MEETING & CONFERENCE FACILITIES MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE


Adrian Powell, Director of workplace specialists, Active, explains how the upward shift in co-working trends, the move towards flexible working and advances in technology have all contributed to the death of the ‘traditional’ office.


To attract the best talent in this age, offices must be innovative and exciting. Think of Google’s new HQ in King’s Cross – where meeting facilities include Swiss designer sofas and black steel and oak staircases winding between the upper floors, all to encourage chance encounters between colleagues, to aid collaboration. At the same time however, today’s economic and social climate means that organisations are looking at how to get the most out of the available space.


Meeting spaces have undergone what some would call a paradigmatic shift in recent years in response to the changes in workplace. Developments have been sped up by rising rent costs - as nobody needs or wants vast meeting room spaces that are largely going unused. Workplace consultancy services have enabled businesses to gather a large amount of information about how employees use office space, and with this knowledge and bank of data, business leaders have realised the costs associated with wasted meeting rooms.


Furthermore, meeting spaces have become much more open, in line with the overall relaxation of the workplace. Rather than having a cordoned off, separate meeting room, businesses are creating spaces that are multi-functional. Sliding doors


40 | TOMORROW’S FM


are a great example of this. Such doors can be used during private and confidential meetings but can be drawn back when the space is not in use, so that employees can freely use the space for collaborative work.


“BUSINESS LEADERS HAVE REALISED THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH WASTED


MEETING ROOMS.”


Investing in multi-functional meeting furniture and equipment doesn’t have to stop there. At Active, we take time to understand how the space will be used and then work to transform workplaces with flexible and functional office furniture solutions. Sofas that double as acoustic quiet spaces or team tables that are mobile, for example, mean that employees have a choice over where to work. The needs and demands of employees are constantly changing and thus it makes economic sense, and goes some way to future proofing your office space, if you can be adaptable.


Supporting the idea that meeting rooms no longer serve just a single purpose, there seems to be a growing trend towards having the meeting space combined with the office café or


eating area. In shared office spaces or multi-tenanted buildings, the café is often situated at the heart of the space, helping to achieve chance encounters between employees, who otherwise may never interact and collaborate. Meeting places are, after all, meant for the sharing of thoughts and bouncing of ideas. By their very nature, dining areas bring people together and thus in an effort to save space, maximise use and help people work together, organisations should investigate the idea of incorporating meeting spaces with dining areas, where possible.


While not every meeting can be conducted amongst a bustling eating space, there are ways of designing and furnishing the space that can make this possible. Noise in the office can be distracting and is one of the most common causes of stress in the workplace. The use of acoustic furniture can turn noise into background sounds that are less harsh and distracting.


We are constantly told we can work from anywhere, but meeting spaces need to be fit for purpose, and it’s down to businesses to make sure they offer employees a variety of spaces in which they can conduct meetings, and a variety of tasks.


www.activefm.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM


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