Conference room space planning can be a little tricky. The goal is to ensure that people can gather safely and be able to have effective in-meeting collaboration. It is also important to maximize room utilization, so you don’t end up wasting space. If the space is too small, the room will feel uncomfortably overpopulated, and no one ends up wanting to use it. On the other hand, if you allocate a lot of space, the conference room will be half-empty most of the time. Therefore, as you are planning for conference room space, you need to avoid both of these costly scenarios.

Calculate the Ratio of Table Size to Space

This is one of the first steps in planning a new conference room design. You need to calculate the correct ratio of the table size to available space. Usually, you must ensure that there is about a ten-foot difference between the table length and the length of the conference room. For instance, if your conference room is 25-by-25 feet, the maximum table size you can have is 15 feet in length and below. This will allow employees five feet of space on either side of the table.

Consider Storage Units and Door Swing

If there is going to be a storage unit in the conference room, you must also take into account the space needed to enable people to open drawers and cupboards. For instance, if you have a single standard four-drawer cabinet, it can take up no less than 10-15 square feet of space when opened. You must also consider door swing clearances. People using the conference room must be able to easily get into the room and leave without having to shuffle sideways or press themselves against walls for someone to pass.

General Guidelines for Space

To meet the needs of people who will be using your conference room, here are some general guidelines for space requirements:

  • One to two people conference room — 25-50 sq. ft.
  • Two to six people — 100-150 sq. ft.
  • Six to eight people — 150-200 sq. ft.
  • 12-20 people — 500 sq. ft. or more

You can use these general ratios for planning the space requirements of different sized conference rooms. Conference room planning is quite important. There are about 18 million events and meetings organized in the United States each year. And this represents about $280 billion in spending. Therefore, care must be taken when doing conference room space planning. Use these tips and consult with an expert to ensure your company’s conference room meets your needs.