Business Meetings [back]

There are those of you who would rather have a management meeting at home around the kitchen table. Forget PowerPoint, whiteboards and notepads, there are times when you feel the need to gather your co-workers somewhere above and beyond the regular office environment. Perhaps you need to find place where you can all feel revitalized or meet in a space that really sticks in your mind. When you want to organize a meeting that actually gets results…we mustn’t forget your surroundings are as important for your thought processes as for your physical wellbeing.

The mission we presented for the architect of Kafferosteriet was clear cut in that we knew we wanted to create an environment that promotes good conversation in every way.

Nirvan Richter, founder of Norrgaveln, ran away with the idea and set about excluding all unnecessary details that one usually associates with a “traditional” hotel. He has skillfully crafted an environment that is arguably modern yet retains a really classic, timeless feel. He has worked with carefully-chosen colour schemes that help guests forget about the trials and tribulations of their hectic lives in the city.

(Does this scenario sound familiar?)

Someone in the Human Resources department books a fancy hotel in a plush resort, hires a couple of ‘safe’ and frankly uninspiring speakers, sets up a whiteboard and then it’s time for brainstorming (did we mention the teambuilding activities and the social exercises?).

After a few months, the disappointment of the trip begins to fade and a nagging feeling begins to surface. You ask yourself: ‘Did those three days actually lead to any results?’ ‘How can it be that a whole room filled with intelligent people failed to produce one single clever idea?’ And, while we are on the subject, ‘Why do we have those meetings at all?’

It doesn’t need to be like this. Lots of companies inflict the same type of ‘event’ on their employees that all seem the same. Just ask yourself how many of those non-descript bags with some company logo do you have in your cupboard. Luckily there are people who do their best to find a space that is both different and exciting; a place that gives you energy and that your colleagues will remember. These are meeting places that produce results. The challenge is in actually finding one of these places.

You make sure that you take all the usual things into consideration, such as the logistics, your colleagues’ reaction to the atmosphere of the place and you try to put as much effort into creating mental awareness as to choosing the right type of food.

Results are often determined by the environment in which you work. You cannot force people to go to dull, anonymous conference centers and expect anything other than dull, anonymous results. A secluded place, in both the physical and psychological sense of the word, can make all the difference.

We have done everything we can to create an environment that both engages and stimulates, thus triggering creativity. We feel the best way to generate enthusiasm, produce new ideas, find creative bliss or develop new methods that lead to new goals is to provide a meeting space away from your usual surroundings.

Let´s talk.