The Differences Between Board Room and Conference Room
In an age where collaboration is the norm businesses usually have designated spaces for meetings and discussions. Two of the most popular alternatives are board rooms and conference rooms. Despite having similar functions these spaces differ in terms design, style, and ambience. Understanding the differences allows businesses to maximize the use of these valuable resources.
A boardroom’s primary purpose is to host meetings of the company’s board of directors. This is a group of shareholders who elect the members to run the organization. These meetings are where key decisions regarding the company’s strategic direction and policy formulation as well as major investments are made. The meetings are regularly scheduled, at least one per quarter.
As such, boardrooms need to have an elegant and formal atmosphere to reflect the seriousness of the discussions that occur in them. They should also be equipped with the proper infrastructure for effective communications, including audiovisual equipment, like large screens, video conferencing, and projectors. In addition, whiteboards are usually available to assist in taking notes and brainstorming.
Meeting rooms are more informal than boardrooms. They can accommodate a variety meetings. They can be used, for example, for departmental meetings or for presentations by clients. Meeting rooms can also be utilized for virtual meetings that provide numerous advantages to board members, such as increased attendance, lower cost of travel, and more diversity of board members. Virtual boards also facilitate more efficient decision making because they do not have to wait until everyone is present to discuss and agree upon the appropriate procedure.
