Lessons from iMeme

At first glance, Herman Miller seemed like an odd choice of sponsor for a technology conference, but when I walked into the main conference room and saw the rows of Aeron work chairs, I understood. The conference attendees, with the possible except of those of us with press badges, were precisely the kind of people who buy high-end office chairs, and a two-day conference provided an opportunity for all of us to take an extended test-drive.

The chairs are actually hideously uncomfortable unless they’re adjusted properly, so the conference started with a lesson from one of Herman Miller’s representatives. I have it on good authority that it’s possible to work comfortably for 16 hours in an Aeron chair—assuming you’re the kind of person who can work for 16 hours, of course.

But before I’d even sat down, I’d discovered that these high-performance chairs were not meant to be arranged in rows in a conference setting. It was particularly obvious because I was trying to roll my laptop behind me, and it kept banging into the wheels of the Aerons I was trying to work my way among. And, of course, the chairs roll, which means that even if you set them in rows, they don’t stay there. By the end of the day, I’m pretty sure that room was in serious violation of the fire code.

Herman Miller does make an Aeron “side chair,” which would probably be ideal for conferences. But it’s not the chair that Herman Miller most wants to sell CEOs, and it’s much too expensive for venues, even the Ritz Carlton, to buy in the hundreds.

As for me, I’m holding out for the Aeron bed.

Technorati Tags: imeme, aeron, herman miller