Meetings are important because they are an essential platform for sharing information. Many executives prefer meetings because communication is easier and faster if you are face to face with the people you want to talk to. However, studies have shown that many people actually dread meetings because they take up a lot of time.
Great meetings also lead to better brainstorming sessions and decisions. One of the best ways to make a meeting amazing is to find a good venue. A quirky meeting venue can liven up the most boring meeting.
Reasons For Holding Meetings Out-Of-Office
For many of us, being cocooned inside the 4 walls of our offices is normal. We spend at least 40 hours per week in front of our desks laboring on tasks and doing work assigned to us. However, a meeting outside the office is also beneficial to the company.
Here are reasons why you need to find a unusual meeting venue outside the office:
· Stimulation
Meeting in a new environment can stimulate creative juices or even just your co-workers attention. When you are in a new environment you are motivated to work better and more efficiently simply because it is a new space. Your brain does not think that it’s in the office so it is more relaxed which in turn stimulates creativity and improves attention.
· Efficiency
Now that you are motivated and have better attention span in a quirky meeting place, your efficiency also improves. You know that time is limited and you want to accomplish everything in your checklist. The new environment also stimulates your creativity making you work more efficiently.
· Relaxing
Being inside the office all day can be stressful. Yes, it’s our workplace but there is always something going on. Your co-workers are busy with their job which can put pressure on you to work faster. However, when you’re outside the working environment, everything seems less stressful and the relaxing atmosphere actually allows you to work more productively.
· Solidarity
Many employees hate meetings thinking that they are a waste of time. However, these types of people are underestimating the value of face-to-face conversation. Meetings are not only about communicayin or the exchange of information and ideas; they are also about strengthening bonds with other team members, employees, executives or management. Meetings are a great way to encourage participation and attention.
Now that we know why meetings are important, we have to look for unique meeting venues to boost attendee participation and productivity. These quirky meeting venue ideas can be found in just about any city in the world. Let’s check out some good examples of unusual meeting places.
Rooftops
When you mention rooftops as a quirky meeting space, many people will think that you’re holding a party. While rooftops are great for parties, they are even greater for meetings with your team or co-workers.
Rooftops are relaxing. They can give you sweeping views of the city. They are also very convenient especially if your building has one. Holding a meeting in a rooftop will boost attendees because it’s a good and easy excuse to step out of the confines of the office’s 4 walls.
Instead of heading to a coffee shop for a meeting with colleagues, ask them to take their coffee with you on the rooftop to discuss ideas, exchange information or just to brainstorm. Rooftops are perfect for these types of meetings because the view will help stimulate attention and creativity.
Perhaps the best reason to hold meetings in the rooftop of a building is because it offers a breath of fresh air. When attendees spend a lot of time inside the office or attend meetings inside a conference room, rooftops provide a welcome change to what’s considered as normal in the office setting.
While rooftop meetings are not practical all the time due to weather or perhaps distance from the office, having a change of venue can help get your co-workers or team mates excited for your meeting.
Warehouse
Warehouses make good quirky meeting venues because they are ideal for a large number of attendees. Normally, big conferences or company meetings are held in hotels and other venues. However, warehouses are very customizable. You can hold any type of meeting you want.
For example, you can rent a warehouse for a presentation of your product. This is a very good option of your product is really big and there are many attendees and guests. With such a large space you won’t have problems fitting everybody inside or doing demonstration of your product.
The only thing to remember about warehouses is that they don’t have great acoustics. You need to set up good audio visual equipment and sound system in order for your meeting to be successful. This way everybody can hear you or see demonstrations clearly.
Museums
Just like rooftop venues, museums are probably on the bottom of the list for meeting venues. However, museums need to be mentioned here because a study conducted by Harris Interactive discovered that people are happier when they spend money on experiences. This means spending money to hold a meeting in a museum will make employees or co-workers happier.
This is because a museum experience is a learning one. You can tour the museum with a docent before holding a meeting. Just a heads up, it’s best to inform the museum that you’re also holding a meeting so that they can accommodate your request at an off peak time so as not to disturb other patrons.
Museum meetings can help you find inspiration and spark your creativity. A good alternative to museums are art galleries.
