AVT Question: Please share insight and best practices for ensuring meeting equity for all employees and how to deliver the best collaboration experience regardless of location.
Thought Leader: Will Bear, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at CrimsonAV
The corporate meeting space has evolved and expanded beyond the confines of a traditional centralized brick-and-mortar structure. The evolution may be a business with multiple buildings or a flex hybrid work-from-home model. While the pandemic certainly accelerated the adoption of the work-from-anywhere environment, it had already begun to be commonplace. The routine for many was to go into the office, sit at our desks, and when a meeting was called, we gathered in a conference room. Fast forward to the introduction and adoption of video conferencing technologies like Zoom and Teams, where we could now work remotely and still get many of the benefits of face-to-face interactions.
In addition to video conferencing technologies, the onslaught of big data and IoT—where data can be garnered from any device at any time—aided in our ability to decouple from the office as appropriate. To be clear, there is still a need for and tangible benefits of people working in an office, but depending on the company and the job description, it is no longer mandatory. In the work-from-anywhere framework, collaboration and presentation systems take on new meanings. The layout of office space has evolved with huddle spaces near departments. All-in-one presentation systems with interactive whiteboards can be portable and placed on a cart. Wall-mounted displays can be on articulated arms to point in the direction of viewers. Interactive kiosks can be placed in critical employee locations. There is a need for workspace design to consider workflow and comfort. Whether in the office or home, the space needs to be conducive to collaboration and productivity. This takes AV technologies, software, networking, and—yes—mounts and carts, working in tandem to make the work environment the best it can be.