There is more to choosing conference chairs than which colour and whether they are aesthetically pleasing or not. Firstly, you need to set a sensible budget which will allow you to choose from a good range of chairs.
Your conference room is likely to be the place where not only presentations are held, but where potential or existing clients come to discuss business, staff or partner meetings take place and of course conferences are hosted. Therefore, careful thought should go into choosing just the right chair for the job. The ambiance of your conference room is very important, so do think about colour and style as well. This is particularly important if you are hosting potential clients as first impressions do count.
Correct posture and comfort should be high on your list of essentials. Chairs which give support to the spine are particularly important if you intend to have people sitting in them all day. Chairs that are adjustable in height are a good idea if your staff or guests need to use the table for writing or for using a laptop computer. Arm rests are a useful addition which can also promote good posture.
Other considerations include whether the chairs have wheels, can swivel and how much adjustability there will be to the back and the seat. The size of your table or tables and the available floor space also needs some careful thought as you don’t want people feeling cramped or that they are too high or low at the table.
The type of flooring you have will also play a part in your choice as carpets are wheel friendly, whereas surfaces such as wood or concrete are perhaps more suited to non wheeled chairs.
People who are sitting comfortably are more likely to be alert, interested and paying attention to what is being said, than if they are in a chair which is uncomfortable. So it is worth spending a bit of time researching and testing as many models as you can. When you go to test the chairs, take along a several members of staff who vary in size and shape as this will give you a better chance of choosing something that will suit most people. You may even wish to purchase a range of say four styles in the same colour which will give a better choice for those having to sit in them. After all, wouldn’t it be better to allow more people to sit in comfort rather than having some who are in discomfort and can’t wait for the meeting or conference to end. Those people are more likely to try and hurry things forward or even disrupt proceedings.
Finally, be aware that you cannot please all of the people all of the time, so go for something that will please most of the people most of the time.
