Our workplaces are changing. With new trends and new technology, it’s challenging to keep up sometimes! So, what does this mean for boardrooms, meeting rooms and huddle rooms in 2021?
I want to note what we are seeing in the workplace, especially during the pandemic. Perhaps, like yours, staff work from home and temporarily come into the office. This results in offices having limited staff. In recent times, most meetings are held via webconferencing or telephone and within the office space itself, the rooms are no longer used as they once were. For instance, a boardroom that seats 16 people is now used for 4 – 6 people. Smaller meeting rooms that sit eight people, now accommodate 2 – 4 max. The typical office that had one person is mostly sitting empty.
We also see that some companies are downsizing space, and then others are utilizing their existing space to meet current needs. Let’s outline some examples below.
BOARDROOMS
Now that fewer people are in these rooms, it becomes imperative that the systems are easy to use and even somewhat touchless. Manufacturers are gearing up the design and production of products that meet the commercial office spaces’ current needs. Cameras, speakers, and microphones are improved to enable participants (in-room and remotely) to visually and audibly have a good experience.
The other thing to take into consideration is the web conferencing platform. What platform does your company use, as well as the individuals in the room? For example, some corporations will be on the Zoom or Microsoft Teams platform. However, they might still want the ability for their employees or guest to use another platform in the room, such as WebEx, GoToMeeting, BlueJeans, etc. Something to ponder as the right audiovisual technology comes into play.
So having said the above, companies require the products that are meeting the needs for those who want to dedicate the room to a specific web conferencing platform and those who wish to have the option for multiple platforms to be used.
One of the manufacturers that have stepped up to address our current workplace requirements is Logitech. Here are some examples of how their products can suit different types of boardrooms scenarios and provide the option of having a dedicated web conferencing platform or the ability to use whatever the user likes.
- The Logitech Rally Bar – An All-in-one video conferencing system.
- The Logitech Rally Ultra HD PTZ ConferenceCam
- Logitech Tap Touch Controller
- Logitech Swytch
Check out the whole Logitech product line here. If you have any questions about them or would like to purchase them for your conference room, contact us.
MEETING ROOMS
Meeting Rooms are just smaller Boardrooms, so most of the technology mentioned above can be used, as there are options within the product lines that suit the smaller room dynamics. Take full advantage of these types of products to make full advantage for effective collaboration.
In addition, there are products that can be used to enhance the collaboration of any meeting room. For instance, the Barco Clickshare is a plug and play device that can connect to your display. Another great product to consider is a room scheduling device. Room scheduling systems are perfect for managing multiple rooms from scheduling, availability and a time-saving perspective. Check out the Evoko Liso.
OFFICES/HUDDLE ROOMS
Many companies are transferring some offices into Huddle Rooms, whereby 1 or 2 people can come into the room and join a web conference call. It makes sense because, the number of attendees for meetings doesn’t change, it’s just the number of people assigned to any specific room. So, folks can join meeting from any of the offices converted to a Huddle Room. Of course, this does not make the office unusable for the person that typically occupied it, because the technology is intrinsic.
Here are some ideas of products that allow these offices to become usable.
- Logitech MeetUp Video Conference Camera
- Crestron UC-SB1 Cam
- Yamaha Video Sound Bar
REMOTE SITES
Something many companies are considering is what employees use in their remote locations (i.e. homes). Many companies are standardizing with specific products to alleviate the IT nightmare of managing different technologies and the problems that causes. Food for thought.
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