First Impressions Matter: Designing a Conference Room in NYC That Means Business

If you had to rate your conference room on a scale of 1-10 – with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best – what would your rating be? Better yet, what would your employees rate it? And what about your clients? 

If you’re not getting 10s across the board, then it might be time for an upgrade. 

After all, a conference room is supposed to be a place that leaves potential, new, and existing clients with their jaws on the ground – a place where you and your colleagues can come together and discuss ideas. 

If that’s the type of conference room you want, then you’ve come to the right place. 

Here at PSE Audio-Visual, we work with some of the industry’s best architects and designers to ensure your conference room solutions look how you want it to look, and function how you want it to function. 

There’s just three things we need to figure out first: its purpose, its layout, and its technology. 

Determining the Purpose: How Many People Are You Hosting? 

When designing a conference room, the first question you need to ask yourself is how many people you’ll need the room to accommodate – which ultimately determines how big or small you need the room to be.

Some rooms are more designed for 1-on-1 interactions, while others are designed for groups of 10 or more – there’s no right or wrong answer. As long as it meets your expectations, that’s all that matters.  

With that said, here are four of the most common types of conference rooms in New York City today: 

• The Phone Booth is the smallest conference room, and is designed to fit just one person – which would be ideal if your colleagues need a quiet space to take voice and/or video calls in private. 

• The Huddle Room accommodates anywhere from three to six people, and is designed for informal, quick meetings, brainstorming sessions, or collaborative work among small teams.

• The Team Room can typically fit anywhere from six to a dozen people, and is designed more for structured team meetings, project discussions, or workshops that require time and involvement.

• The Boardroom is designed for larger groups (more than a dozen), and is ideal for more formal presentations, important decision-making meetings, client meetings, and professional gatherings.

Once we determine the size of the conference room, we can start to envision ways to maximize the space and customize it to your exact needs – that way, it does everything you need it to, and nothing you don’t. 

Designing the Layout: Where Do You Want People to Sit? 

The next order of business is figuring out where you want your colleagues and clients to sit when they start filing into the conference room – and how you want their desks, tables, and seats to be situated. 

Some conference rooms are designed like a classroom, while others are built more like a boardroom. 

Are you going to have a large, rectangular (or circular) table in the middle of the room, or are you going to have individual desks set up like a college lecture hall? These are the questions you need to ask yourself.

If you need some ideas – here are six of the most popular conference room layouts used in NYC today: 

• The Classic Layout is where everyone gathers around a central table (circular or rectangular). 

• The Hollow Square is where tables are arranged in a square with an empty space in the middle.

• The U-Shape is similar to the hollow square, but one of the sides of the square is left open. 

• The Auditorium reminds us of a ‘TED Talk,’ where chairs are positioned facing a center stage. 

• The Classroom has people spread up into groups of two or three, each with their own table. 

• The Banquet is similar to a classroom, but tables are circular and can fit up to six people. 

Once we find the perfect layout for your conference room, we can start to equip it with the most advanced technology available today – which is important if you plan on doing presentations or video conferencing. 

Adding the Technology: What Features Do You Want to Flaunt? 

A conference room without technology is like an office without a desk, or a bedroom without a bed – it can still function like one without it, but it won’t be reaching its full potential and you’ll be selling yourself short. 

I mean, come on – this is the year 2024, and your conference room should both look and function like it. 

Of course, that means reducing connectivity issues, installing the best equipment, and making sure you and your colleagues have everything you need to impress potential clients and leave a lasting impression.

• Displays & Screens – these serve as the focal point of any digital presentation and are also vital to any video conference, so making sure you have a crystal clear picture is extremely important. 

• Speakers & Microphones – whether you’re in the middle of a video conference or an in-person presentation, it’s important that everyone hears you clearly (and vice versa, of course). 

• Video Conferencing Cameras – a quality camera is one that always stays connected and one that captures every facial expression in the room, that way you can virtually connect with anyone!

• Interactive Whiteboards – the days of dry erase markers and chalk boards are over. With today’s technology, your colleagues should have access to an interactive whiteboard from the future. 

• Digital Control Panel – this is the most important device in any conference room. It allows you to change and customize just about anything in the room, from the lights to the shades and TVs. 

With new technology being invented every single day, we make sure to stay updated on all the latest trends to make sure you’re getting a conference room that’s as close to the future as you can get. 

PSE Audio-Visual: From Design to Installation – We’ve Got You Covered!

Are you in the market for a new and improved conference room? Does your existing conference room look more like Michael Scott’s conference room from The Office, and less like Tony Stark’s from Ironman?

If you answered ‘yes’ to either of those two questions above, then you’ve come to the right place. 

Welcome to PSE Audio-Visual – where your dream conference room is just one phone call away!

Our world-class team of audio-visual experts specializes in creating state-of-the-art conference rooms that seamlessly integrate the latest technology to enhance communication, collaboration, and productivity. 

‍Contact us today at (347) 460-4590 to discuss what your dream conference room might look like!