Important Things to Consider In A Conference Room Design

Going back to the office is exciting, but not everyone may feel this way. A newly designed conference room could make you and your employees’ work lives a lot easier. Conference rooms are supposed to be a collaborative space. If your conference room isn’t set up this way, it can push back deadlines. In this article, Sacramento AV experts at Specialized Audio and Video share a few things to consider in a conference room design. Need professional help? Contact Specialized AV today!

Preferred Screen Size

If you want to get the most out of your conference room, we suggest getting a big smart TV or projector. This makes it easier to view PowerPoint presentations, Zoom calls, or meetings. When choosing your smart TV or projector, there are a few things you should consider. The best audio and video companies always recommend factoring in the ceiling height, wall width, and the distance to the farthest seat. Our friends at Headwaters Construction Inc., a Sacramento general contractor, recommend getting a quote on professional design. Otherwise, you may be happy with your conference room design. 

Conference Room Factors

Many people make a critical blunder when calculating the distance to the farthest seat. To accommodate “multiple” people, conference rooms are set up so that everyone can see the “same” presentation. There is no point in having a room if someone at the back of the room cannot see or read what’s on the screen. Many customers mistakenly believe that they can use a flat-screen TV in place of a projector. If you’re in a small space, the chances are good. However, even on a 60-page Excel spreadsheet, you will never see small numbers. “At a distance of over ten feet, you can see a flat panel. Unfortunately, many of our customers ignore our recommendations and learn the hard way. It’s important to use the right tool for the job, just like in any other profession. In a small room, a flat panel TV is often the best option. A long conference table and a large room don’t go well together. If you have questions about your conference room design, contact Specialized AV.

Formatting the Space

Depending on the screen format, you’ll need to fine-tune your ballpark screen size after you’ve established it. Will you be using a 16:10 or 16:9 wide-screen or a 4:3 standard? Most new AV installations will use wide-screen displays. So the 4:3 format is no longer important. Decide on the primary use of the room to determine the best format wide-screen size for you. The biggest thing to consider in a conference room is to first understand what your using the room for. When presenting computer-generated data, we prefer a 16:10 aspect ratio. The 16:10 aspect ratio in Word makes it possible to view two full-sized document pages side by side. Many new laptops now have a 16:9 aspect ratio because that is the format used by most HDTVs sold to consumers. Both formats are supported by most modern projectors, but we prefer to work with their native resolutions whenever possible. In a business setting, 16:10 screens and projectors are typically specified and preferred.

The Right Lighting Is Important

How’s the lighting for the conference room? This will be yet another crucial factor to take into account. The typical brightness of a modern projector is around 3500 ANSI lumens. According to how many windows your meeting room has, you may even be able to leave some lights on during your presentation with that number. However, a projector with a lumen rating of over 4000 lumens is recommended for rooms holding 12 or more people. Having a large meeting room means you should have a light source with at least 4500 lumens and preferably 5000+. When comparing projector specifications, proceed with caution. The specifications may not be completely accurate. Even if two projectors have identical specifications, they will not always produce the same results. That’s where consulting with a reputable AV company can be extremely beneficial. This is something that we have seen time and time again. On paper, numbers aren’t always a good indicator of how two products will perform or look in real life.

Contact Specialized AV

Before making any changes to your conference room, we hope this has given you a better idea of what to think about. Although there are many other factors to consider, our AV experts will help you get started on the right path. Contact us today to get an estimate on your audio and video project. Check out our work for more conference room design inspiration.