News in the Channel - issue #44

MEETING ROOMS

hybrid meeting rooms have exploded in popularity in recent years, especially huddle rooms which are often used for a quick call-in with a colleague or external participants – as part of small, intuitive and private spheres. “But to do this effectively requires the right equipment to ensure all participants have the same experience, particularly from an audio perspective.” Warren Bone, head of video at Nimans, adds that hybrid meeting rooms remain a significant growth area within the SMB market. “While many larger organisations invested in dedicated video collaboration spaces several years ago, there is still substantial opportunity among smaller businesses that are upgrading existing rooms or investing in purpose-built solutions for the first time,” he says. “For resellers, demand remains strong because hybrid working is now a permanent part of day-to-day business rather than a temporary response to changing working patterns. However, the quality of meeting room setups across the SMB sector is still very mixed. Many organisations continue to rely on laptops, basic webcams and consumer-grade audio devices, which can create an inconsistent and frustrating experience for both in-room and remote participants.” Chris Gore, co-founder of SPOR Group, adds that many SMBs still think of a meeting room simply with a table, some chairs and a screen bolted to the wall. “Hybrid meeting rooms, properly set up so remote and in-person attendees get the same experience, are still the exception rather than the rule outside of

outgrown their first attempt at a video conferencing setup and now are looking for something that is reliable to work.” Jeremy Keefe, CEO of Kubus, notes that 80% of SMBs do not have AV equipment. “This means the opportunity is vast to provide people in the office the same experiences as those remotely,” he adds. Common pitfalls While many SMBs don’t have specialist meeting rooms, among those that do, often the setup isn’t optimised and there are some common mistakes they make. “The most common pitfall is buying kit alone rather than designing the room around how it will actually be used daily,” says Chris. “We see a lot of rooms with a decent camera but with poor audio or good audio but with a screen that is too small or badly positioned so remote participants cannot see who is speaking. “Another big one is a lack of ongoing support and monitoring. SMBs buy the equipment, install it, and then have no visibility of when something fails, so problems only surface when someone is trying to start an important call and it’s typically when the damage is already done. That is a design and asset management issue as much as a technology one.” Jessica says that the return to the office is gaining prevalence, but with more people back working together it creates more noise and distractions especially when trying to hold calls and remote meetings. “This is where a high-quality headset with active noise cancellation or a dedicated speakerphone can really shine to improve call quality, concentration and a better overall experience by blocking out unwanted interference.” Warren agrees that poor audio remains a common problem. “Businesses may focus heavily on camera quality, but if participants cannot hear one another clearly, the meeting quickly becomes ineffective,” he says. “Other common

Contributors

Jessica Harrison

eposaudio.com

Warren Bone

nimans.net

Chris Gore

wearespor.com

very large companies,” he says. “The gap is exactly where the

opportunity sits for resellers. SMBs are waking up to the fact that a badly set up room actively damages client relationships and internal collaboration, which is pushing more of them to invest now. We are seeing steady growing in this space, particularly with SMBs who have

Jeremy Keefe

kubus.com

35 CONTINUED