Hybrid work is becoming increasingly common. How should video conferencing room furniture be configured?

Hybrid work has become the new normal for Hong Kong businesses in the post-pandemic era. With employees splitting their time between the office and working from home, a large volume of cross-regional communication relies on video conferencing. The problem is that many companies still use their old meeting room furniture setups – large, long boardroom tables and traditional arrangements facing projection screens – which simply aren't suitable for hybrid video conferencing. This makes it difficult for remote participants to clearly see the expressions of those in the room, significantly hindering communication effectiveness.

The furniture layout of a video conferencing room is an art that involves functionality, proportion, acoustics, and cable management. This article will explain how to configure a video conferencing room from a furniture perspective to help Hong Kong businesses create truly effective hybrid office meeting spaces.

First, understand the difference: Video Conferencing Rooms vs. Traditional Meeting Rooms

Traditional meeting rooms focus on in-person presentations, with design priorities on seating capacity and projection quality. Video conferencing rooms, however, have fundamentally different core requirements:

• The camera's field of view must cover all participants.
• The face of every in-room participant must be clearly visible on the screen.
• Clear audio pickup, with controlled background noise.
• Tidy cable management to avoid messy wires cluttering the view.

These requirements directly influence the choice of conference table shape, chair arrangement, screen placement, and acoustic design.

Conference Tables: Choosing Shapes and Sizes

Rectangular Conference Table

Rectangular tables are the most common conference table style in Hong Kong offices, suitable for formal meetings of 6 to 12 people. However, when used for video conferencing, people sitting at the ends of the table can easily fall outside the camera's field of view, making it difficult for remote participants to see all attendees. If using a rectangular table, it's recommended to shorten its length to prevent people from being too spread out.

Reference dimensions for a 6 to 8-person rectangular table: 2400×1000mm to 2800×1100mm; Hong Kong market reference price: $8,000 to $18,000.

Oval or Boat-Shape Table

Boat-shaped tables are narrower at the ends and wider in the middle, allowing all seats to be slightly angled towards the central camera. This makes them an ideal choice for video conferencing rooms. The camera's viewing angle is better, and the facial clarity of every in-room participant is more uniform.

Reference dimensions for an 8 to 10-person boat-shaped conference table: 2800×1100mm to 3200×1300mm; Hong Kong market reference price: $12,000 to $25,000.

Small Video Conferencing Rooms (4 people or less)

For small video conferencing rooms with 4 people or less, square or round tables work better. The distance between each participant and the camera is similar, ensuring even audio pickup and framing. Reference price for a square conference table (1000×1000mm): $4,000 to $8,000.

Conference Chairs: Functionality and Height Coordination

There are several key considerations when selecting chairs for a video conferencing room:

• Backrest Height: It's recommended to choose mid-back chairs (backrest height 500–600mm) to avoid high-back chairs obstructing people in the back row and affecting the camera's view.
• Material Color: Light-colored or gray fabric chairs are more neutral and are less likely to create strong reflections or contrasts on the video screen.
• Stackable Design: If the meeting room also serves as a multi-purpose space, choose stackable models to save storage space.
• Wheeled Models: These allow for easy adjustment of seating distance, providing flexibility for meetings with different numbers of participants.

Hong Kong market reference prices for conference chairs: Fabric mid-back conference chair $600 to $1,500 /chair; Leather mid-back conference chair $1,200 to $2,500 /chair.

Display Screen Placement and Furniture Coordination

Video conferencing rooms typically use large display screens instead of projectors. The wall-mounting height of the screen and its coordination with the conference table are crucial:

• The center of the screen should ideally be at or slightly above eye level when seated, generally 130–150cm above the floor.
• Display screen size should be chosen based on room depth: 75–85 inches recommended for a depth of 4–5 meters; 55–65 inches recommended for a depth of 2–3 meters.
• Cable conduits should be pre-installed for screen mounting, preferably during office renovation, to avoid messy visible cables later.

Hong Kong market reference price for a 65-inch commercial display screen (excluding AV equipment): $3,500 to $7,000; 75-inch: approximately $5,500 to $10,000.

Acoustic Design: A Crucial Yet Often Overlooked Factor

Meeting rooms in Hong Kong commercial buildings often have hard walls and floors, leading to severe sound reflection. This directly impacts the audio quality of video conferencing, causing noticeable echo for remote participants. Furniture arrangements can help improve this in several ways:

• Fabric sofas or soft seating: Fabric materials naturally absorb sound better than leather or hard surfaces.
• Thick curtains: Floor-length thick curtains can effectively reduce sound reflection from glass walls.
• Acoustic panels: Professional acoustic panels installed on walls can significantly reduce the reverberation time indoors; Hong Kong market reference price per acoustic panel (600×1200mm): $800 to $2,500.
• Carpet: Laying carpet in the meeting room is one of the simplest and most effective acoustic measures.

Cable Management and Power

Messy cabling in video conferencing rooms is one of the most common problems in Hong Kong offices. When purchasing conference tables, it's recommended to choose models with built-in cable management or use cable grommets to neatly conceal power cords, HDMI cables, and USB-C cables within the table. This keeps the tabletop tidy and prevents cables from becoming visual clutter on screen.

Configuration Advice: For video conferencing room furniture, it's recommended to allocate the budget as follows: 60% for tables and chairs, 20% for acoustic treatment, and 20% for cable management. Many companies invest heavily in AV equipment but neglect acoustics and cable management, resulting in suboptimal video performance. The integrated planning of furniture and AV equipment should be considered together from the initial renovation stages.

Are you planning or upgrading your company's video conferencing room? There are many details in video conferencing room furniture configuration, and one mistake can affect the overall effectiveness.

BW Furniture has extensive experience in hybrid work office space configurations. Feel free to contact us, and our consultants will provide free meeting room furniture solution recommendations and quotes based on your room size and usage needs, taking care of tables, chairs, cable management, and acoustic accessories all at once.