Today’s conference room must serve employees in the room as well as those video calling in from elsewhere

Although conference room fundamentals are the same as ever, the rise of video calls has changed their technological demands. Even a few years ago, chairs, a table, and a speakerphone might have sufficed. But the modern conference room must accommodate video conferences, both for distributed workforces and client-facing presentations.

If you’re putting together a conference room or looking to upgrade an existing one, your choice of equipment is critical. But what should be in a conference room? This conference room setup checklist will answer that question and help you make sure nothing gets left behind.

Find more ways to foster teamwork and productivity across a distributed organization in our guide, The modern manager's guide to video conferencing solutions.

Conference room features checklist

Conference table

A good conference room setup checklist starts with the basics: furniture. The centerpiece of your room will likely be a table. But how big of a table should you get? One typical rule of thumb is to measure your room’s dimensions. The right table for your space will be eight feet shorter and narrower than your room. Sticking to those dimensions can preserve ease of movement while effectively spacing out chairs. Each seat should have 30-40 inches of table space on which to work.

To make your workers’ lives easier, look for a table with built-in outlets. Employees can plug their phones or laptops in without leaving the table, which avoids creating a mess of cables (and reduces potential trip hazards).

Ergonomic chairs

Comfortable workers tend to be happier, more focused, and less prone to injury. Adding ergonomic chairs to your conference room setup checklist can help you tap into those benefits. What makes a chair ergonomic? Support for healthy sitting posture. Workers should be able to sit with their feet flat on the floor or a footrest and their knees bent at a 90-degree angle where possible. Their chairs should help them keep their backs straight and supported with padding.

Because every worker’s body is different, adjustable chairs are one the best ways to ensure everyone stays comfortable. In particular, look for chairs that allow you to change seat and armrest height.

Lighting

Like the rest of your office, your conference room should have comfortable lighting. Overhead lighting is an effective and practical way to keep a space illuminated. If you want to add dimension, consider bringing floor lamps or accent lamps into the equation. These help fill in shadows cast by the overhead lights, which is especially useful during video conferences. They can also make the space more pleasant to work in.

Natural lighting from windows is even more effective in that regard. Studies show natural light can boost employee happiness, work satisfaction, and work performance.

Conference room equipment checklist

Video conferencing camera

Regarding electronics, your conference room setup checklist should start with a video conferencing camera. A single webcam can usually handle one-on-one calls, but a higher-resolution camera can pay dividends when working with a room full of people. A wide-angle lens can also capture more of the space at once. Look for a camera that captures at least 180 degrees in 1080p for a clear image of all meeting participants. Anyone joining via video will be glad for the additional clarity.

Video conferencing cameras often come with other useful features. Some include built-in microphones to capture audio. Because the camera is often at the far end of the room, these built-in microphones can struggle. However, if the camera captures a 360-degree image, you can place it in the center of the room. From there, its microphone can pick up better audio from everyone in the room.

Microphones

If your camera doesn’t come with a microphone, you’ll have to acquire one separately. It should be able to pick up audio from people seated nearby as well as on the far side of the room. Generally, there are two types of conference microphones. The first is tabletop microphones. These are easy to operate, with onboard controls and easy repositioning. But they have their downsides. Some models can struggle to capture clear voices in larger conference rooms or when more than one person speaks at once.

Ceiling-mounted microphones are another alternative. These offer more complete coverage for clear voice capture. They also tend to pick up less ambient and incidental noise and let you route their cables to reduce clutter.

Monitor, television, or projector surface

To display virtual meeting participants and presentations, most conference room setup checklists include a screen of some kind. Whether you opt for a television or a projector, you’ll need to get one big enough for everyone in the room to see. There are two common methods for estimating the right size of screen:

• Method 1: Measure the distance from the screen location to the farthest seat away from it. Divide the result by two and look for a screen with a matching diagonal measurement. For example, if the farthest seat is 12 feet away from the screen, you’d want a screen with a 6-foot (or 72-inch) diagonal.
• Method 2: Measure the distance from the screen’s location to the farthest seat. Divide the result by six and look for a screen with a height that matches. For example, if the farthest seat is 12 feet away from the screen, you’d want a screen with a 2-foot height. Using a standard aspect ratio of 16:9, that would mean a 49-inch diagonal.

Your goal is to ensure that you can comfortably display meeting participants and presentations simultaneously. People in the back of the room should be able to see faces and read text easily.

Speakers

Many TVs include speakers, but they tend to be of mixed quality. Some video conferencing microphones feature their own built-in speakers. Similar concerns apply to emitting sound as to recording it. Therefore, these microphones are often well-positioned to provide suitable meeting audio.

If none of your devices include speakers, a soundbar is a simple and effective way to project sound in a smaller conference room. Larger rooms seating 12 or more people may require a pair of loudspeakers to help everyone hear.

Cables

Many of your electronics will need cables to connect them. Screens will likely use HDMI or VGA cables to relay sound and video. Tabletop microphones often use USB cables for power and connection. Cables for all of these devices should be in place and ready to use before a meeting starts. Labeling them can streamline meeting preparations and cut down on IT tickets. So can instructions kept in the conference room.

In the event of cable failure, backups should be stored nearby. If you include instructions in your conference room, they can also point workers toward these extra cables. Finally, your conference room setup checklist should include extension cables to power other devices.

WiFi Connectivity

WiFi connectivity is essential for laptops, mobile devices, and many other business tools. To get the best results, that wireless connection should be fast and reliable. Without it, calls and presentations can experience stuttering and other interruptions.

Running a performance test in the room can help you prevent video stuttering. If the results aren’t up to par, consider buying a WiFi range extender or upgrading to a mesh system.

Whiteboard and markers

Not all your conference room equipment will be high-tech. After all, these rooms are for more than presentations and virtual meetings. They also host in-person discussions and brainstorms. A whiteboard along one wall is a great place to record information during those meetings. Be sure to provide a few markers of various colors, an eraser, and a place to store them when not in use.

Our recommendation: RICOH Meeting 360

You can check off several conference room essentials at once with Ricoh's all-in-one conferencing device, the Meeting 360. The Meeting 360 lives up to its name with a 360-degree camera, a microphone, and a speaker. After an easy plug-and-play setup, it can automatically spot and focus in on active speakers whether the meeting is on Zoom, Teams, Cisco Webex, or Google Meet. Click here to learn more.

Note: Information and external links are provided for your convenience and for educational purposes only, and shall not be construed, or relied upon, as legal or financial advice. PFU America, Inc. makes no representations about the contents, features, or specifications on such third-party sites, software, and/or offerings (collectively “Third-Party Offerings”) and shall not be responsible for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of such Third-Party Offerings. Please consult with a licensed professional regarding your specific situation as regulations may be subject to change.