5 Devices That Will Make Your Conference Room the Coolest in Town
In today’s business environment, the goal of gathering everyone who needs to attend a meeting in one room isn’t typically achievable. Team members are sometimes located all around the world. And, the same is true for vendors and vendor support personnel.
Luckily, there is technology that will not only make your conference room the coolest in town – it will also increase productivity, and save time, and cut costs.
1. Wireless Display Technology
Early conference room technology produced a spider web of wires that added to maintenance issues and made it more difficult for a range of people to participate. Today’s wireless display technology offers all participants an easy way to attend the meeting, and encourages collaboration. You can choose among a number of alternatives:
Google Jamboard: The Jamboard consists of a 55-inch digital whiteboard, a stylus and digital eraser, Wi-Fi connectivity, an HD camera, and built-in speakers. In addition, users have access to Google Docs or Sheets to provide real time collaboration on existing documents.
Samsung Flip: The Flip includes a digital whiteboard with the ability to make notes on the displayed content. It can also connect to other devices wirelessly or using a USB connection that allows users to see content on their mobile device and upload content to the board.
Cisco Spark Board: The Spark Board has strong data encryption and wireless connections. The Board’s connectivity, using ultrasound wireless pairing technology, supports spontaneous brainstorming sessions.
Microsoft Surface Hub: Microsoft offers a solution designed to replace a number of outdated technologies such as conference phone hubs, web cameras, and overhead projectors. The Surface Hub can access Skype for Business and Office applications to allow for bringing content to the screen.
2. Presentation Displays
After your experts in the graphics department spend their energy creating breathtaking presentations, you need to ensure that the display you use is sophisticated enough to do the presentation justice. For example, a 4K presentation display for your conference room wall will give you the type of high-definition and photo-realism that will make your presentations pop. You can even upgrade the display with a soundbar to really get everyone’s attention.
Another alternative is the LG OLED TV. It comes in 65- and 77-inch models, and is only one-tenth of an inch thick. It was introduced under the W7 designation in 2017 and has already evolved to the W8.
3. Tracking Cameras
The advantage of cameras in a conference room can’t be understated. People are more comfortable when they can see the body language and facial expressions of the other people in a meeting. It avoids some of the traditional problems caused by email and texts where the intent is easy to misconstrue.
One alternative is Meeting Owl. The camera sits at the center of your conference room and pivots to each person when they start to speak. It creates a much more personal experience than the traditional view of a camera showing a table full of people.
4. Scheduling Systems
Scheduling conference rooms has always been a challenge. New conference room technology revolves around scheduling systems to allow employees to schedule a room using their telephone, and the system may be able to sync with Google Calendar to allow for scheduling a conference using that software.
5. Standing Conference Tables
The final touch for your conference room technology could be one of the newest trends, the standing conference table. Standing during a meeting has a variety of benefits.
- Meeting attendees are more alert
- Standing increases energy levels
- Collaboration and participation is increased
- Standing meetings are 34% shorter
Leaders in companies such as Google swear by standing meetings. Some companies provide stools for those who need to alternate between standing and sitting.
Should You Take Advantage of Advances in Conference Room Technology?
Advancements in conference technology give you an opportunity to make your meetings more productive. You’ll increase collaboration, and make it easy for remote participants to participate.
If you’re thinking about exploring some of the latest technology, feel free to contact us for expert advice.
