Yes, we're fans of C2 Montréal around here! Afer all, the business conference specializes in meetings in unusual environments—like 2018's "Transparent" lab, a mirrored room, where a moderator led a conversation about diversity and bias in the workplace. See more: 17 Ways C2 Montréal Got Attendees Out of Their Comfort ZonesPhoto: Jimmy Hamelin
It's clear that venues and event hosts alike are continuing to prioritize attendee engagement and well-being. Thus, types of experiential meeting space concepts like Sonesta Irvine's are becoming more and more the norm. And at BizBash, we're increasingly seeing meeting rooms that prioritize natural light, creativity-sparking design, stress-relief options, and more unique features that blend the lines between work and play.
After all, “when you infuse play into meetings, attendees are more likely to follow their curiosity, are more open to sharing, and the team is more willing to experiment," said positive play coach Jeff Harry in a recent interview with BizBash. “It's ironic that we state that we want staff to think outside of the box, and then we put them in a box building, in a box room, sitting around a box table—and then ask them to think outside of it."
In the spirit of thinking outside the box, we've rounded up some of our favorite examples of meetings and breakout rooms designed to spark inspiration and creativity. Scroll down to take a look...
1. Take it outside.
What's more creativity-inducing than natural light and fresh air? While your meeting likely isn't taking place on the French Riviera, take a cue from this dreamy meeting room setup from Pinterest. As part of the brand's beachside activation at Cannes Lions in June 2022, producers Amplify built several meeting rooms set along an adjacent pier. Slatted roofs and siding offered memorable ocean views and cooling breezes. See more: Cannes Lions 2022: How Top Brands Drew Attention at the Jam-Packed Festival of Creativity
Photo: Courtesy of Pinterest
Another fun outdoor option was part of an L.L. Bean activation in 2018, produced by Jack Morton Worldwide. The "Be an Outsider at Work" campaign, in partnership with co-working space Industrious, created inviting pop-up workstations for people to integrate the outdoors into their workday. The functioning outdoor workplace came complete with conference rooms, electrical outlets, and ergonomic furniture. (There was also a pod of cycling desks.) Anyone could book workspaces online in advance—the group spaces filled quickly—but walk-ups could check in with event staff to see if there was room for them.
"We wanted to encourage different ways of working," said Kathryn Pratt, then the L.L. Bean director of brand engagement. "There are different types of meetings that you can be taking out here. Sometimes you are going to want power and some shade; other times, if it's a creative blue-sky thinking session, you might want to be in lower, more comfortable seating." See more: How L.L. Bean Encouraged People to Take Their Work Outside
"We wanted to encourage different ways of working," said Kathryn Pratt, then the L.L. Bean director of brand engagement. "There are different types of meetings that you can be taking out here. Sometimes you are going to want power and some shade; other times, if it's a creative blue-sky thinking session, you might want to be in lower, more comfortable seating." See more: How L.L. Bean Encouraged People to Take Their Work Outside
Photo: Amy Sussman/AP Images for L.L.Bean
2. Lean into creativity-inducing colors and artwork.
Go beyond the stuffy boardroom with bright colors, unique lighting, and eclectic artwork, like this meeting space at the CitizenM Seattle South Lake Union. Open since 2020, the colorful hotel features modern furniture, neon signage, and a comic book-inspired mural from Native American artist Jeffrey Veregge. There are also four stylish meeting rooms, the largest of which holds 16. Each meeting room offers wireless connectivity, complimentary coffee and tea, natural daylight, and chalkboards or whiteboard walls.
Photo: Courtesy of CitizenM Seattle South Lake Union
Strategic breakout rooms were also top of mind for NVE Experience Agency owner Brett Hyman when designing his company's new headquarters in 2020. Hyman centered his design choices on what he calls "the three C's:" creativity, concentration, and collaboration. Although the office does have more traditional conference rooms, Hyman made a point to have several spaces designed specifically for brainstorming sessions with comfortable couches, plants, and artwork. The NVE office also has its own library that offers couches and books on leadership, marketing, design, and culture. The library space is purposely un-bookable, so employees can gather any time they need a break or some inspiration. See more: How Top Event Pros Design Their Own Offices
Photo: Sean Gordon
3. Mix up your seating options.
Unexpected seating options can also be a great way to spark inspiration and set a creative tone for a meeting. A fun example? At the 2020 edition of GO WEST—a conference for event and meeting professionals produced by Timewise Event Management—five themed breakout rooms created an immersive learning environment for attendees. A playground-themed room, for example, offered swing chairs and other colorful seating options—including a ball pit!—allowing guests to choose which setup was most comfortable and inspiring for them. The conference's main stage area, meanwhile, included a mix of high-tops, couches, and beanbag chairs as seating. See more: Most Innovative Meetings 2020: #2 GO WEST
Photo: Leblond Studio Inc.
