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23 companies on the shortlist for the CBRE Meeting Room of the Year

The Meeting Room of the Year will reveal the best working environment in companies operating in the Czech Republic

• 23 companies shortlisted for the project CBRE Meeting Room of the Year.
• The competition has surpassed all expectations as a total of 72 companies across various business segments have registered.
• The ceremonial announcement of results is scheduled on 12 February 2015.

A total of 72 companies have accepted the invitation for the pilot year of the CBRE “Meeting Room of the Year”. Innovation is an idea that moves space. This project aims to introduce the most interesting working environments in companies operating in the Czech Republic to both real estate professionals and the general public, showing how companies live. Currently, there are 23 companies on the shortlist representing elite companies with the most inspiring working environment in the Czech Republic. The ceremonial announcement of the winners in different categories is scheduled for 12 February 2015. The following companies have become partners of the first year of this project: CBRE, Cisco, LMC, Skanska, Steelcase, Dark Side and Moser.

Richard Curran, Managing Director, CBRE, said: “Companies that have registered for the project are trying to make life in offices more attractive for their business partners as well as employees and offer them comfort and background as best as possible. It won’t be an easy task for the jury to choose one winner in each category.”

The companies are able to compete in three categories and there will be one winner in each category. In the Meeting Room of the Year category, the prize is primarily awarded for a place that best represents the given company. A meeting room for official as well as informal meetings must be a place where guests feel good and are comfortable. The prize for Innovative Office Concept is awarded for the overall concept of an office space where creativity plays an important role and unites the space with an original idea while serving its purpose. In the last category, Most Attractive Working Environment, the winner will be a company that is most attractive in terms of providing comfort to its employees. For example, the expected standard in some companies consists of relaxation zones, comfortable meeting rooms, cafes or telephone boxes. 

Tomáš Jindříšek, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Dark Side, said: “The registered number of 72 companies has surpassed my expectations. I’m very pleased, not just about the quantity of the companies that have registered, but even about the current trend in office space setting up facilities for employees that are as comfortable as possible, whether it being relaxation zones, cafes, comfortable meetings rooms or even sporting facilities.”

The nomination process finished on 28 November 2014, when the specialist jury then reviewed all 72 companies nominated. The members of the specialist jury were Richard Curran (CBRE), Tomáš Ervín Dombrovský (LMC), Tomáš Jindříšek (Dark Side), Pavel Mauer (Grand restaurant), Ivo Němeček (Cisco), and Marie Passburg (Skanska). Based on their professional assessment, 23 companies have been shortlisted.

COMPANIES SHORTLISTED for the CBRE MEETING ROOM OF THE YEAR       

The key is technology and a convenient and inspiring environment.   

Ivo Němeček, CEO, Cisco Czech Republic, said: “A modern meeting room should combine elegance with the technological superiority. It should maximize the potential currently offered by office space and communication technology. Modern videoconferencing solutions in companies  replace outdated audioconferencing and presentation equipment. Remote users now have the opportunity to connect and communicate by voice, video or share content without obstacles from diverse devices. Security of communication is also enhanced. Technology can also be used to control the environment in a meeting room – the lighting, shutters, air quality and temperature and so on.”

Marie Passburg, Managing Director Skanska Property Czech Republic, said: “As indicated in the WGBC (World Green Building Council) report, employee costs typically make up about 90% of the corporate operating costs. A single minor improvement in terms of employee comfort may result in improving work efficiency, resulting in company savings of up to hundreds of millions. Therefore, the quality of the internal environment should play a key role.“

Tomáš Ervín Dombrovský, Head of Analysis, Communication and Public Relations Department, LMC, said: “For many people the quality of workplace is extremely important. Except of the wage and locality, workplace is one of the three most frequently cited criteria for choosing a new job. Cleverly designed and decorated company spaces contribute greatly to the good atmosphere, which is reflected positively in the performance of people and their loyalty to the employer. It is something like a magnet for talented job applicants. We are pleased that in the contest CBRE Meeting Room of the Year we participate in choice and visibility of the most interesting initiatives in this area. Examples are usually the most attractive – we hope they inspire others.“

Please find more about the CBRE Meeting Room of the Year and a photo gallery of companies shortlisted at www.zasedackaroku.cz.

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About CBRE

CBRE Group, a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (in terms of 2013 revenue). The Company has approximately 44,000 employees and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through approximately 350 offices in more than 60 countries worldwide (excluding affiliates). CBRE offers strategic advice and execution for real estate sale and lease, corporate services, facility and project management, real estate appraisal, development services, investment management and research. In the Czech Republic CBRE have nearly 350 employees. In the Czech Republic CBRE manages nearly 200 commercial premises with a total area nearly 1.2 mill. sq. m. Read more at www.cbre.cz.