Hosting great Board meetings forms key deliverables for the Company Secretary. However, it is also the responsibility of the CEO to ensure that for Board meetings to achieve the intended objectives, sufficient attention goes to planning even the minutest detail. A few of the details that should be top of mind in achieving a great meeting are discussed below.
Venue and Ambience: Accessibility of the venue should be kept in mind when working with a diverse mix of Directors. From ensuring that the location is easily accessible, to making sure that elevators are functional, the comfort of Directors should not be compromised to ensure they are able to fully focus. Seamless arrangements should be made for out-of-town Directors to ensure they are settled in the day before the Board meeting. Where the meeting is held off-site, it is preferable to check them into the same facility to reduce commute time. Given the status of Directors, a certain level of quality is expected. Facilities must be top notch – Wi-Fi, video and teleconferencing facilities, etc. Whilst the venue should be upscale and clean, it need not be over the top. It is also important not to create an impression of opulence when the company is going through difficult times. This on the other hand is not an excuse to treat Directors shabbily.
The meeting space itself is of paramount importance. Given the confidential nature of Board proceedings, privacy is crucial. The meeting room should be located away from the general area where there is a lot of foot traffic. As much as possible, should be on its own floor or with a private entrance to ensure there is no eavesdropping. The ambiance and aesthetics are also key. Directors should not be cramped around a table without amble elbow room. There should be sufficient room to pace around if required and ideally an ante-room for tea/coffee breaks. Indeed, it is not out of place to provide another room where Directors can make and receive quick calls during breaks.
Hotel and meeting rooms should be booked as soon as the meeting dates are decided to ensure you don’t end up settling for what is available. As much as possible, book for the year if dates are fixed.
Good Food: It is not a bad idea – especially where some Board members are coming from out of town – to host Directors to dinner the day before the Board meeting. This sets the tone for a good meeting and affords a bonding opportunity. The Board gets an informal briefing of the status of the business and thus it is a good idea to invite key company executives and top management staff. This also ensures that Directors have open lines of communication with line Managers.
At the Board meeting itself, arrangements should be made for unobtrusive finger food – fruits, nuts and biscuits as opposed to chunky pieces of chicken – to be within easy reach. A good tea break with a nice spread of healthy options is also important. Directors are happy to note that their dietary preferences have been taken into account without much fuss. For lunch, where the meeting is holding at Company’s premises and it does not have dining facilities, it is a bad idea to serve lunch in the Boardroom. In that situation, it is best to book a table at a nice restaurant and head there after the meeting. Pre-ordering lunch saves time, as such a menu should be available for Directors to pre-order. Keeping downtime to the barest minimum should always be paramount. This is also not the time to try out a new restaurant or caterer – it could be a very costly misadventure.
Logistics: Sufficient attention should be paid to security – traveling from and to the airport, commuting from hotel to meeting venue and at the meeting venue. Arrangements should be made for enough cars as it is quite tacky to keep Directors waiting to leave the venue after the meeting. Dress rehearsals to test gadgets – video and telephone conferencing, interactive screens, etc. should be carried out the day before to forestall embarrassing glitches.
Rather than something to dread, Board meetings should be interesting. Working with the Chairman, the CEO should ensure that the agenda focuses on strategic issues and not mundane operational matters. Board packs should be delivered several days ahead of the Board meeting to allow for meaningful deliberation. Reports should be crisp, precise and straight to the point. The Chairman in working though the agenda and allowing Directors to contribute, should be mindful of properly pacing the meeting to ensure that Directors don’t spend the whole day at the meeting. It is not out of place to call for occasional breaks to ease tension or just to allow Directors refresh.
Good Board meetings require adequate preparation and nothing should be taken for granted or left to chance.