You can energize the conference room in your business with a few expert feng shui tips to optimize auspicious chi energy. Easy feng shui changes made to this important room can generate positive outcomes for negotiations and other discussions.
How to Choose Your Conference Room Location
Feng shui expert, author and president of Energy Design (business feng shui consulting firm) Pat Heydlauff advises, "There needs to be a clear and easy path available to lead energy to the conference room." One way you can approach locating your conference room is to use feng shui compass directions. You can match the purpose of your business to the appropriate compass direction that governs that area of life.
Southeast Sector for Any Company
The southeast sector is the wealth sector. This governs the accumulation of wealth. If the conference room is where clients are won over, it can be a very beneficial location. This is a great location for sales meetings, business expansion discussions, and meetings for generating ideas on how to grow the business to gain greater capital and wealth. Conference rooms for banks and other financial companies are ideally located in this sector.
- Add a water feature on the southeast wall.
- Use round or oval leafed plants.
- A round or oval wood conference table is perfect for this sector.
- Add more wood furniture to activate the wood element governing this sector to stimulate wealth growth.
- A bubbling water fountain in the southeast corner will ensure the company wealth continues to grow.
East Sector for Health Industries
The east sector rules health. If your company caters to the health industry, or you're planning a conference room location for a hospital or other health institute, then the east sector is an ideal choice.
- Add plenty of round or oval leafed plants.
- An oval or round wood conference table activates the wood element in this sector.
- You can add paintings, pictures or photos of trees, plant and health-related subjects with wood frames in a rectangle shape.
- Place an aquarium or water fountain in this sector. You may prefer to forego the water feature and use a picture of a lazy winding stream or calm lake water.
- Set a dragon statue or painting by the water feature.
South Sector for PR Firms, Marketing Firms and Agents
The south sector is the recognition and fame location. A conference room in this sector will build on your company's good name and ensure your firm receives the accolades it deserves. It's an especially ideal location for a PR firm, talent agents and anyone in a promotional business.
- Display awards, news articles and other company achievements in wood frames.
- Fuel the fire element with plants, wood furniture and decorative objects.
- Add a triangle shaped decorative object to represent the fire element.
- You can further activate the fire element with layers of lighting from recessed, torchiere floor lamps to table lamps.
- Select an oval or round wooden conference table.
Southwest for Love and Relationship Businesses
Any company involved in the industry of relationships and love, such as a Valentine's Day related business or a couple's counseling service will benefit from a southwest conference room location.
- Decorate using pottery, ceramics and stonework to activate the earth element.
- Display a couple of feng shui relationship symbols, such as a pair of mandarin ducks.
- Two bouquets of peonies can grace a console table. You can use real or artificial flowers. Replace real flowers as they fade. Dust artificial flowers. Never use dried flowers since they were once alive, and the chi energy has died.
- A decorative tile or marble top round or oval conference table is a good addition.
West Sector for Children's Businesses
The west sector governs descendants' luck, aka children. If your business caters to children or children products, such as toys or infant wear, the conference room in this sector will boost the auspicious energies for your company.
- Activate the metal element with a display of your products and pictures of children in attractive round or oval metal frames.
- A metal and glass round or oval conference table is an ideal choice.
- Sprinkle in a few ceramic or pottery pieces since earth creates metal in the productive cycle.
- Use feng shui symbols for auspicious children's sector, such as a laughing Buddha with children.
Northwest Sector for Consulting Companies
The northwest sector rules mentors. If your company mentors other companies as a consultant organization or tutoring company for students, the northwest sector is an ideal area for your conference room.
- You can use the same suggestions for the west sector to activate the metal element.
- Choose feng shui symbols that are auspicious for mentor luck, such as a desktop style of six-rod metal wind chime or a metal gong.
- Use metal frames for displaying awards, credentials and other accolades, preferably in round or oval frames.
