The average worker spends around four and a half hours in meetings per week. Because of the time devoted to meetings, meeting rooms are important. They provide a space for these meetings to take place that caters to the flow of the meeting itself.

Recently, innovations in construction and design have led to advances in this regard. One of these advances is the modular conference room.

So, what is a modular conference room? And how does it help upgrade a regular office? Keep reading to find out!

What Is a Modular Conference Room?

Many offices do not have conference rooms anymore. Some did not have space for one when the building was constructed and others eliminated the idea in pursuit of an open-office design. However, the need for a conference room often leads companies without one to look into adding one.

This is where modular conference rooms step in. In the case of modular rooms, a prefab conference room is brought to the office and attached to the building. In this way, it is basically an addition to the building itself.

Benefits of a Modular Conference Room

So, why do companies build modular conference rooms? Well, one of the main reasons is the reason given above, they didn’t have one before but want one now.

This is often driven by a need for a private meeting room. In an office without a conference room, meetings happen out in the open and have the potential to be a huge distraction for everyone not involved with the meeting. Meanwhile, those not involved in the meeting may also serve as a distraction to those trying to pay attention during a meeting.

Distractions take up an average of 2.1 hours a day for each person. Eliminating a source of distraction helps improve your workflow.

In addition, there are often times when a few people need to have a private conversation. They may have to talk to each other, as part of a small group, or a single person may just need to take a loud phone call. In any of these cases, the privacy of a conference room prevents them from being distracted or distracting others.

Modular conference rooms are also customizable. A company is able to order the room to meet their specific needs. This often leads to a configurable conference room that does exactly what the company needs it to do.

Types of Modular Conference Room

A modular meeting room can come in many different shapes and forms. However, there are a few types of modular conference rooms that are more popular than others.

The straightforward meeting room is one of the more intense approaches. This is basically a new room that is assembled to simply add to the office as a whole. These types of rooms are usually designed to match the overall look of the office and feel just like an extension of it, rather than a new piece of the building.

Shipping containers are another popular option. These are often cheaper than assembling an entirely new room, as they are built in the bones of a shipping container. However, they often look more rugged and may not match the flow of the office as nicely.

Phone booth options provide an entirely different approach. Instead of adding an addition to the building, a phone booth is a small modular meeting room that sits inside the office’s already existing rooms. Basically, it is a privacy shelter, providing a space for employees to meet without having to make a costly addition.

Modular Conference Room Uses

A modular system with a conference room accommodates anything a normal conference room would. This includes full office meetings, small group meetings, brainstorming sessions, presentations, sales pitches, and a place for employees to practice anything that involves talking.

Movable conference rooms are great for any situation where you need privacy. A sensitive meeting or a meeting that needs to be free of distraction both are able to take advantage of this privacy.  

Designing a Modular Conference Room

Designing a modular conference room is similar to designing any other type of meeting space. However, to take full advantage of the space, the design should be adaptable.

Modular conference room furniture is at its best when it is capable of shifting to the different needs of the office. Think about what you will be using the room for and consider if there is anything else it needs to do. Consider all of the options so that you are prepared for the future.

For example, you may mostly want the room for having meetings around a table but realize that every now and then, you have presentations from speakers.

In this case, modular conference room tables that move out of the way allow you to have your table meetings but also pack them up when they are not needed. This way, the office serves multiple functions without needing additional space.

Adaptable technologies are great as well. Televisions that are big enough to be seen by a full room or that turn to be seen are a great resource. Or, a projector may be able to replace a TV while being more adaptable.

Modular office design typically tries to do the most it can with a limited amount of space. This is why many modular conference room tips revolve around making use of your space.

Making Modular Conference Rooms Work

A modular conference room has the potential to transform an office. These unique additions provide a new space for you and your employees to accomplish work and to accomplish it effectively. When designed right, these rooms can be even more conducive to the flow of your workplace.

If you are interested in help with designing your office, make sure to reach out to the professionals at Workplace Resource.

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