Local Factories
Another unusual meeting venue is your local factory. You can visit your local winery, factory and other similar institutions and request a tour. Just like museum meetings, meetings at local factories are a great way to stimulate inspiration and creativity because it gives you an idea of how other industries work.
A local factory tour is a great way to get out of the office. These little field trips are a novelty for some employees. The new location will allow your team to stretch their legs and experience something new. By now we all know that new experiences are valuable because they make people happy. This is like an investment for your team because happy co-workers and team members are more productive.
Co-working Space
A co-working space is basically a rented office space shared by different individuals. Most of these spaces have conference rooms or an audio visual room that other people can rent to hold meetings or events.
This is a quirky meeting venue because it is outside the office where there are already conference rooms that can be used for free by employees. The main difference here is the atmosphere. In the office, surroundings are familiar to co-workers. There is no excitement because it’s the same meeting with the same people in the same room.
A co-working space conference room is different. The set-up will be different and so will the atmosphere. Even just a little change in the environment settings can ignite excitement within a group and this is where a co-working space conference room can make a big impact on your team.
Doing things out of the ordinary can pull you out of a slump and can make a big difference on your project and teammates.
Zoo
A zoo is perhaps the quirkiest meeting venue on this list. Zoos are usually full of people, particularly children. And this is why it is a good meeting venue. In the work place, it is very easy to lose our childlike personalities. Employees are usually burdened with tasks and responsibilities not only those related to work but in their personal lives too. While stress is normal especially for adults, too much can cause diseases and a drop in productivity.
This is where zoos come in. They evoke childhood memories for many of us. Times at the zoo were usually fun-filled, relaxing and enjoyable during our childhood which means a visit when we’re adults will result in the same feelings.
Zoos are usually noisy and full of people especially during peak-hours. This is why it’s important plan ahead should you decide to hold a meeting in this quirky venue. Try to time your visit during slack periods. If you’re not familiar with your zoo layout a shady place to sit down and hold a meeting is also important. You can also opt to hold the actual meeting at the zoo restaurant but again it could become noisy and crowded with zoo patrons zipping in and out.
Amusement Park
The amusement park is an alternative to the zoo but deserves its own section of the blog. Amusement parks are a great source of adrenalin which is usually produced when you go on a “scary” ride like roller coasters.
Adrenalin increases blood flow to the brain. An adrenalin fueled brain has better focus so it can accomplish cognitive tasks easily. The best part about this stimulation is the feeling remains even though adrenalin levels have gone down. This means that focus and excitement remains even though the stimulus is gone.
Another benefit of adrenalin is the boost in the immune system. This is great news if people in the office are getting sick because of a virus or bacteria that has been spreading around. A trip to the amusement park does not only improve concentration, it also boosts the immune system to help you fight your co-worker’s cold to keep the team healthy and accomplish tasks.
Like zoos amusement parks are noisy and full of people. It can be hard to actually hold a meeting there because it can be hard to focus with all the distractions. A good tip is to go during off-peak hours or to go to an amusement park and then hold the meeting in a nearby location or in a lonely section of the park. The most important thing to remember here is to plan ahead so that your meeting can proceed successfully despite this quirky meeting venue.
Take Away
Where’s the coolest place you’ve ever attended for a meeting?
In the past, meetings were generally held inside the conference room of your office. While this is still normal for many businesses, there are now many options for quirky meeting venues.
Thanks to attendee demands such as better meeting experience, the popularity for unusual office meeting spaces are on the rise. These venues are the answer to companies and businesses that are looking for creative solutions to boost employee productivity, efficiency and creativity.
Conference rooms are great. Familiar spaces can be relaxing and comforting. However, variety and trying something new is also good. It allows us to experience different emotions. For instance, conference rooms are relaxing and comforting, but they aren’t exciting. Holding a meeting in a different venue can make employees experience thrill or other emotions that aren’t normally felt in the conference room.
Positive emotions resulting from meetings in quirky venues are good for mental and physical health. This is why companies should invest in these types of meetings. Feeling happy can lead to more productive and more satisfied employees.
You don’t have to hold all meetings in different places all the time. Too much variety can be confusing though so it’s best to limit unusual meeting venues for work sessions that really need it. Hopefully you will think about these unusual meeting venues for occasions when your team needs it.