North Sector for Career-Related Businesses
The north sector governs career and is also where income is generated from careers. This location is great for any business involved in careers, such as staffing agencies. The activities of this room directly affect careers.
- Activate the water element with a bubbling water fountain or aquarium.
- Display career awards in blue or black metal oval or round frames.
- Select a round or oval metal and glass conference table. Metal attracts water and glass symbolizes water.
Northeast Sector for Education
A company or educational institute may choose to locate their conference room in the northeast sector since it rules education and knowledge. This location can support and boost the educational institute.
- Activate this earth element with a single crystal point or cluster of crystal points.
- Enhance the education chi energy with a display of eight or nine crystal globes.
- Credentials can be displayed on the south wall.
- Lighting is important in this room. Use it to highlight crystal displays.
Room Size Matters
It's important that the room size you select isn't cramped. You need enough space to walk around the table when people are seated. If the chairs are up against the walls or so close to the walls that no one can get around the table, you need to find a large space or smaller table. If people aren't able to move around the table, chi energy won't be able to either.
Furniture and Accessory Placements
You can decorate the conference room based on compass directions as well as elements. You want this room to reflect the heart of the company. Most feng shui experts advise decorating this room for its purpose. This is a work space, so you don't want too many decorations distracting from its purpose. Balance is always the feng shui goal.
Command Positions During Conference Meetings
It's always sit facing one of your auspicious directions when attending a conference meeting. Pat advises, "The person in charge of the meeting should always sit in the chair at the head of the table opposite or diagonally across from the door." This positions the host to receive the beneficial chi energy flowing into the room.
Oval or Round Conference Table
You want to select an oval or round conference table. The absence of sharp corners prevents poison arrows but more importantly, the curved form allows chi energy to glide around the table for the benefit of all in attendance. Pat advises, "The chairs, while comfortable, should not be so comfortable that no work is accomplished, or participants linger after meetings."
Ban Serving Food
Unless the meeting is a working lunch, beverages and food should be served at a minimum if at all. The energy of the meeting should be laser focused on the topic without any distraction, such as food. Pat stresses, "This room needs to be dedicated to creativity, productivity and problem solving, not for food."
Color and Other Decorative Touches
You want to follow feng shui rules for color selection. These are typically guided by the colors assigned to a compass direction. Classical feng shui colors choices have a wide range of hues and tones. Don't be afraid of using bold to light colors depending on the compass location and type of business. You want to energize those attending meetings. Some soft and pale colors may be too restive and lack the vibrancy to stimulate and energize attendees.
Black Hat Approach to Conference Room Location and Decor
You can choose a different way to designate the location of your conference room by following Black Hat (BTB) feng shui. Pat believes all conference rooms should be located in the east sector. Unlike Classical Feng Shui, BTB designates the east sector for children and creativity. She states, "This is the area that always gives birth to new ideas, new thinking and growth energy."
BTB Conference Room Decorating
Some BTB feng shui practitioners like Pat prefer a spartan approach to the décor. She suggests, "Conference rooms should be kept somewhat simple with little wall décor to clutter the minds of those participating in meetings." She advises, "A picture of magnificent trees on the east wall further energizes the 'new' thought process." She prefers to place equipment, such as video screens, dry-erase boards on the west wall.
Importance of Maintaining Conference Room Purpose
Pat reminds that the purpose of a conference room is, "to generate and create the future for a company and resolve issues from ongoing practices." This means no employee lunch breaks or casual meetings should take place in the conference room.
Focus on Taking Care of Business
"Wherever possible, the conference room should be dedicated to company growth and focus on taking care of business," Pat explains. This sets a guideline and purpose to the conference room. "That way, employees will always know what to expect when they enter that room and how to behave appropriately to make meetings as fruitful as possible," Pat says.
Using Expert Feng Shui Tips to Energize the Conference Room
There are many approaches to locating and energizing a conference room. Choose the feng shui school you wish to follow and implement those guidelines for an effective and beneficial conference room.
