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Work Nicer Coworking, Alberta: Members of the Canadian coworking community use Airtame to screen share any content to digital displays from any device, including virtual meeting apps and presentations.<\/p><\/div>\n
There is a place for meeting space<\/strong> And Brandon White, director of product development at Vanco, pointed out that in-person and hybrid meeting rooms are not very different anyway. You\u2019ll still need BYOD (bring your own device) and switching capabilities, lots of screen real estate to present legible content for collaboration, and maybe audio capture and sound reinforcement for transcription and accessibility. \u201cHonestly, you might as well mount a camera in there just to keep your options open,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Creating a good experience for remote participants has raised the bar for meeting space technology, believes White. As table stakes, you need cameras that capture the entire seating area, and ideally have automatic zoom and cropping capability to focus on the current speaker; microphone coverage with noise cancellation; and display capabilities so that everyone can see both shared material and remote participants\u2019 faces. \u201cWithout these, any remote attendees will be second-class participants,\u201d adds White.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s meeting space does not have to be a formal conference room. \u201cWe foresee a growing requirement for individual tech for conferencing and huddle-type spaces where people can be part of a remote conference call,\u201d says Eric Warner, product marketing manager at Bose Professional. \u201cThe beauty of huddle spaces and small meeting rooms is the ability to quickly connect from the participant\u2019s laptop, just as they\u2019re accustomed to do outside the office, with no need to \u2018invite the room to the meeting\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Generally speaking, a small meeting space can get by with basic technology, according to Mark Atkinson, sales manager at integrator, Universal AV. \u201cA single camera at the front of the room will be sufficient for most activities. This will usually be combined with its own beamforming microphone array and speaker system.\u201d<\/p>\n AI camera technology changes the camera field of view depending on how many participants are involved and who is speaking, he adds. UC soundbars or videobars are ideal for these environments as they\u2019re available as a plug-and-play or BYOD system providing an all-in-one solution.<\/p>\n FEG, Prague: The company chose Langard to deploy a solution to connect all five countries in which FEG operates using Crestron and Microsoft Teams.<\/p><\/div>\n Soundbars are essential<\/strong> Large rooms and sophisticated corporate boardrooms more often than not require a room PC or a Microsoft Teams Rooms system. They also offer a separate camera providing an overview of the room, and preferably a PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) camera that can auto focus on the speaker\u2019s face, coupled with a dedicated microphone system with DSP, and AI focusing on the voice direction.<\/p>\n The choice of software will also be influenced by user requirements and size of space, believes Nicole Corbin, vice-president of operations at Utelogy. \u201cHigh-end video conferencing solutions, offering features such as screen-sharing, session recording and enterprise software integration, are key across the board. For small and medium-sized spaces, software that ensures rapid meeting setups and perhaps enables wireless screen-sharing takes precedence.\u201d<\/p>\n Larger spaces may veer towards platforms that facilitate broadcast to dispersed audiences, and integrate functions such as live polling, interactive Q&A segments and realtime transcription or translation.<\/p>\n Designing a sophisticated, large-room system is a job for the experts, believes Atkinson. \u201cMultiple cameras and dedicated microphones work well here, but thought needs to be given to placement to maximise coverage and provide a \u2018true-to-life\u2019 experience. A front-of-room camera combined with a tabletop camera can prove effective, with the camera intelligently framing all participants as well as the group.\u201d<\/p>\n Microphones can be placed to provide full coverage for all participants, while also working with the cameras to provide full audio tracking. Discreetly positioned, they can become part of the aesthetics of the room.<\/p>\n Bigger is not necessarily better, advises Warner. \u201cVideobars have excellent success since implementation is fast, whereas an in-room system could take up to two weeks to install. And make sure you\u2019re not allocating unnecessary resources to a room with low usage. People are fluent at joining meetings with their own devices, and if you have a Teams or Zoom room and people want to share content, there are multiple ways to do this using a BYOD approach, which is less costly as well.\u201d<\/p>\n BYOD support is important, believes White. \u201cYou can\u2019t ask people to suddenly change how they work when they enter a meeting space. You need a setup that can accept whatever hardware participants bring. That means building in BYOD capabilities with universal plug-and-play connectivity for multiple devices and simple, intuitive switching capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n LC Packaging has production facilities, offices and warehouses spread out over 16 countries, and wanted to ensure they were all well connected. The company\u2019s new global headquarters was one of the first installation projects for the Bose Videobar VB1 all-in- one USB conferencing device.<\/p><\/div>\n Trend away from dedicated interfaces<\/strong> With BYOD, participants use their own computer \u2013 be that laptop, tablet or phone \u2013 but still plumb into the installed meeting software in the room. A more radical solution is for people to use meeting software already installed on their own device, often called \u201cbring your own meeting\u201d (BYOM).<\/p>\n According to Lund this gives users the best of both worlds, combining the functionality and quality of the meeting space hardware with the efficiency and feelgood factor of using familiar software. \u201cThe user experience matters,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you can\u2019t start your call in a meeting room in less than 60 seconds, without having to reconfigure settings and plug in various cables, you\u2019re already living in the last millennium.