Boardroom

A single table with chairs around it, for meetings up to about 20.

How it works in practice

A boardroom set is one long table, or several tables joined into a rectangle, with chairs all around. Everyone can see and speak to everyone, which makes it right for decisions, negotiations and small working sessions. It is wrong for presentations: people at the screen end have their backs to it, and anyone at the far end of a 6 m table is a long way from the person speaking.

Most hotel boardrooms are permanent rooms with a fixed table, built-in screen and conference phone. In a ballroom or meeting room the venue builds one from rectangular tables, typically 6 ft or 8 ft by 30 inches, covered with a single cloth.

How to handle it

1. Count people, then add one seat per side for guests who join late.
2. Allow about 0.75 m of table edge per person, more if people work on laptops.
3. Leave 1.2 m or more behind chairs so people can move and servers can reach the table.
4. Place the screen on a short end and keep that end seat empty, or use two screens.
5. Check power: a strip under the table or floor boxes for every seat.
6. Ask for water, notepads and a coffee station outside the meeting flow, not on the table.

Worked numbers

These are planning rules of thumb; the room’s posted occupancy load is the legal limit.

Questions to ask

• Is the conference phone and video set-up included, and who supports it?
• Can catering be served in the room or in a separate break area?
• Is there a food and beverage minimum on the boardroom?

Related tools

The venue capacity calculator compares layouts in the same room, and the venue tour checklist has a section on meeting rooms.