The conference room is the power center in a workplace. It is the room where futures are discussed, plans are made and decisions are carried out. It is where meetings about how the business is to be conducted are ironed out and approved. With such a great role played in the going concern, it is but proper that the furniture within the room is apt for the goings on within its walls.

1) The long rectangular table

The table is the battlefield where ideas and proposals are suggested and dissected. Depending on the size of the room is the number and size of the tables. Usually, an eight person set is enough for the conference room. Seating arrangements depend on the matter to be discussed. If it is a conflict discussion, each side would be seated on the long sides opposite each other, with the most senior of the officers seated in the middle for each side. But if it is a meeting among equals and/or subordinates, then the most senior officer is seated at the head of the table. The table should be made of hardwood as it is the power center of the office.

2) The hierarchy of chairs

The type of chair and its placement determines the pecking order in the conference room. The most senior, depending on the circumstances, sits at the most imposing chair. Usually with armrests and made of leather, the presidential chair determines, without a word spoken, who has the authority to decide in the room. The most senior officer after the president sits to the right and the most junior officer usually sits nearest the door.

3) The coffee cart and other appliances

But the chairs and tables are not the only furniture in the room. What the usual case is the built in cabinets which houses the gadgets used in conference rooms. LCD projectors, laser pointers or television screens are used for audio visual presentations. For refreshments, there is a coffee cart and a cabinet where basic utensils and cups are kept for use if ever food is served.

4) Whiteboards

In order to better illustrate the discussion, it is best that it is written down to be memorialized or illustrated. So it is important that writing implements are at arm's reach for the participants. The old school conference rooms have whiteboard markers and boards for use. The more innovative ones use glass walls to make the wall both functional and stylish. Just make sure it is a white board marker and not a permanent marker.

The board room is the room where decisions are made and plans are approved. As such, the necessary implements must be present to make these plans a reality. The long table, the kinds of chairs, the cabinets containing the appliances and the whiteboards are essentials to make the conference room both complete and functional. As the power center in the office, the conference room holds the key to what the future lies for the company.