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith BYOM technology, people are able to meet in locations that wouldn\u2019t have been feasible a few years ago,\u201d adds Warner. \u201cThey can also use their preferred meeting platform for content sharing, notes, recordings and transcriptions, supporting an asynchronous approach to working, enabling people across varying time zones to collaborate when they\u2019re available.\u201d<\/p>\n 21:9 ratio screens are creating a buzz, according to Atkinson. \u201cThese extra wide screens, capable of displaying both people and content, are being driven by the introduction and adoption of the Microsoft Teams Front Row platform, which is designed to give in-room participants a greater sense of connection with remote attendees.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFront Row impacts not only the layout on-screen, but also the layout of the meeting space – furniture, screen size and positioning, camera positioning, and so on,\u201d adds Gunnar Kyvik, business segment lead for meeting room and collaboration at Sharp NEC Display Solutions.<\/p>\n USB-C marks an important advance in connection options, providing a reliable and flexible alternative to sometimes flaky wireless connections. \u201cUSB-C can carry bi-directional video, audio and Ethernet signals while also providing power, and it\u2019s now the connector of choice on all devices with the Apple iPhone moving to it,\u201d says Turi. By shifting control from the room computer to the user\u2019s phone, USB-C finally delivers the Holy Grail of walk-up presentation capability, he adds.<\/p>\n Nationwide, a US health insurance provider with 34 independent and locally-operated companies, which employ more than 1,200 professionals nationally standardised Lightware\u2019s Taurus UCX with Illinois integrator RoomReady.<\/p><\/div>\n Success or failure<\/strong> Furniture, too, can play its part, and may vary depending on the space\u2019s intended function. \u201cSome spaces may be better suited to informal meetings or meetings that are focused on creativity, where ergonomics and comfort take precedence,\u201d says Gratton. \u201cOthers may be more focused on minimising time spent while maximising efficiency. This may be enabled through functional seating, or even high level tables with no seating at all!\u201d<\/p>\n CASE STUDY: SINGER CAPITAL MARKETS Flexible end-user control was paramount, so each room features an ATEN switch with an engraved ATEN control keypad, so staff can select Native Zoom Rooms with content sharing from four possible scenarios: a concealed room PC, their own laptop, Zoom Share screen, and Apple AirPlay sharing.<\/p>\n Every meeting room is in native mode for quick one-touch to join using a Logitech Tap touch controller. However, depending on users\u2019 preferences, they can switch to any of the other three scenarios using the keypad. To complete the meeting rooms, Logitech Tap Scheduler room booking panels with Zoom Rooms integration were installed outside the rooms so employees can see which rooms are available.<\/p>\n A meeting of bodies, or a meeting of minds? Modern meeting rooms must increasingly support both. Paul Bray finds out how the latest developments in meeting technology can ensure that hybrid meetings achieve what they set out do to, and that nobody ends up feeling like the poor relation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10269,"featured_media":732747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[198,210,287,307],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIn my artless way, I asked the experts whether there was still a place for meeting spaces that cater purely for in-room participants \u2013 perhaps because they might get a better in-person meeting that way. But most of them smiled and shook their heads. Szabolcs Turi, executive director of business development at Lightware Visual Engineering, reminded me that many meetings are arranged days or weeks in advance, and participants may have no idea whether they will be in the office on that day or not.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d3hjf51r9j54j7.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/620x330_FORTUNA_LANGARD_08_bright.jpg\")
\nMedium to large rooms need soundbars with good quality cameras and high-quality audio with one or more large displays (more often two displays: one showing the shared content, the other showing the participants in the call), says Turi. \u201cAdditionally, they\u2019ll often require external mics for better voice quality for remote participants. There might also be a requirement to add a DSP (digital signal processor) and external loudspeakers which can significantly improve the user experience. A dedicated room PC can also be found in many medium sized rooms,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d3hjf51r9j54j7.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/620x330_BoseProfessional_LCPackaging-VB1-Conf-Room.jpg\")
\nThe BYOD trend has triggered a migration away from dedicated touch-panel interfaces in rooms, observes Turi. \u201cIf a laptop is connected there should be no requirement for a button press to make the room function properly. Users want the \u2018ten-second meeting room experience\u2019, where they walk into the room and immediately use the space. The important thing is that every room functions in the same predictable way whenever a connection is made. Touch screens are needed only in the largest and most complex rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d3hjf51r9j54j7.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/620x330_Lightware_Roomready3.jpg\")
\nThe success or failure of a meeting room can depend on more than the technology, however. \u201cClarity of audio is more important to remote users than video quality,\u201d says Wayne Gratton, chief commercial officer at Nuvias UC. \u201cSo consideration needs to be given to noise-reflecting surfaces, especially when many modern meeting rooms incorporate more glass panels than previously. The good news is that the technology exists to compensate for this.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d3hjf51r9j54j7.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/620x330_Singer.jpg\")
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\n<\/strong>Stockbroking firm, Singer Capital Markets has created seven new video conferencing-enabled meeting rooms as part of a refurbishment of part of its London HQ.
\nIntegrator Runtech installed LG interactive displays in every room so users can annotate straight on to the screen and use features such as Zoom Whiteboard for visual collaboration. Logitech Rally with native Zoom was chosen for video conferencing.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/d3hjf51r9j54j7.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/620x330_Singer-10th-24.jpg\")
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