A meeting room isn’t a modern concept, they’ve been around since the dawn of humanity. People have been gathering together in one area to discuss important topics or tasks for centuries, but meeting rooms as we know them have evolved quickly over the past couple of decades.
As technology became part of our daily lives, whiteboards or flipboards have been swapped with TV screens and intercom systems – but smart meeting rooms bring this to a new level. Smart meeting rooms bring together hardware and software for a collaborative and productive environment that’s powered by technology.
So, what is a Smart Meeting Room?
A Smart Meeting Room is a normal meeting room that utilises technology to improve the overall experience, and boost collaboration and productivity.
Here’s a few things that could be included in a Smart Meeting Room:
- Video conferencing software: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet can all be used to link remote workers or customers with in-office staff.
- Cameras: A conference camera captures everyone in the room to help remote participants feel like they’re in the room. A wide angle or 360-degree camera makes the meeting more immersive, and auto-zoom, people-counting, and lifelike images also improve the overall experience.
- Meeting room booking software: Integrate your calendars with the meeting room for organisation purposes and to track usage. This software helps everything run smoothly.
- Screen sharing software: the ability to share your laptop screen to a large wall-mounted screen has been around for years now – but it hasn’t always been quick or easy. Being able to share your screen within a few seconds, however, is a game-changer and maintains professionalism.
- Interactive touch screens: A modern alternative to a white board, touch screen boards allow you to annotate document, make notes, and brainstorm as a group.
Benefits of Smart Meeting Rooms
Inclusion
Group meetings can be tough for remote employees – especially if there’s several people in-person and only a few remote. Smart Meeting Rooms are much more immersive and inclusive. They demonstrate a company’s care and attention towards remote employees – and also to any external contacts or customers that can’t meet in-person.
Collaboration
When you consider the experiences of remote attendees, you can seriously boost collaboration. Remote attendees feel more included and comfortable, so they’re more engaged with the meeting. This way, they can get their opinions and ideas across more, and boost overall collaboration.
Productivity
When remote meeting experiences are improved, people are less likely to travel to the office for meetings. This saves time that would have been spent travelling, so they can be more productive.
Read more about remote working productivity
Organisation
Using a meeting room calendar that shows when the meeting room is available and integrates with Outlook minimised disruption to meetings and confusion between staff. A timetable that’s automatically updated in real-time ensures the room is ready whenever you need it.
Smart Meeting Rooms bring your meetings into the 21st century, boosting engagement and the impact of communications. You can easily convert your current meeting room into a modern room that works for all employees – no matter their location.
