Bored of traditional theater- or classroom-style room setups? Designing a arrangement with an assortment of furniture "is an ideal way to provide flexibility and choices for attendees’ different personalities," says Michele Wilde, the resort's director of conference services and event sales.
Comfort is a priority, especially during lengthy meetings, Wilde says. Offering multiple seating options can keep attendees engaged and also suit different personalities.
A threesided set up gives attendees a sense of proximity to the speakers.
Quartz also experimented with seating. In the front of the room there were couches reserved for V.I.P. guests, and in the back of the room there was a row of high-top tables where laptop users could work.
Bags that attendees received at registration had various charts taken from Quartz stories that could serve as conversation starters.
Q&A sessions with speakers continued in a designated space outside of the ballroom. The move allowed more intimate access to speakers.
Quartz encourages its sponsors to bring unusual and engaging activations to its events. One example was a fully functional mini planetarium from Qualcomm.
Not every event wants to meet at a hotel. Variety and WWD chose Smashbox Studios for a different feel.
An unexpected addition to the stage was a DJ booth.
Before lunch and the presentation, guests gathered in a sponsor activation area. Its design had a look consistent with the main room, with the same color palette and furniture rentals.
In the new networking area at Sapphire Now in June in Orlando, guests could choose from seating options such as wooden pallets, leather cubes, and cadrboard cubes, which were strong enough to sit on but light and easy to move.
At Social Media Week London in September, shipping crates became “Skypepods.” Each unit was equipped with Microsoft products and enabled with Skype so attendees could get work done or chat with colleagues online.
Pallet chairs from Dublin company This Is What We Do were one of the seating options in the Media Village at Web Summit in November 2014.
On Web Summit’s Pitch stages—site of the event’s start-up competitions—organizers used upcycled chairs made from chipboard.
At C2 Montréal in May, organizers used custom furniture pieces that were designed to facilitate conversations. Overall there were fewer chairs than people to encourage mingling.
TEDxKalamata hosted its event in Greece’s ancient Theatre of Messini, taking advantage of the amphitheater’s unique atmosphere and seating.
At Cisco Live in San Francisco in May, attendees reclined on beanbag gaming chairs in the halls of the Moscone Center to watch keynotes, do work, and take breaks. Organizers said they chose this style chair as an "edgier but still functional" alternative to traditional beanbags.
Guests had two options for lunch at Cisco Live: they could sit outside in the Yerba Buena Gardens on Cisco-branded blankets or at round tables, or they could eat inside the Moscone Center where organizers used picnic tables and Astroturf to create a park-like feel.
