selecting meeting venue

Factors Influencing the Meeting Venue
There are a variety of factors that you should consider when trying to create the optimum meeting environment. This will depend on the nature and size of the meeting, its location and whether or not audio-visual equipment will be needed. Here are some of the main issues that you should think about:

Geographic Location
Consider the accessibility of the location in relation to all of the participants who will attend. If some of the participants require overnight accommodation then you should investigate the cost and availability of this aspect as well. Also consider any potential distractions. For example, a meeting held at a hotel next door to a construction site is likely to suffer from far more noise than a quiet conference center.

Visual Aids
Make sure that any audio-visual aids you will require are working and that you are familiar with their operation. Also ensure that you can control the ambient light level to suit your visual aids and that the lighting of the stage area is suited to your presentation. Make a note of the technical support extension number, so that any equipment failure can be remedied as soon as possible.

Size of room
A small number of people in a lecture room may feel remote and awkward, whereas too many people crowded into an office will feel claustrophobic and removes individual’s personal space and security. However, a promotional meeting is often best served by a room that is slightly smaller than what is really required. This will help to generate the impression that the turnout is greater than anticipated.

Furniture and layout
It is important that the furniture fits the occasion. For example, where the meeting is intended to get down to some concentrated work, the major concern should be that each participant has sufficient workspace and that all of the attendees can communicate easily.

One-to-One Seating Plans
In a one-to-one meeting the seating arrangement can set the whole tone of the meeting from the outset. A one-to-one meeting will normally be staged for one of three purposes; to support, to collaborate or to confront. The optimum seating arrangement for each style of meeting is quite different. If the wrong arrangement is used then it can be very difficult for the meeting to follow the path that you intended.

The seating arrangements for these very different one-to-one meetings are as follows: When you wish to be supportive, arrange the seats so that you are sitting at right angles to the other person. An informal seating arrangement will help to break down any barriers, promote good eye contact and encourage a more equal exchange. If you wish to collaborate with your meeting partner then sit adjacent to them. This places the focus onto the work in front of you, but promotes a positive and intimate working environment.

In most meetings, being positioned behind a desk places that person in a position of control, and this may often be the position that you want to adopt. If the tone of the meeting is to be confrontational, sit on opposite sides of a table. The desk forms a barrier between you and this facilitates a more frank exchange, enabling disagreements to be aired more freely. If you are unsure as to the overall tone of a forthcoming meeting, especially if you arrive first for a meeting with a superior, arrange four chairs around the table and see which position the other person adopts in relation to you.

Small Venue Seating Plans
Whilst the seating layout is often fixed in large venues you can experiment with the seating plan at smaller venues. A series of straight and narrow rows stretching back from you may permit easy eye contact but may restrict the ability of people at the back to see and hear clearly. If this plan is switched to wide rows in front of you, then the majority of the participants will be able to see and hear clearly but it will be difficult for you to make eye contact with those people sitting at the periphery. A semi-circular, or ‘n’ arrangement provides an effective format as both the acoustics and visibility work well. You will also find it easy to engage all of the attendees with eye contact. This arrangement takes up slightly more space than the other options but is well worth the effort where there is sufficient room. A final point regarding layouts, in the context of a semi-formal meeting is that you may find it helpful to remove the back row of seats. This avoids the common problem where participants arrive late and head for the seats furthest from the front. By placing potentially surplus seats at the sides of the room any latecomers can help themselves to a seat and then join at the back. At least you won’t have to face one or two rows of empty chairs.

Workgroup Meetings
If your meeting involves a lot of note taking, or includes workgroup-based interaction, you might want to include tables in the seating plan. The normal plan is the classic schoolroom type layout but this can be significantly improved simply by turning the end of the tables towards the presenter.

By doing this the attendees will have a better view of your visual aids and each table will be able to accommodate twice the number of people, which, in the example shown would be ideal for group based working. If you want to use group interaction during your meeting, then arrange the participants so that they are sitting in groups of between five and eight. Research shows that people are most likely to contribute to group sessions when there are enough people to create some energy within the group but not so many that they feel excluded. Groups of between five and eight people have been shown to optimize this.

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