Meeting room and office fit out Kent

Let’s meet!

If you are a Kent business considering creating a meeting room as part of your office fit out, then a recent survey of 250 full time employees could be of interest to you. The survey revealed that 86% of employees believe meetings are vital to getting work done.

Of those surveyed the majority were engaging in meetings five times a week and no more than one meeting per day. Only 31% attended six or more meetings a week, concluding that the number of meetings we have in one week appears to be just about right.

However, the employees were more divided on whether all the meetings they have are necessary, with 44% saying they could fulfil their jobs with fewer meetings, and 42% saying they need to meet as often as we do. Unsurprisingly 50% of managers are likely to enjoy meetings.

This survey affirms the importance of meetings and highlights the significance of having a suitable meeting space within your office. Any Kent-based business looking to complete an office fit out should ensure there is a suitable meeting room, boardroom and/or breakout zone available for staff to frequently meet.

The lighting, decor, seating arrangement, size, technology and even beverage making facilities should all be taken into consideration when planning an office fit out. Take a look at our suggestions for the ideal office fit out and meeting room below.

Meeting Rooms and Office Fit Out – Why it’s Crucial to Your Kent Business

Being an office fit out contractor in Kent, we have always understood the importance of creating the ideal meeting space. Whatever size your premises is, you should provide a quiet area for discussions and planning.

The design and layout of your meeting room should offer an engaging environment, help inspire your team and provide practical equipment, such as:

A white board /chalkboard/ flip charts/electric board for jotting down ideas and plans. There are some fantastic vinyl wall coverings that work as a whiteboard or projector screen.
A boardroom or meeting room table with enough chairs to support the number of people you envisage taking part in a meeting at any one time
Conference call equipment
Internet access
A large monitor screen and connectivity for a laptop. The screen will help engage your team and clients during meetings where there is a need to present a project or idea. It also gives suppliers the opportunity to present to you, saving on your own travel expenses

The lighting in a meeting room and office fit out is essential. You don’t want anyone drifting off to sleep while you’re planning an important project, so ensure there is lots of natural light. Have glazed partitioning installed to make the most of the available natural light. Couple this with LED lighting, which can be integrated into a suspended ceiling or installed into a recess within a wall or floating suspended ceiling.

Should you struggle for space with your Kent office fit out then consider having a moving partition wall or sliding doors installed. This is a great way to maximise your available space, but have the opportunity to partition a space for meetings when it’s needed. Moving walls and partitioning come in various forms and are available with acoustic properties.

Benefits of a Dedicated Meeting Room

Meeting rooms offer many benefits to a workforce.

The change of scene can energise and inspire a workforce and spark creative ideas
It’s a place for brain storming as a group and developing ideas
Use the space for problem solving with fellow colleagues
Managers can meet with their team to delegate workload
Meet to share your expertise with colleagues
Present to your workforce to engage staff in the business as a whole and your plans for future growth
Utilise the space to inspire your team with regular pep talks and sales briefings
A stylish office fit out will make you proud to invite clients and visitors to congregate at your workplace

Best Practise for Holding a Meeting

Aside from having a suitable meeting space as part of your office fit out, it is the protocol in which you manage a meeting that is essential. A productive meeting needs to optimise time management and productivity. Here are some of our best practise suggestions for holding a meeting.

Prepare an agenda and send it to the participants, asking them to add any topics they feel are necessary. By seeing the agenda in advance, the participant can decide on whether or not they should attend. This includes

Only invite those that absolutely need to participate. Working in a small group will help the meetings to remain on schedule and prevent wasting time of anyone they may not necessarily need to attend. The survey showed that more than half those that took part in meetings felt they did not need to be in certain meetings and could have saved time by receiving the information in an email or by reading the meeting notes.

Meet in a quiet and dedicated space to avoid distracting fellow colleagues. A meeting room or boardroom is an ideal location. Some companies also offer breakout areas for informal or impromptu meetings with a handful of colleagues. Failing that, make use of the office kitchen, canteen, local cafe or even parks if the weather is pleasant. Only use the latter options if there is no requirement for IT, telephone access or conference calls.

Stay on topic. Don’t drift from conversation that will not be relevant to those in the room, for example a different project or a personal conversation. By following an agenda you will help to keep the meeting on topic and prevent wasting anyone’s time.