Different types of meeting room layouts for Effective Team Collaboration

Learn about the Different types of meeting room layouts to choose the best one for your next meeting. If you’re hosting a meeting, one of the most important considerations is the layout of the meeting room. The optimal meeting room layout will help everyone see the whiteboard or other meeting materials and hear the speakers. It will also help anyone joining the meeting virtually experience it as if they were there.

What is a meeting room layout?

A meeting room layout is the arrangement of chairs and tables in a conference space. The most effective meeting room layout depends on the size and style of the meeting.

Types of meeting room layouts

Meeting room style

The meeting room style is one of the most common meeting room styles. It consists of a small group of people sitting around a large table. An interactive whiteboard, or alternative, can be mounted on any of the walls. Any virtual participant can join the interactive screen. The meeting may be led by one or two people, but typically everyone in the meeting participates. This is a really effective way to run a meeting if you want everyone to actively participate.

U-shape style

The U-shape style is another popular meeting room layout for smaller discussions. It involves a small group of people sitting around U-shaped or horseshoe-shaped tables.

The speaker will stand at the open end of the U-shape and can give a presentation here. He or she can mount an interactive display on the wall above the U-shape.

Since people typically have a large table space, this layout is great for taking notes. It can be used for formal meetings or informal collaborative office spaces.

While the speaker traditionally stands at the top, the U-shape means that all participants face each other and can easily enter into a discussion.

This type of meeting room is great for companies with remote workers, as they can join the meeting virtually via the interactive display.

Box Style

A box-shaped meeting arrangement is a U-shape with another table running along the side, forming a hollow box or square. The meeting leader will stand in the middle and lecture to the small group from there.

This is not the best meeting room layout for presentations, as all participants will be facing away from the wall – so there is no room to mount an interactive display.

However, the box-style layout works well for meetings that involve breakout sessions, where smaller groups of meeting participants can discuss specific aspects before returning to the main forum.

Lecture-style

This meeting room setup is usually reserved for larger meetings and conferences. It consists of rows of people facing the front, as in a theatre or university lecture hall.

The speaker will stand at the front of the room with their interactive screen. People in the company may not contribute directly to the meeting, although they may ask some questions at the end.

People can join this meeting virtually if it is live-streamed.

Banquet-style

Like a wedding or other event, a banquet meeting features several large round tables with participants sitting in chairs around them.

This type of meeting is often informal and is particularly good for networking events, where participants are likely to chat with others at their table. A banquet meeting can (as the name suggests) include food and drink!

There may be a speaker, panel, or presentation at the front, but the meeting will probably consist primarily of communicating with people at the table.

Standing

For very informal meetings, standing may be a good option. This style is usually appropriate for conference rooms or other meetings that will not last long. They may be informal meetings that do not require any kind of presentation or demonstration between faculty members who know each other well.

Classroom style

The classroom style is essentially a lecture style but with tables. All participants in the meeting have tables in front of them to take notes or place other items. The speaker will stand at the front where he or she may be giving a presentation.

This style is ideal for larger meetings where participants need to write things down or discuss different points in groups.

Which meeting layout is best for presentation meetings?

Presentation meetings are usually larger meetings with an interactive screen in the front and rows of people facing the presentation. However, if you are giving a presentation in a smaller meeting, you might use a conference room style or a U-shape, which ensures that everyone can easily see the interactive screen.

How to Arrange a Meeting Room?

Here are some tips for arranging your meeting room:

• Think about how many people will be attending the meeting. If there are fewer people, you may prefer a more intimate presentation setting, while if it is larger, you may have a lecture-style meeting or a wedding reception.
• Consider whether you will need wheelchair access or any other special features, including security or extra space.
• Plan whether only one person or several people will be speaking at the meeting. If there is only one person, you may want to set up the room in a presentation-style setting, while if everyone in the conference room will be speaking, you may want to set it up so that people can see each other.

Conclusion

From U-shape to lecture-style, there are many different meeting room arrangements. The ideal layout depends primarily on the number of people in the meeting, the size of the room, how formal it is, and what is being discussed. Every meeting is different, and a single company may use multiple styles for Meeting Rooms! We help you At Al WOFOD by providing an unlimited number of meeting room types across Saudi Arabia to choose the meeting room style that best suits you.