In the age of collaboration, companies frequently have designated rooms for discussions and meetings. Conference rooms and board rooms are among the most popular choices. These rooms have a similar function but differ in their purpose, design and ambience. Understanding their differences allows businesses to maximize the use of these valuable resources.
The main function of a boardroom is to house meetings of the company’s board of directors, a group of individuals who are elected by shareholders to oversee the company. At these meetings, important decisions regarding the direction of the company’s strategy and policy formulation as well as major investment decisions are taken. These meetings are held regularly, at least one per quarter.
As such, boardrooms need to have an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere to reflect the seriousness of the discussions that are held in them. They should also be outfitted with the proper infrastructure for effective communication, including audiovisual equipment, such as large screens, video conferencing and projectors. Whiteboards can also be used for brainstorming and for taking notes.
Meeting rooms are more informal than boardrooms, and can accommodate a variety meetings. They can be used, for instance for departmental meetings, or client presentations. Meeting rooms can also be used this article for virtual meetings, which offer several benefits to the board members, including increased attendance, lower expenses for travel, and greater diversity of board members. Virtual boards allow for faster decision-making since they do not require everyone to be physically present to discuss and decide on a course of actions.