Bringing People Together in R & H's New Facility With a 20% increase in requests for meeting registration services…more people, more equipment, and more “stuff” had Registration & Housing (R&H) employees doubled up in Conferon offices by mid-1999. Twenty-six people operated in twenty-nine offices and 50% more growth in staffing was planned by year-end. Only three years earlier, the department had moved into 5,000 plus square feet on the second floor of Conferon’s corporate headquarters! After proposals from space planners for current office expansion were ruled out, hope was found nearby in the 12,000 square foot space of an unused warehouse, previously used as the shipping & receiving department for an electronics company. With literally a blank canvas, project members focused on designing a workspace that increased efficiency by mirroring workflow and creating a fresh and original environment for R&H employees. Optimizing the capacity of the building was essential in the planning process in order to create space for at least 60 employees. The decision to initially build out 9,000 feet into office space and use the remaining 3,000 feet as storage and space for future expansion came in July. On November 15, 2000 — not long before the world heralded the dawn of a new century and just over three months since construction started — Conferon’s R&H department set up shop in new offices at 2450 Edison Blvd., Suite 2, Twinsburg, OH 44087. An “open” work environment with a few hard-walled offices and 10-foot high ceilings maximize natural light from 18 large, mirrored windows across the front of the building. Graduated workstation wall height, ranging from three to four feet in the new 16-seat “Client Services Center” to a five-foot high maximum in “Meeting Management” further add to the facility's open feeling. Striking cobalt blue accent walls and heathered indigo carpet with wide aisle runners frame the dove gray fabric cubicles. The R&H Boardroom offers executive leather seating for ten, a fourth wall of windows and contemporary Ikebana floral arrangements. Bringing people together is what Conferon’s Registration & Housing department does best, and their new facility has already greeted several client and customer groups in the first 90 days in the new space. The American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Academic Excellence, the National Urban League, and several Conferon Account Executive/Account Planner training classes have been given the “grand tour.” A spacious grand room connected to a galley kitchen by a convenient pass-thru window aid in providing convenient and flexible food service. With its own internal IS support and more than a dozen meeting management teams, Conferon’s Registration & Housing department offers an impressive mix of experience and service in an equally impressive surrounding. Conferon’s Registration & Housing department is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM eastern standard time. For more information visit our website at www.conferon.com or call 330-405-7171 to speak with Department Director, Claudia Richardson or Operations Manager, Sue Pitts. By Claudia Richardson