The way in which meeting planners approach the design of meeting rooms varies greatly. Factors include attendee numbers, whether they have a need for AV or not, the purpose for which the room is being used and available budget, among other things. We asked a group of planners how they determine meeting-room design and why it matters. Here’s what they had to say.

Alex Perica, founder of Wanderland Events, LLC and former senior director of events with Keller Williams Realty, in Austin, TX, says the right room design facilitates the learning ability of attendees. The place to start, she says, is purpose. “First and foremost is to determine the goal of the event before you start designing the space. Will there be the need to take notes? Will you have the group get into small groups? In that instance, it would be good to have round tables. You also need to determine the presentation. Will there be video elements? How many microphones? Will you have mics in the audience for Q&A, or will you have people running mics? Also, some presenters are particular about the type of mic they use,” she says.

Not surprising, there are different design considerations for different gatherings. “We have an event called ‘masterminds’ where the attendees break into groups of 10. We accomplish this by setting the room with rounds of 10. When we’re trying to accomplish getting the most people in the room as possible, we’ll set the room theater style. For a reception, you can get away with a smaller space and set it with tall cocktail tables and expect the attendees to be in flow and not all show up at the same time,” says Perica.

Creativity comes into play in various ways. “Sometimes, you may not have a choice on where the event is held, meaning you must get creative on how you will utilize the space you have. Budget restraints can also present an opportunity to get creative. It’s important to ask questions and fully understand the vision of the event,” she explains.

Although many hotel and convention center rooms are somewhat sterile, Perica says lighting can make all the difference, adding, “For our large events held in a convention center, we set the lights low and use lighting to soften the space. If there are columns in the room, you can uplight the columns. You can also project your logo or image.”

Most of all, planners must have an understanding from the start of exactly what the client wants. “Sometimes, it’s difficult to get them to make a firm decision, or they change their minds halfway through the planning process. Every decision made affects the budget and planning process,” she says,

For Dahlton Bennington, CMP, CIS, CMM, founder and managing director for PROfound Planning in Orlando, FL, it’s critical to align the program’s goals and objectives to the needs of the audience. “A meeting’s goals, objectives and budget are typically the primary drivers of its room design and event setup, followed closely by aesthetic preferences and space availability. Planners should begin by prioritizing what is essential and feasible within budget, and achievable within the venue. From there, select configurations and design elements that are widely appealing and well aligned with the audience’s needs,” she says.

Typically, Bennington says, that means planners should select a room layout and environment that fosters engagement, comfort and a sense of belonging. She explains, “This includes providing ample, well-spaced seating; clear sightlines to presentations and AV elements; and table space and materials when needed. Basic comforts such as water stations and light refreshments help support focus during business sessions. Design elements should also reinforce the event’s purpose, whether it’s learning, sharing best practices, networking or social connection.”

She says lighting has a pivotal role in setting a room’s atmosphere, adding, “Adequate lighting is essential for reading, writing and collaboration, while the stage should be well-lit to maintain focus. Visual production should be optimized by balancing ambient light with the event’s AV needs. Perimeter lighting can also be used strategically to draw attention to the stage and establish the desired tone for the event.”

One of the biggest challenges, Bennington says, is getting the temperature of the room right, adding, “The great struggle for event planners is in setting the most universally acceptable temperature for a room. Each audience has its own threshold for ‘too warm’ or ‘too cold,’ requiring planners to be aware and make incremental adjustments to achieve a comfortable balance for the group.”

She believes meeting-room design is important for many reasons. “It plays a critical role in shaping attendee expectations, influencing emotion and driving desired behaviors,” she explains. “Layouts such as crescent rounds, U-shape, hollow square and learning circles naturally support collaboration, while classroom and theater-style seating focus attention toward the stage. Providing table space or tablet chairs encourages note-taking and structured learning, whereas soft seating — sofas, lounge chairs and executive chairs — promotes relaxed engagement and open discussion.”

Room aesthetics, she says, also impact attendee mindset, adding, “A visually appealing environment can elevate energy, comfort and a sense of security. Even subtle sensory elements, such as a light citrus fragrance, can enhance engagement by creating an uplifting and invigorating atmosphere. These scents are known to improve mood, reduce stress and evoke feelings of freshness, cleanliness and hospitality.”

