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With return-to-office (RTO) policies driving higher workplace attendance, meeting rooms have become the heart of collaboration. This forces IT teams to equip flexible spaces with scalable tech that supports a variety of workflows, ranging from ad hoc, hybrid to face-to-face meetings. The key to successful adoption rates is delivering a single, consistent user experience across all rooms.
IT teams focus on standardizing AV and collaboration tools to reduce the number of managed devices within each room. 95% of senior IT executives are planning to consolidate tech vendors in the coming years, prioritizing streamlined, flexible solutions that serve multiple needs and are easy to manage. Standardization across spaces – covering both room systems and BYOD spaces - is crucial, allowing organizations to scale technology without compromising on quality or innovation.
This blog dives into the most recent technological innovations for meeting spaces. Discover the newest features and designs in workplace technology that help organizations create productive, accessible meeting experiences for everyone, regardless of room type or size.
Smart workplace innovations are pushing meeting experiences forward, enhancing equity, productivity, flexibility and adaptability. Here are some of the most exciting developments to create a better experience for any user, any type of meeting, any size of room.
Meeting room audio has long evolved from clunky setups to seamless, flexible solutions that adapt to diverse room layouts and furniture configurations. Some IT and Facility managers prefer to add tabletop expansion mics to a setup with a video bar in larger rooms. But modern meeting spaces typically feature movable furniture, which only complicates the use of these wired tabletop mics. Beamforming ceiling microphones can unobtrusively cover the entire meeting area, regardless of where the furniture is placed. This flexible audio technology allows meeting participants to entirely focus on the meeting rather than adjusting microphones or managing cables.
Hybrid working requires users to join meetings from a wide variety of room types and locations, so consistency in technology and in user experience is essential. Modular setups allow for easy customization without sacrificing usability, which means every space can provide a familiar experience for employees, no matter its size, equipment or configuration.
The hybrid workplace matures, and so must the technologies that support it. AI-powered tools are shaping the future of collaboration, enabling smoother interactions in meetings with features like real-time transcription, language translation, and AI-driven meeting assistants that summarize discussions and handle follow-up tasks. Additionally, AI tools will assist with scheduling and even communication coaching. By taking on these tasks, AI enhances the overall meeting experience, allowing attendees to focus on meaningful discussions and actions rather than on logistics.
Ultimately, collaboration technologies are evolving from static experiences dictated by the hardware within the room, to adaptable solutions that follow users into every meeting space catering to their individual preferences. This shift will address the complexities of a dispersed workforce, where organizations increasingly operate from multiple hub cities. The power of innovation lies in AI-powered solutions which not only bridge physical distances but also enhance the overall meeting experience, making it smooth, productive, and more adaptive to modern business needs for employees, wherever they work.
A crucial component of all these advancements is seamless network integration, which plays a vital role in device management, security, and logistical efficiency. Meeting spaces, particularly bigger spaces or large clusters of rooms, require intelligent equipment that can communicate effectively over distances, and network integration is the answer. On these locations, it may be easier to have the room equipment stored in a closet or down the hall. Without network capabilities audio and video devices are limited in how far they can extend.
As traditional IT and AV channels converge, it is important to not only support IT protocols, but also AV protocols, including Audinate’s Dante. Specific network platforms like Dante, an audio and video protocol that provides enhanced encryption for secure signal transmission, are vital in ensuring continued compatibility with a wide range of meeting room hardware, both new and existing. These protocols facilitate the integration and interoperability of meeting room devices, making it simpler to manage and scale technology for IT admins across an organization.
33% of IT managers are actively planning for meeting spaces that better fit a hybrid workforce, indicating a strong push towards adaptability and consistency (Frost & Sullivan, 2023). So, when standardizing and scaling their tech stack, IT managers require high-quality technologies that work together seamlessly, with long-term partnerships and interoperability built in. Take the combination of ClickShare and Sennheiser, for instance.
Installing spaces with premium audio and wireless collaboration solutions ensures consistent experiences across spaces and meeting types - from a brainstorm hybrid call to an interactive discussion in small rooms or medium-sized spaces. By standardizing around the high-quality Sennheiser audio solutions and Clickshare wireless collaboration solutions, organizations can provide an array of users with the same user-friendly experience for seamless sharing and collaboration in every room, regardless of its layout or purpose.
To conclude, innovations in audio and meeting room technology continue to create better, engaging and streamlined user experiences in every space, whether it's a huddle room, traditional conference room, or large boardroom. With flexible, AI-enabled, and network-integrated solutions, IT professionals can scale and optimize their spaces for today’s demands and prepare for future needs. Combining high-quality solutions like ClickShare and Sennheiser represents a new standard in flexibility, making it possible for employees to seamlessly join hybrid meetings from any room with ease.
Global Strategic Alliance Lead
Dan Root leads ClickShare’s Global Strategic Alliances, managing ecosystem partnerships in addition to assessing market innovations and disruptors for future product development.
Joining Barco with over 10 years of experience in enterprise communications and collaboration technologies, Dan’s prior experiences include senior analyst at Wainhouse Research, director of market research and strategy at Bluescape, and regional manager for Yamaha UC. Dan’s market knowledge is well suited to bring together software and hardware vendors forging partnerships that improve employee experience, increase engagement, and drive adoption.
Dan is also recognized by Forbes as Business development Council Member.
