How to Create an Eye-catching Conference Room with Modern Technology
Modern Conference Room Technology: How Important is It?
Conference rooms are still the best place for getting a lot of work done, no matter how much we wish they could be replaced. The success of your employees and meetings with business clients and guests is dependent on the re-design or design of your conference room and the usage of technology. Face-to-face meetings remain incredibly valuable in the digital era, so investing in conference design and modern conference room technology is worthwhile to help you spend time with your team more enjoyable and seamless.
How often has everyone been waiting for the meeting to begin, and the tech fails to work correctly? Multiplying those hours (or minutes) by the number of people in the room, you may see why it is essential to ensure that your meeting rooms are well-equipped. Time is money, and you don’t want to miss out. This article will explain six crucial ways technology can transform your meeting and conference rooms.
#1. An Interactive (Smart) Whiteboard
Whiteboards are a simple tool that allows multiple people to collaborate on charting and drawing their ideas. It is a valuable tool for brainstorming broad concepts and then converting them into concrete items. It isn’t very portable, particularly if you don’t have all your team members in the country or the office.
The interactive whiteboard solves this problem by recording what is being drawn in real-time and sharing it digitally. They can achieve this in various ways, some more tangible than others. But the result is a shared space where people can brainstorm and share their strategies.
#2. Solid WiFi
The technology that transforms your meetings and businesses primarily depends on having a reliable, fast WiFi connection. Solid WiFi with a reliable, secure, and fast connection is essential for any conference room. You should ensure that everyone can connect to the WiFi, employees, as well as guests, and stream video at a satisfactory quality, both downstream and upstream. These minor upgrades are much cheaper to fix ahead of time, so your employees don’t have to waste their time in a conference room trying to get work done.
#3. Wireless Presentation Solution
One of the most frustrating meetings we have all been to is when everyone waits while the presenter searches for the correct “dongle” to connect their computer with the projector. But, it turns out the correct one is not available in the building. The purpose of technology is to make life easier and not more complex. Keeping track of various adapters only to ensure we never squander time again isn’t the most convenient way to go about things.
You can use a wireless presentation system to make the process easier for everyone. You can eliminate the need for dongles and waste time waiting for things to be figured out. Instead, you can simply put your presentation on the screen and start working.
#4. High-quality Video Conferencing Capabilities
Today, everyone can have a camera on their face and broadcast it live to any location with an internet connection. The point is that a standard video chat does not precisely put someone in the room in a tangible way. They don’t have the same ability to see everyone in the room as if they were physically present. And they don’t know what the other person is looking at without being taken on a “walk.” You must ensure that you are well-prepared for your video conferencing requirements.
Consider what would be helpful for someone in a meeting to observe when setting up your conference room technology. Are you dependent on drawings or designs? If so, then an overhead view of the table is required. Do you give presentations frequently, and should you have a camera set up to record them? Is it necessary for remote workers to give a presentation, and if so, is the screen in a convenient location for the audience?
Regarding the video, don’t forget the fundamentals; they’re crucial to delivering a fantastic experience. Is the room well-lit? Examine how it appears on camera and ensure everyone can see it clearly. What do you use to record sound? The position of your microphone and your room’s acoustics can significantly impact your audio’s clarity. It would help if you took the time to check out your equipment and ensure you have done everything you can to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.
#5. Cheduling Chatbots
Slack is a hybrid communication tool that can be used with email or traditional email. There are tools available to solve common team problems. The number one challenge in meetings is to find a time that works for everyone. Also, make sure you also follow up with people you have not spoken to yet. Many bots attempt to answer that problem, including Doodle’s Meekan and Slack’s Meeting Bot. Using these tools, you can make the tedious task of herding cats easy.
#6. Platforms for Project Management
Many things that make a meeting great are done before announcing it in a conference hall. Planning, organizing deliverables, meeting people’s goals, setting timetables, and ensuring everything runs on the schedule are all part of ensuring project-related things run smoothly. After all, if people aren’t prepared, the meeting won’t be very fruitful. Basecamp, Asana, or Trello are great tools to ensure everyone is on the same page and that the tasks you discussed in advance of your meeting are divided and completed.
What can you do now to improve your existing conference room design?
It is essential to maximize your in-person time. Although more workers are spending time outside the office, sometimes a face-to-face meeting is the best way to get things done. Therefore, investing in technology that makes it easier to work together effectively is worthwhile.
These are some ways you can do at this point to advance the design of your conference room and improve your meetings.
- You can collaborate with your team members inside and outside the office using an interactive whiteboard.
- You can use scheduling bots to make organizing a meeting more accessible.
- You can offer a wireless solution for your presentation that saves you time and eliminates the need to plug things in.
- To ensure that work is done, you can use project management platforms.
- An interactive whiteboard allows you to collaborate with other team members within and outside your office.
- You must ensure sufficient bandwidth and internet access to support your organization’s needs.
- Double-check the video conferencing setup, and pay close attention to all details.
Barry is a lover of everything technology. Figuring out how the software works and creating content to shed more light on the value it offers users is his favorite pastime. When not evaluating apps or programs, he's busy trying out new healthy recipes, doing yoga, meditating, or taking nature walks with his little one.
