Meeting Room Types Explained: Huddle Rooms, Conference Rooms and Boardrooms
Short answer: Offices use five main kinds of meeting space: phone booths for one person, huddle rooms for two to four, meeting rooms for four to eight, conference rooms for eight to fourteen and boardrooms for senior or client meetings. Since most meetings involve two to four people, the common mistake is building one large conference room and no small ones. A good rule is more small rooms than large, with roughly one meeting seat for every eight to ten staff.
Ask any office manager what people complain about and “no meeting room is ever free” will be near the top. Usually the rooms exist; they are just the wrong size. One person on a video call occupies a ten-seat room while a team of six stands in the corridor. Getting the mix right fixes this.
Meeting room types at a glance
| Type | People | Approx. room size | Typical furniture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone booth or focus pod | 1 | 10 to 15 sq ft | Seat or stool, small shelf, light, socket |
| Huddle room | 2 to 4 | 50 to 80 sq ft | Round or small table, chairs, wall display |
| Meeting room | 4 to 8 | 100 to 160 sq ft | 1,800 or 2,400 mm table, chairs, display, whiteboard |
| Conference room | 8 to 14 | 180 to 300 sq ft | 3,000 to 4,200 mm table with power boxes, credenza |
| Boardroom | 10 to 20 | 300 to 500 sq ft | Premium table, executive chairs, credenza, video conferencing |
| Training room | 15 to 40 | 400 to 800 sq ft | Movable tables, stackable chairs, podium |
| Open collaboration zone | 3 to 8 | Part of the floor | High table, soft seating, mobile whiteboard |
What is a huddle room?
A huddle room is a small enclosed room for quick, unplanned conversations: a stand-up, a one-to-one, a short client call. It is usually not bookable for long slots. Furniture is simple:
- A round table of 900 to 1,000 mm, or a wall-mounted table with the display above it
- Three or four light chairs or stools
- A screen with a camera, and a power point at the table
- A writable wall
A standing-height table (about 1,050 mm) keeps meetings short and saves floor.
Meeting room vs conference room: what is the difference?
The words are often used interchangeably. In planning terms, a meeting room is the everyday room for a team of four to eight. A conference room is larger, set up for formal reviews and client presentations, with a longer table, built-in power and better audio and video.
| Meeting room | Conference room | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 4 to 8 | 8 to 14 |
| Table | 1,800 x 900 to 2,400 x 1,200 mm | 3,000 x 1,200 to 4,200 x 1,350 mm |
| Use | Team discussions, interviews | Reviews, client meetings, video conferences |
| Technology | One display, basic camera | Large display or two, ceiling or table microphones |
| Finish | Same as the office | A step up |
What makes a boardroom different?
The boardroom is where directors, investors and key clients sit. It is used less often but carries more weight, so it gets the best finishes: a veneer or premium laminate table, often boat-shaped so everyone can see each other, executive chairs, a credenza for refreshments, concealed cabling and good acoustics. See our executive desk and director table guide for finishes that match.
How many meeting rooms does an office need?
As a starting point, plan about one meeting seat for every eight to ten employees, and weight the mix toward small rooms.
| Headcount | A workable mix |
|---|---|
| 20 | 1 meeting room for six, 1 phone booth |
| 50 | 1 conference room for ten, 1 meeting room for six, 1 huddle room, 2 phone booths |
| 100 | 1 conference room for twelve, 2 meeting rooms for six, 3 huddle rooms, 4 to 5 phone booths |
| 200 | 1 boardroom, 2 conference rooms, 4 meeting rooms, 6 huddle rooms, 8 to 10 phone booths, 1 training room |
Adjust for how your teams work. Sales and client-service teams need more rooms; heads-down development teams need more phone booths. Hybrid offices, where half the meeting is on screen, need more small rooms with good video. See hybrid office layouts and hot-desking.
Sizing the table to the room
- Allow 600 to 750 mm of table edge per person.
- Keep at least 900 mm between the table edge and the wall; 1,200 mm on the side where people enter.
- Place the display on the short wall and run the table lengthwise from it.
- For video rooms, a table that is slightly wider at the screen end lets the camera see every face.
All the standard sizes are in our office furniture dimensions chart.
Furniture details that matter in every meeting room
- Power in the table. A flip-up box with sockets, USB and HDMI for every four to six seats. See the office cable management guide.
- Clear leg room. Legs set in from the ends; no panel where knees go.
- Sectional tops. Long tables made in sections that fit the lift and join on site.
- A credenza. For the video equipment, remote controls, water and cups.
- A writing surface. Whiteboard or back-painted glass.
- Matte table top. Avoids glare from ceiling lights on camera.
Do not forget acoustics
Glass-walled rooms look good and sound bad. Voices echo inside and leak outside. Add at least one absorbent surface: a fabric or acoustic wall panel, carpet tiles, or an acoustic ceiling. Check the door has seals. Glass options are discussed in our post on glass partitions for offices, and booths in office phone booths and focus pods.
Common mistakes
- One big conference room and nothing else
- Tables too large for the room
- No power at the table
- Display on the long wall, so half the room turns their neck
- All-glass rooms with no acoustic treatment
- No small space for a private call
Meeting room furniture made in Pune
We make meeting, conference and boardroom tables to the room size at our workshop in Dhanori, with power boxes and cable routes built in, and install across Pune. See the office furniture range.
Frequently asked questions
What is a huddle room?
A small enclosed room for two to four people, used for quick discussions and video calls, usually 50 to 80 sq ft with a small table and a wall display.
What is the difference between a conference room and a boardroom?
A conference room is a working room for eight to fourteen people. A boardroom is a more formal, premium room for directors and key clients, with higher-grade furniture and technology.
How many meeting rooms does a 50-person office need?
A common mix is one conference room for ten, one meeting room for six, one huddle room and two phone booths.
Talk to Encore Interiors
Encore Interiors designs, manufactures and installs office furniture from its own workshop in Dhanori, Pune.
Address: Survey No. 19, 3/1, near Shard Lawns, Madhav Nagar, Dhanori, Pune, Maharashtra 411015
Phone: +91 89799 31695, +91 75076 17409
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