How to Buy the Right Conference Chairs

Are you planning to furnish your conference room? Furnishing a conference room is much more than choosing the color scheme and design style; it’s also about comfort and durability. Typically, the best conference room chairs feel as good as they look. They encourage good sitting posture as much as they match your décor. This is because when your employees, colleagues, and clients, sit in your conference room, you want them to concentrate, avoid distractions, and be productive—and conference chairs affect all these elements.

Essentially, the conference furniture you choose plays a crucial role in how well your meetings run, the effectiveness of individuals, and much more. How do you pick the right conference chairs? What qualities should you consider when picking conference chairs?

Factors to Consider when Buying Conference Chairs

A good meeting starts with a good chair. This is a basic principle that most companies overlook—to their own disadvantage. According to multiple polls, meetings are hindered by technological issues, people talking over to each other, overuse of certain buzzwords, and the room being too hot or too cold.

However, what effect does uncomfortable or unsuitable conference chairs have?

Uncomfortable conference chairs make people feel uncomfortable, distracted, and fidgety. Shabby and mismatched conference chairs can spoil the look of your conference room, creating a poor impression of your business.

When choosing conference chairs, consider the following factors:

Adjustability

Adjustability is a big component in ergonomics. When choosing conference chairs, look for chairs that can adjust to fit different body types and sizes during day-to-day operations. Look for conference chairs that are height-adjustable to suit different people.

Durability

As long as you’re investing in new office furniture, invest in quality materials, such as leather that will stand the test of time. Although quality materials may be expensive, it’s worth every penny because you won’t need to replace your office furniture every few years. When you’re buying conference chairs, find chairs with materials that’s easy to clean, long-lasting, and still comfortable and attractive.

Comfort

Often, meetings extend an hour or two. Conferences and workshops usually take much longer. In the office, it’s common to alternate between sitting and standing, especially if you have a standing desk. But in meetings and conferences, this isn’t so easy. Sitting for extended periods in an uncomfortable chair, or in unsupported positions can worsen or cause musculoskeletal disorders, such as back pain, neck pain, and repetitive strain injury.

Apart from being at risk of a long-term injury, it’s impossible to concentrate when you’re sitting in an uncomfortable conference chair—especially if you have to sit all day.

However, perhaps you already know that ergonomic seating can revolutionize the way employees work at the office. But do you know that this also includes conference rooms? That’s because ergonomic chairs add comfort, encourage proper sitting posture, and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Also, ergonomic chairs encourage people to stay focused even during long meetings and presentations.

So, when shopping for conference chairs, look for comfortable, customizable seating options to maximize the value of seating options in your conference room.

Movement Mechanism

Often, fidgeting is deemed as a lack of engagement or interest. Many of us have been taught to associate ‘being good’ with sitting still, and we still apply this in the workplace. However, research from New York University suggests that fidgeting may be an essential behavior that helps us think and process information effectively. The research shows that fidgeting distracts parts of our brain that become bored, so that the other parts of our brain can pay attention to whatever we’re seeing, reading, or listening to.

Autonomous stocks office chairs that encourage movement. You can use Autonomous office chairs in conference and meeting rooms, including the AvoChair, which is designed with movement in mind. AvoChair features an airy elastomeric mesh back, which offers a great deal of spinal support and comfort. Its floating tilt function allows you to rock back and forth to stay active while still supporting your spine comfortably.

Choosing conference chairs with wheels comes in handy when attendees need to pivot their chairs to look at the speaker, collaborate with their colleagues, or take part in group discussion sessions. Instead of needing to lift and move their chair to other parts of the room, they can simply roll around where they need to go. If flexibility is critical in your conference room, then you should look for conference chairs with wheels. 

Storage and Use

What space will the conference chair be occupying? Do the chairs need to be stackable? Will the chairs need to be moved between spaces? How versatile is the conference room? Are the chairs just for meetings, or will you need to reconfigure the room for conferences, presentations, and workshops?

Your conference chairs should be as versatile as your conference room. Typically, there are 3 types of conference chair bases:

• 5-star wheeled base. This base is excellent for collaboration and moving around between spaces. These types of conference chairs are height-adjustable.
• 4-legged chairs. These are perfect for stacking, ideal for smaller spaces, or when more chairs are needed for seminars or presentation rooms.
• Cantilever conference chairs. This can be stacked together and they encourage movement.

Appearance and Looks

Many task chairs come with conference equivalents, allowing you to create seamless aesthetics throughout your office. Also, you can personalize most chairs with options, such as armrests.

Customizing your conference chair appearance allows the chair to match the rest of your décor and keep up with your company’s image and culture. Although aesthetics is not the only deciding factor when shopping for conference chairs, it’s still important. Your conference chairs should fit your office style and branding. Similarly, you want furnishing that makes your conference room look attractive and a pleasing place to work. So, when picking your conference chairs think about colors, style, materials, and how the chair’s overall aesthetics match your style.

Final Thoughts

Choosing conference chairs for your conference room is as essential as choosing your office chairs. So, when picking your conference chairs, think about the ergonomics, adjustability, durability, comfort, movement mechanism, storage and use, and appearance and looks, among other factors.