collaboration purposes, the need to adjust other spaces to suit everyone’s working style has to be considered.
Ideally, a meeting venue should offer different areas, or zones, entirely dedicated either to collaborative work, to private meetings or quiet working corners. A balance among these areas is in harmony with what people’s natural needs are.
How do meeting spaces impact the result of meetings?
Studies show that creative spaces do have an impact on the result of meetings. Dr. Maria Gottshalk, an industrial and organisational psychologist who has studied the effects of space on workplace behaviour, says: ´Visual surroundings energise us to become more creative, innovative and engaged`.
When participants enter an innovative, well-designed area, offering the best of modern technology, meetings become experiences that are not immediately forgotten. In that light, creative environments inspire and motivate people, and influence the outcome of the meeting.
Reaching for creative design in meeting rooms is the way forward
IACC’s Meeting Room of the Future survey found out that meeting planners are repeatedly emphasising the importance of flexible layouts in creative environments. 60% of respondents agreed that flexibility would gain more influence over time, with non-traditional meeting furniture being one of the most significant trends in meeting space design, able to accommodate the expectations of customers for experience-oriented meetings that bring home the expected results.
Objectives are best achieved through a creative process that includes auditory, visual and collaborative elements, best supported with active learning spaces that allow easy movement and reconfiguration without interruption. IACC MEETING ROOM OF THE FUTURE REPORT 2018
Where experience meets venue: HUONE, the forerunner in experience-oriented meeting and event spaces
Right from its beginnings, HUONE has been a forerunner in designing meeting rooms, that are visually attractive, creative and practical, with a layout adapting to the requests of their diverse clientele.
Distances and heights have been accurately measured, the correct lighting and acoustic carefully studied, thus reaching for maximum comfort and adaptability.
‘For us, at HUONE the design is exceptionally relevant’, says Joewin Tan, CEO of HUONE Singapore.
A meeting room is not just a room; it’s the place where you might spend a full working day, and we want that day to be fruitful. Our rooms are designed specifically to achieve that goal. We don’t want our customers to waste their time, and we want them to come back because they know they can gain something from doing so.
HUONE is an experience creator, where spaces hold elements of surprise or playfulness to make every event an inspirational and creative one. Corridor and hall spaces are utilised without compromising on style, elegance and practical aspects: lounge chairs and couches invite customers to take a breath or to have a ‘hallway conversation’ in a relaxed environment, and empty corners have separate, soundproof cabins where customers can retreat for a phone call or a private conversation.
At HUONE the human factor comes first, and everything is designed around that line of thinking.