When it reopened in 2017, Montreal's Fairmont the Queen Elizabeth reimagined its meeting spaces, bringing escape rooms, ball pits, and other eclectic options to what had originally been traditional hotel meeting space. CoLab 3, the hotel's third-floor business hub, has 13 meeting spaces and seven gaming-themed rooms, which include eclectic seating arrangements and swing sets. See more: See How This Hotel Made Its Meeting Space More Fun—and Effective
Photo: Courtesy of AccorHotels
4. Get guests out of their comfort zones.
What better way to get guests thinking creatively than by pushing them out of their comfort zones? It's something business conference C2 Montréal specializes in. A standout example comes from its 2017 Sky Lab, when groups discussed business challenges while sitting in chairs suspended off the ground. “There is deep research in every experience we do. We work with behavioral analysts and psychologists and consultants to understand the basis of human interaction—one of which is when you play with people’s senses you actually disrupt their sense of normalcy, and you actually trigger a part of their brain that forces them to think outside the box and to become more creative and innovative,” said Martin Enault, the former chief operating officer of C2 Montréal, in a 2017 interview with BizBash. See more: Most Innovative Meetings 2017: #1 C2 Montréal
Photo: Courtesy of Joe Lovett/Cramer
Or how about a meeting in the pitch black? One of GO WEST 2020's breakout rooms was called the “Darkroom." The space was—you guessed it—pitch black other than the main screen, and attendees had to navigate throughout the room using flashlights. See more: Most Innovative Meetings 2020: #2 GO WEST
Photo: Leblond Studio Inc.
5. Offer an escape.
Sometimes, the most effective meeting and breakout rooms offer a tranquil escape from a hectic show floor, giving guests a moment to breathe, reset, and get down to business. For the 2017 edition of gaming expo E3, Event Eleven designed a midcentury modern home for software company Take-Two Interactive—all on the trade show floor. The 8,000-square-foot space featured a pool, an exterior deck, a service kitchen, and a game room. Bedrooms, a living room, a lounge, and a dining room served as meeting spaces.
Photo: Courtesy of Event Eleven
Another secluded—and nurturing—space came from C2 Montréal in 2015, where real tree branches were used to create the "Nest," a hollow structure measuring 30 feet across and sitting 10 feet in the air. Participants were invited to climb a ladder into the nest where a moderator led them in a discussion. To leave the space, attendees slid down a slide.
Photo: Sebastien Roy
6. Incorporate elements of play.
Adding elements of play can turn meeting attendees from passive listeners to active participants. It's something the Epic International Summit leaned into in early 2019. Not only were guests asked to go tech-free for the entire three-day event, but there were also interactive sessions and workshops using meditative mixed media, storytelling, and design thinking—and even strategic play with LEGO bricks. “It was a three-hour deep dive into this methodology where you deal with business topics and instead of answering questions with words, you build a [LEGO] model,” explained founder Steve Ralph. See more: Most Innovative Meetings 2019: #9 Epic International Summit
Photo: Courtesy of Epic International
7. Use expected decor to drive home key points.
Also at the 2015 edition of C2 Montréal, another unique space intended to break down barriers between participants. The “Cloud of Fog” was a 40-foot tentlike structure filled with fog. Groups of seven attendees stood inside and participated in a moderator-led discussion, but they could not see one another. As the session progressed, the participants would take small steps forward, until the end when they were all gathered in the middle and close enough to see one another. Richard St-Pierre, then the president of C2 Montréal, said by removing the ability for participants to see one another, the experience “completely disconnected the person from the persona. Once everybody was out, you would see those groups coming back again to share coffee and such." See more: How C2 Montréal Challenged Attendees to Take Risks
Photo: Sebastien Roy
Yes, we're fans of C2 Montréal around here! Afer all, the business conference specializes in meetings in unusual environments—like 2018's "Transparent" lab, a mirrored room, where a moderator led a conversation about diversity and bias in the workplace. See more: 17 Ways C2 Montréal Got Attendees Out of Their Comfort Zones
Photo: Jimmy Hamelin
