Introduction
The meeting room and boardroom is, and will continue to be, one of the most important spaces within a company. People want and need to interact with each other, see, hear and listen to each other, even if they are in different locations.
But what does a successful meeting space look like? The design of a physical space will need to be practical, but it will also need to be an environment where experiences are comfortable and familiar. As more companies adopt hybrid working cultures, the interior design, aesthetics and technologies play a vital part in creating collaborative work places that drive productivity. To achieve this, technology should be seamless, easy to use, and customised to meet unique requirements.
Meeting rooms will seek to improve efficiency, encourage creativity, and increase participation of attendees to accelerate decision making. For Facilities Managers, seeking return on investment through a more flexible and intelligent space design is vital to measuring their success.
We’ve highlighted some technologies that we believe will be present in the future meeting room.
Wireless Sharing
Conference rooms may move to cloud-enabled wireless sharing platforms that allow participants to share content from their mobile devices, tablets and laptops without actually plugging anything in — making presenting a more familiar, touchless experience. These platforms can tie into room technology and UC platforms, allowing remote workers to present and participate as well.
A wireless presentation system is an intuitive, forward-thinking solution capable of changing the way you deliver presentations and hold meetings forever. A technology, developed with a user-centric approach that is incredibly simple to use but vastly effective.
Contactless Room Booking Systems
Workplace and facilities leaders around the world are shifting their priorities. While their primary focus was once creating a physical environment that promotes employee productivity and company values, it’s now pivoted to ensuring that their workplace, and everyone who enters it, remains safe and healthy.
Contactless room booking systems enables you to book, cancel, and postpone meetings without having to touch any communal services. With the use of PIR sensors and intelligent cameras, meeting rooms can now be completely autonomous.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing has come a long way from the early days of telepresence suites and nascent desktop services. Now users can make video calls from anywhere – the road, a boardroom, or an ad hoc huddle space.
The future of video conferencing technology is going to bring us more than just high-quality video and audio. More and more companies are now offering capabilities that enhance the productivity of meetings. VC now has the capabilities like real-time transcription and translation and analytic tools that can measure meeting productivity by tracking the number of participants on a call, and how participants are using meeting rooms.
There has also been a shift in what were perhaps considered complex Video Conferencing Systems. With the rise in popularity in Zoom Rooms, and Microsoft Teams Room Systems, connecting to a video call from a dedicated room is now designed with the user in mind – all controlled via a simple and easy to use control panel.
The COVID-19 Impact
With the outbreak of COVID-19, the use of video conferencing solutions has grown massively and the need for meeting room booking systems has grown with that. With a number of employees now working remotely full and part-time, and hoping to do so in the future, a meeting room with full video conferencing solutions is recommended.
Sound Masking and Sound Scapes
Sound masking is the addition of low-level noise into the environment to cover up unwanted background noise and increase privacy. Sound masking for meeting rooms has been proven to increase privacy, reduce outside distractions and improve the productivity of meetings.
As well as sound masking, sound scapes can be a great addition to a meeting space, helping facilitate a natural and collaborative meeting. They are also a great addition to a space to combat stress and boost feelings of wellbeing.
Get in touch with one of our experts today, to discuss your meeting room needs.
