Key Conference Centre...Tips

Assessing your conference room.

You’ve noticed the delegates moving around in their seats all morning and as you break for lunch, it is brought to your attention by a couple of delegates, that the room is not only cold, but do we have to sit in these chairs all day!! This situation can be avoided, when you assess the main conference room you will be using with great care and a comprehensive checklist.

The main considerations are:

• Will the room handle, with space to move about, your group size in the configuration you wish to use?
• Is there plenty of room up front for your presenters?
• Can everyone see the audiovisual screens and whiteboards?
• Are the chairs comfortable for the length of time your attendees are going to be sitting in them?
• How quickly and easily can attendees enter and exit the room?
• Where are the access doors located?
• How well lit is the room and are you able to dim the lights?
• Is the temperature of the room controllable and separately controlled from the rest of the building?
• Is the room affected by noise from outside the room?
• How well insulated for noise is the room?
• Does the room have natural light?
• Are there any distractions within the room or in the immediate vicinity?
• Are you allowed to tack butchers paper to the walls?

In dedicated conference centres most items on this brief list should be well provided for. All the same, whether you are looking at a conference centre or hotel, you need to be aware of the limitations of the particular room you will be using, as not all the conference rooms have the same configuration or level of equipment.

Should you need to compromise on any issues, remember that delegate comfort comes first and is not negotiable. There is no benefit in having your attendees offside from the beginning and the cause of the discomfort unfixable.