Organizing a seminar or conference in a hotel is quite a task for organizations, but the set-up of the room is quite often overlooked which unfortunately results in a less than desirable result.
Your conference room should be set up in such a manner that it feels comfortable to both leader and attendees, promotes a professional learning environment, and supports the purpose of the meeting with minimum distractions.
There are certain questions you should ask yourself before deciding what kind of set-up will be appropriate for your meeting – How many people are you expecting in the session? Have you catered for any last minute attendees? Will they be required to interact or brainstorm with each other? Will they need to move around the room during the course of session? Will they have to take down notes? Will you be using a projector or board or will it just be a verbal session?
Once you have all of this vital information figured out, you can decide which room setting would suit you and your company to best serve your objectives. We can recommend a few options for you regarding the design of your conference room, going above and beyond that of which you can find in many other hotels in Arundel that provide conference room facilities.
1.Theatre or Auditorium Set-Up
This is the most popular seating arrangement for a large group of people attending the conference and all they need to do is just listen to the speaker or watch a presentation. It also allows attendees to move with ease in and out of the session without disturbing others much.
Typically, your theatre room set-up will be arranged in the following manner:
- Chairs set-up in rows with aisle space in middle and at both the ends
- A podium or elevated platform set up in at the front to serve as a focal point for attendees
2.Classroom or Schoolroom Set-Up
This seating arrangement is considered most effective when the attendees are expected to take notes, use laptops as well as enjoy meals with comfort. Despite this setup not leaving much room for the guests to talk to each other, we work to ensure that the rows are not too compact and allow plenty of leg room.
A school style set-up is exactly the way it sounds and includes:
- Chairs and tables places in straight rows
- All the rows face towards the speaker or focal point of the conference room
3.Banquet Set-Up
This is an ideal set-up for meetings which encourage interaction and the purpose is to enjoy the event, whether it be a gala dinner or award night, at your leisure. This arrangement leaves plenty of space in the room for everybody to move around with ease and for food to be served.
A banquet room is set-up in the following manner:
- Round tables arranged in calculated groups
- Plenty of space between the tables for people to move around freely
It is always recommended that you talk to the hotel staff first to confirm which kind of seating arrangements they can create for you. This also gives you an opportunity to discuss any special requirements and finalise prices in order for you to include this in your overall meeting budget. Fortunately, as one of the top Arundel hotels, Comfort Inn provide you the option to create bespoke set ups for your conference with minimal or no extra charges.
