AVT Question: Please share your insight into trends that will play a role in hybrid workplace culture, space planning, and technologies in 2024.
Thought Leader: Effi Goldstein, President at the HDBaseT Alliance
For the past two years, video conferencing optimized for meeting equity and BYOD support have been the primary drivers in the return to office and hybrid work discussion. However, this year, one of the main trends we are already noticing is a shift away from the “wow” of the latest bells and whistles to the “woah” when it comes to price. In other words, expect AV/IT managers to put a higher priority on seeking out solutions for what is needed as opposed to what is wanted.
That said, integrators and installers would be best served to think strategically for ways to provide their clients with access to these new technologies by opting for more cost-effective approaches. For example, they should consider employing a modular design that allows for the system to be upgraded incrementally; choose equipment with the ability to one day support these advanced features when they become more affordable; and, of course, leverage industry standards to ensure interoperability when you finally get there.
Innovation has always been and will always be what moves our industry forward, and of course, this year will also be filled with the introduction of countless new mind-blowing features. The difference is that 2024 will be more about finding ways to implement them into conference rooms and huddle space installations with one eye on scalability and the other on fiscal responsibility.