How to Design Learning Experiences That Actually Work - Start With the Room
Space Matters: A not-boring guide to planning your L&D event… unless watching minds drift before coffee is the plan
By: Heice Yau and Swathi Vallabhaneni - Black Dog Consultants
Your training venue isn’t just where you plonk chairs and wheel in a flipchart.
It’s your silent co-facilitator.
The vibe-setter.
The difference between “that changed how I think” and “I mostly remember the biscuits.”
If you want your L&D session to stick, don’t sleepwalk into booking the nearest soulless hotel conference room.
Here’s what to look for instead…
Ambience isn’t an afterthought – it's the atmosphere engine
Picture this: you walk into a room that feels like a cave - dark, dreary and a bit claustrophobic.
Yikes.
Atmosphere matters.
It’s more than a ‘nice to have’ - it’s the unspoken signal that says: “we care about this.”
Choose a venue that inspires creativity and collaboration.
Look for spaces with quirky décor, textures that aren’t plastic, or a splash of something unexpected.
People learn better when they feel something.
Set the tone before the first word is even spoken.
After all, no one ever had a breakthrough idea in a sad beige box.
Natural light or natural yawn?
There’s a reason no one dreams of fluorescent tubes.
Sunshine is the secret sauce for energy, focus and feeling vaguely human after lunch.
When you visit potential venues, hunt down locations with big windows, skylights or even a sneaky garden view.
Let the outside in - light wakes up the brain.
Bonus points if the windows show signs of life beyond the corporate jungle.
Temperature Control: The Comfort Zone
If people are sweating through a presentation or shivering in their seats, something’s gone wrong.
Temperature = comfort = attention.
Make sure the venue has proper temperature control.
Even better - ask if you can actually control it or if it’s wired to a room in another postcode.
Your learners will thank you.
No one learns well when they’re one degree away from frostbite.
Flexibility: A space that plays well with others
Training often involves a mix of activities: presentations, group discussions, room to move - and maybe a little dancing (just kidding… or are we?).
Choose a venue that allows for flexibility in layout.
A good space flexes to fit the rhythm of the day.
Can you shift the furniture without needing an army?
Can you make room for quiet reflection and a messy spaghetti tower?
Here’s how we know space matters:
We once took a group of senior banking leaders out to the woods. Literally.
No signal. No slides.
Just a firepit, a whiteboard wedged between two trees held up with string and hope and conversations that wouldn’t have happened in a boardroom.
One leader said it was the first time in years they felt “awake” at an offsite.
That’s the power of place.
It doesn’t have to be rustic - but it does have to be intentional.
So whether you’re in a treehouse or a tech hub, don’t let the venue be an afterthought. Let it do some of the heavy lifting.
Choosing the right venue isn’t just a logistics call - it’s what turns your session from “just another training day” into something people talk about for months.
So dare to go off-script. Pick the place that sparks curiosity, not just convenience.
Embrace the unexpected. A rooftop? A gallery? A barn with no Wi-Fi?
Now ask yourself: what’s the most surprising space you’ve ever learned something in?
Want help designing the kind of learning space people actually remember?
Get in touch - we love a good challenge (and we’ve got a running list of venues that don’t smell like old coffee).
