Expert advice

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CONFERENCE FURNITURE

Choosing the right conference table is of paramount importance considering the conference or meeting room is the key place for strategic planning and making important decisions affecting your business.

A well-designed conference room can facilitate important discussions and can be a source of productive ideas and meetings with your customers, suppliers and associates.

The table is the main element of the conference room furniture and choosing the one that best suits your needs is not easy, considering that there is a great variety. Here are some tips to help you make the best choice.

Room Dimensions

First, you’ll have to determine the size of the room. Keep in mind that you need room along the walls to pull out chairs, room to comfortably walk between the wall and a chair and room for when the chair is being used. At a minimum you should leave one metre spaces.

You will also need to consider what other functions the room has; for example, if your conference room will house other furniture or an audio / video station, you need to consider that space too.

Number of people

You’ll want to determine the number of people you want to seat around the table. In a pre-covid world, we suggested starting with allocating each user 75 centimetres of room and up to 100 centimetres for computers or documents.

Number of seats

The capacity of the room will help you know how many chairs you’ll need. It is also important to visualize how your table will look like to avoid the mistake of pairing your table with mismatched and disproportionate chairs that may seem out of place and impractical.

Type of table and aesthetics

The first step in identifying the type of conference table is choosing the one that suits your business needs, keeping in mind the aspect of comfort and efficiency.

If the conference table is the first thing you will buy for your meeting room, think about how it will affect the design of the rest of the furniture

At Victoria Furnitures different shapes of single or modular tables are available from which to make a selection: round, rectangular, square, semicircular tables. Choose shapes that maximize the functionality of the space and the impact of the conference room appearance. Then choose the materials and colors of the tables. Make sure the materials are resistant to scratches, shocks and high temperature liquids; they must also be easy to clean and maintain. For example, the melamine laminate summarizes all these characteristics and is available in a very wide range of solid colors and imitation woods; therefore, it represents a perfect solution for a table top. Tempered glass would also be a good option if you’re after that modern, classy look.

The legs of the tables, on the other hand, should preferably be made of steel or aluminum, which are resistant, functional and not bulky materials; they are also available in a variety of finishes, such as chrome plating, powder coating in various colors and anodizing.

You might also want consider how flexible you want your meeting table to be and for this you want a table that can easily and quickly be folded, stacked, transported and stored elsewhere. These features are particularly handy in active training courses, banquets and various kinds of events.

Power sources

It is very likely that phones, laptops, microphones and an audio video station will be used in your conference room therefore it is important to consider the placement of your power sources and how they might affect the function of the table. A good solution to this is getting a power module that not only serves as power outlet for your equipment but also has USB, HDMI, VGA and LAN outlets. The power module is also mobile therefore you can move it to any place you want.

Another important accessory is the cable manager which solves the problem of disordered and tangled wires.

Comfort

And finally, think about the comfort of those sat for hours in a conference or meeting. You want attendees to be productive and focused so ensure you have the right chair that lends support to the users’ bodies and enables them to sit at the meeting for as long is required without feeling any aches and pains. Select a chair with lumbar support, with adjustable arms, with adjustable heights and even seat depth adjusters.

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About Victoria Furnitures

Victoria Furnitures Ltd is one of the leading suppliers of high quality furniture in East Africa. We are a pioneer in the industry offering the market greater choice, innovative and ergonomic designs as well as environmentally friendly furniture.