Equally essential is attendee safety and security. “Planners must ensure room capacities are respected and aisles remain clear and appropriately sized for smooth entry, exit and, if necessary, rapid evacuation,” Bennington notes. “Ultimately, to achieve a positive return on investment (ROI), meeting planners must carefully balance the costs of designing the space with the desired outcomes for attendee engagement and overall event success.”

Optimization of any given room, she continues, can be achieved by tailoring the setup to the space’s inherent strengths while adding strategic enhancements to address its limitations. “Planners can prioritize configurations that provide the widest possible sightlines to the stage, and balance attendee comfort with seating capacity by maximizing table space where appropriate. They can adjust lighting to support program goals — brightening the room to encourage collaboration or dining, and dimming audience areas to focus attention on the stage and screen while keeping presenters well lit,” she says.

And even though room size is fixed, she says space-efficient layouts can increase capacity, adding, “Mixing theater and classroom styles or using half rounds with six to seven chairs can add flexibility. In larger spaces, incorporating foliage, spacing out tables and adding lounge areas can create a more intimate atmosphere.”

Bennington also advises planners to consider schedules. “When schedules are tight, choose setups that allow for quick transitions. Crescent rounds, for example, convert far more efficiently from a business session to a gala dinner than classroom-style seating. Similarly, while not ideal for sightlines, a center cross aisle aligned with airwalls in a general session can enable rapid deployment of breakout spaces using the same configuration,” she says.

Designing meeting room spaces is more complicated than some planners, especially those new to the industry, would think. “Experience is essential for understanding how various room setups function, and when to apply them effectively,” Bennington says. “The more exposure planners have to different configurations, the better equipped they are to select layouts that support specific meeting objectives. Similarly, familiarity with innovative design elements enhances a planner’s ability to craft environments that both engage and impress attendees. By continually exploring new concepts — whether in lighting, décor, seating or sensory elements — planners can curate meeting spaces that elevate the attendee experience and deliver meaningful impact.”

Creativity is also essential for developing room themes, designing impactful environments and navigating spatial or logistical challenges, she says. “Creativity enables planners to transform standard meeting spaces into purposeful, engaging settings that support learning, collaboration and connection. By thinking beyond traditional layouts and embracing inventive solutions, planners can elevate the attendee experience, maximize the strengths of any venue and deliver results that feel both intentional and memorable.”

Sometimes, the business setting and the after-meetings “fun” setting are the same, requiring planners to first choose exactly the right space and then design it to work for two different functions. “We hosted a full-day business session with a working lunch for 70 employees, and an evening rock-concert-style dinner for the same employees and their guests in an empty, historic musical theater,” Bennington says. “We had to design a space that could fully transition from business to evening rock-it-out fun in under two hours. The theater’s three-tiered floor levels provided a strong foundation for an efficient, multifunctional layout.”

Each tier was different. “The level closest to the stage featured a blend of lounge seating, half-set full rounds and cocktail rounds. At the rear of this level, we enhanced the existing banquette bench seating with end tables. On the middle level, we incorporated lounge groupings along the sides and a mix of crescent rounds for flexible engagement. The uppermost level, adjacent to the built-in bar, housed the breakfast and lunch buffets with highboys positioned for informal networking,” she adds.

During the short break between day and evening functions, Bennington’s team transformed the space. “For the evening transition, we quickly cleared the rounds on the first level to create an open dance area. The middle level was reset with full rounds of six and 10, dressed up with vibrant linens and floral accents, while preserving the banquette seating to ensure all 125 attendees had space for plated dining without sacrificing any lounge areas. Bistro lights overhead and perimeter uplighting — left off during the day — transformed the theater into an immersive rock-concert venue,” she says.

When it comes to sterile hotel or convention-center rooms, Bennington sees them not as challenges but as opportunities. “Sterile rooms offer planners a blank canvas, free from the limitations of existing décor, making them ideal for creative and highly customized designs. However, this flexibility often comes with increased budget considerations, as more elements — such as décor, lighting, furnishings and branding — must be added to bring the space to life,” she says.

Her advice for newer planners trying to maximize meeting design is straightforward: “Stay anchored in the meeting’s goals, objectives and budget, and ensure every aspect of the setup reinforces these priorities. As you incorporate creative elements, always keep attendee comfort, accessibility and safety at the forefront. When thoughtful design aligns with purpose and participant well-being, the experience consistently exceeds expectations.”

