21 Mar 4 Ways to Make Your Conference Room “Feng Shui Compliant”

A client’s first impression when walking into your business is always important.  A whole set of conclusions are made in the first 30 seconds or less, so whatever  experience the client has in the reception area helps them conclude what it’s going to be like to work with you.

However, there is another area that carries an important punch in terms of client analysis—-your conference room.  This is the room in which you and your client are going to chat—–about upcoming business, current projects, working out details, ironing out glitches.  And here is where you definitely do not want to present anything other than an impression that your business is professional, capable, and successful.  Yet here is where I often find this message of proficiency crumbling—-and your client will as well.

Why this happens seems to be that the conference room is not used all that often so it’s easy to have stuff accumulate for lack of a better place.  Here is also where staff may take a break or eat lunch.  I had an experience of making a presentation to a design team in their conference room while trying to ignore the obvious smell of pizza.  Their beautiful and well-designed reception area was long lost in my memory once I got in this room.

So, here are three possibilities to keep in mind when setting up your conference area or if there’s a remodeling project in your future or if you’re planning a business move . . . . .

1. Conference Room Placement. The conference room should be close to the front of the business—-right next to the reception area if possible.  You do not want to walk your client through the behind-the-scenes portion of your enterprise.  This aspect of what you do should be private and you would be respecting the privacy of those who work there.  If you decide to tour them through your facility, that’s different because you can explain what’s occurring.  But to simply walk them through the production or creative areas to get to the conference room allows them to arrive at their own conclusions which may not be accurate.
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2. As mentioned earlier, keep the conference room in client-ready status.  Remove extraneous stuff that gets stored there; remove evidence of prior meetings (white boards, hand-outs, charts on an easel, etc.).  If cleaned up it will be prepared and ready for you and your client—-as though it was waiting for the event.
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3. For some reason, having a conference room with all glass walls has become quite popular.  I can’t tell you how vulnerable this makes those sitting in the conference room feel, especially if you’re one of those who has their back to this exposed wall.  Some moderate exposure may be interesting and expansive but see that the majority of those glass partitions have film to obscure the visuals without losing the benefits of light.
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4. Give it life. Bring in a plant or two or bring in fresh flowers when a client is expected.  It is a metaphor about vitality, growth, beauty and it is a direct connection to nature.  Silk plants or flowers can always work.  I find that typically no one is “in charge” of the plants in a conference room so they often don’t get watered.  This is an argument for bringing in an artificial version—-just make sure it carries with it your message about being a thriving and successful business.

The conference room is a place where a lot of important events often occur.  Whether it’s an in-house meeting, creating the next step in the business, or a  meeting with a client, this area deserves the best side of what your enterprise stands for.