In an ideal world, your conference room should create a safe space where colleagues can pitch sales, implement strategies, and connect. A well-designed conference room is the center of your organization, where employees conceive revolutionary ideas. However, to stay ahead in the digital age, your entire team must have access to proper audiovisual technology that can help make those dreams a reality.
An elegant, efficient conference room has the power to elevate your entire company. Whether your team connects with clients through video conferencing or in person, the conference room is the first impression they will have of your organization. A spotty connection, poor audio, or defective equipment can cause your company to appear unprofessional and disorganized. A poorly-designed conference room is also liable to cause issues amongst your employees. Unreliable technology can disrupt your team’s workflow and lead to distraction from the work at hand.
Advanced audiovisual technology is an investment in your company’s expansion. With the right audiovisual equipment and design, your company can benefit from a conference room that facilitates collaboration and productivity. But on the other side, a lackluster conference room can undermine and distract from your team’s efforts. To ensure that your team can deliver peak work in a peak environment, here are the most common AV issues for conference rooms and how your company can avoid them.
Common AV Issues in Conference Rooms
Although it would be wise for any professional organization to invest in advanced conference room equipment, many choose to forgo this critical expense. But companies that attempt to cut corners pay the price later with lost productivity and an unprofessional image. The most common AV issues businesses encounter in their conference rooms include:
- Incorrect Screen Size: When designing a conference room, many people assume that larger screens are always the best option. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. A screen that’s too large can overwhelm the room and cause distraction. On the other hand, if the screen in your conference room is too small, all participants will not be able to view your presentations clearly.
- Low-Quality Audio Equipment: Communication is essential in any conference room, but low-quality audio equipment can make effective communication impossible. The wrong microphones and speakers can cause AV issues such as echoing, feedback, and delays. Even the most well-prepared presenters flounder when poor or ill-suited audio equipment derails their talk.
- Outdated Technology: In 2021, employees expect access to smooth technology at all times, including in conference rooms. Outdated technology is often incompatible with new computers and laptops, requiring extensive setup and problem-solving. Not only is it inefficient for presenters and employees to connect their devices manually to a projector screen, but older technology cannot adequately hold people’s attention.
- Harsh Lighting: While many people assume that bright lighting fosters productivity, it actually has the opposite effect. 68% of employees state that they’re dissatisfied with the lighting in their office because it is too bright. Excessive, harsh lighting discourages creativity in the workplace. In contrast, lighting that is too dim incites drowsiness, lack of focus, eye strain, and headaches.
Advanced Audiovisual Solutions for Your Conference Room
Advanced audiovisual technology provides a solution for the conference room mishaps of companies both large and small. A team of audiovisual integration professionals can assess which options are the best for you based on the dimensions and design of your conference room. If you’re interested in upgrading your conference room, the best audiovisual integration professionals are likely to suggest solutions that include:
Ensure the Displays Compliment the Conference Room
The display is the centerpiece of the conference room and your primary tool for collaboration. Most small conference rooms only require a single display screen, while dual displays may work best for large conference rooms or companies that perform many video calls.
If you’re using a single display, you should have access to picture view capability, which means that you can choose to view the video call or the content. Dual displays allow the participants to see the presentation content and the video call at the same time, facilitating easy communication and creativity.
A well-suited display screen complements the dimensions of your conference room. Select a screen or array that fits the unique layout of your conference area and is easily visible from any seat in the room.
Replace Outdated Technology with Interactive Whiteboards
Companies cannot maintain the productivity and cutting-edge ideas they desire with outdated tools like a static whiteboard, projector, or run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentation. Instead, modern, interactive whiteboards are intuitive, impressive, and easy to use.
Interactive whiteboards enable employees to create engaging presentations that capture the audience’s attention and encourage them to interact with the information at hand. A Stanford University study concluded that collaboration is the powerhouse that inspires employees in the modern workplace. Interactive whiteboards foster a collaborative environment, even allowing remote employees to participate and feel included within the company’s culture.
While it may seem that an interactive whiteboard would make the setup for a presentation more complex, the opposite is true. Modern interactive whiteboards don’t require the hassle of extra cords and extensions because they have instant wireless presentation capabilities.
All in all, interactive whiteboards are an easy and excellent tool for companies to upgrade the technology in their conference rooms while increasing employee satisfaction and productivity.
Use Advanced Audio Equipment
A proper audio setup is essential for a well-functioning conference room. Professional audio equipment will prevent AV issues with volume, delays, feedback, and echoing.
If aesthetics aren’t a concern, installing speakers on the wall is an option to ensure adequate volume throughout the entire conference room. In other instances, audiovisual integrators can place speakers within the ceiling for a seamless audio experience. Microphones can be similarly invisible, as it is possible to install them within the conference table.
Of course, modern audio arrays include more than just speakers and microphones. Echo cancellation software works in conjunction with the audio equipment to maintain output clarity. Digital signal processors can arrange multiple inputs, working well with devices such as amplifiers and recorders.
High-quality audio technology can drastically upgrade your conference room. And if you choose to work with audiovisual integrators, they can help you choose the best microphones and speakers to suit your meeting space and its features.
Ensure the Lighting Suits the Conference Room
Last but not least, the lighting in a conference room must encourage productivity and collaboration. This means that the lighting must be adequate for notetaking but not so garish that it distracts or irritates the eye. In addition, the illumination must allow for the visibility of display screens.
The ideal lighting in a conference room will have a medium level of brightness. Typically, specific areas of the conference room are lit with highlights, while the areas that require less attention have dimmer lights. Audiovisual integrators can put together a perfect pairing by equipping your conference room lighting with control systems and dimmable features. They will determine the proper lighting for your unique conference room based on its design and dimensions.
Crafting Your Ideal Conference Space
When building an environment of productivity and innovation, your conference room should act as a cornerstone for your team. Maximize the potential of this space by fitting it with a high-quality audiovisual suite that will keep your company on the cutting edge of modern industry. It’s not just an investment in equipment — it’s an investment in the future of your business.
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