Andrea Naab, senior director, corporate & retail events with Best Buy in Richfield, MN, also uses lighting to add something special to meeting rooms — especially when there are budget constraints. “Our events currently do not have a large budget allowing us to get creative with our room sets. We aren’t typically able to do much more than a simple set up from the hotel with limited décor. That said, we do use lighting as a cost-effective way to add a bit of flair to our venue. Whether it’s uplighting, gobos or additional rigged lights, we’ve found lighting to be a versatile way to add excitement to rooms,” she says.

Naab shares that it’s also important to focus on production and AV, saying, “Another element is to ensure that production and AV are done well. We’re leaning into more motion graphics, a variety of screen types and sizes, and well-designed PowerPoints to ensure that the audience remains engaged on the content.”

Kim Becker, CMP, SEPC, MBA, president of Emerald Meetings & Event Planning in Louisville, KY, believes meeting-room design is becoming ever more important, not only for the basics — easy access, appropriate size for the session, comfort — but also for the difference in generations attending the meetings. “Younger generations want something different out of meetings; they want experiences. Older generations want experiences as well but are more traditional in their approach to attending a meeting. While tables and chairs work for one generation, different layouts work for others,” she says.

The ideal is to design differently for different groups and rooms; however, Becker says, planners are often limited by the hotel or venue that has already been selected. She explains, “It becomes a puzzle of fitting design into a facility that was chosen a year or more ahead of the meeting. Programming typically lags behind site selection by a year or more, so design comes in when keynote speakers are set and you can discuss what speakers want their session to accomplish and how interactive they want it to be. This applies to non-keynote sessions as well. What kind of interaction do you want from your attendees either with the speaker or with each other? Your design needs to feed into that. For example, if a speaker wants to have some interaction between attendees, then setting the room in crescent rounds or pods of chairs where it’s easy to have group discussion is a good solution. If a speaker wants to have direct interaction with attendees, then finding the appropriate size room that might be a little more intimate is the way I would go.”

Becker says making the most of meeting room design is where the puzzle pieces fit in, explaining, “You have to match sessions to the rooms and how they need to be set, and you have to consider budget. If you have a large keynote with a well-known speaker, for example, that requires a large room that can hold as many people as possible. In that case, you may have to increase the budget to allow for an increase in the number of screens in the room so that everyone has a view, or for a special backdrop or a stage set with lighting to draw attention to the front.”

Becker believes experience helps planners design for different generations. “Any data you can compile over time will help you get a feel for which sessions are attended by the younger generations or the older generations, what topics are the most popular, what speaker was the most popular. That knowledge can be helpful on future site visits. ‘I need a room that has a balcony because this session always goes outside at some point’ or ‘I need X number of rooms that are so big or so small or close together’ or whatever your criteria might be. This will then help during the planning process as well,” she says.

Like others, she points to budgeting concerns and to lighting as a good way to be creative on a tighter budget. “Adding up-lights to a room is a cost-effective way to change the look of a room session by session,” she says. Sometimes, however, even that level of creativity may not be possible. “The powers that be may simply say, ‘We just need to set a room where everyone can see the stage or speaker and be comfortable.’”

Speakers often dictate what is needed for a session. “I had a meeting at a state park last July. The meeting-room design I’m most proud of wasn’t in a meeting room at all. We were using a recreational facility as well as the main lodge rooms and one of the speakers wanted to conduct all her classes outside. There was a circular driveway, so we set chairs on the drive for her session, then she had everyone go on a walk around the facility looking for different aspects of her mindfulness topic. This is where having options and considering what speakers want or need makes for a better attendee experience,” says Becker.

She also remembers another meeting that was set on the 50th floor of a building. It offered incredible views but also required the planning team to be aware of sunrise and sunset throughout the meeting, and to move blackout drapes up or down depending on the room. So much of planning comes down to awareness of every detail.

Becker encourages planners to make as many notes as possible on the site visit regarding doors, windows, lighting and more. “And make sure to have conversations with the programming team and speakers to discuss vision and what they want to accomplish per session. Finally,” she says, “Pay attention to your demographics and data to help support requests for more AV, lighting or décor in the meeting space.”

Options and possibilities may be limited by space and budget, but meeting planners know multiple ways to harness knowledge, experience and creativity to make any room meet the needs of organizers and attendees. C&IT