News in the Channel - issue #44

MEETING ROOMS

need a camera with a wide enough field of view to capture everyone in the room, microphones that pick up voices clearly from every seat rather than just the middle of the table, and a screen sized correctly for the room so remote participants are visible and legible to avoid awkward or interrupted meetings,” he says. “Beyond that, the software platform needs to match what the business already uses day to day, whether that is Teams or Zoom, so there is no friction for staff or clients joining a call. The SMBs who overspend are usually the ones who buy premium kit without first working out what the room actually needs to do.” Jessica says technology moves fast and workplace trends continue to evolve too. “The challenge is to blend the two together in a simple, reliable and cost- effective way, avoiding complicated set-ups and poor-quality performance,” she says. “High quality cameras need high quality audio to maximise the user experience. It’s the same for remote workers too.” Jeremy says the cost of equipping a room can be as low as £1,200. “Providing facilities in an office of multi-participants in call content sharing, and out of call content sharing is all available at low cost.” Growth sector As more SMBs realise the importance of having a hybrid meeting room – and for it to be properly equipped – it is expected that this sector will growth quickly in the next 12-18 months. “Hybrid working is not reversing, if anything the split between office and remote attendance in meetings is becoming more entrenched as a permanent way of working rather than a temporary compromise,” says Chris. “That means demand for properly designed hybrid rooms will keep growing, and SMBs who delayed investment will increasingly be forced to catch up as clients and staff expect a certain standard

as normal. For resellers, the opportunity is not just in selling equipment, it is in offering ongoing support and monitoring as a service, which is where the real continuing value sits.” High quality audio remains a huge area of opportunity as being heard is the most important part of any meeting room interaction, says Jessica. “A headset has now become an essential business tool for millions of people working in an office, at home or even on-the-go,” she adds. “Equally speakerphones provide effective solutions too. “The EPOS EXPAND 40 for example is a portable Bluetooth device for small to medium-sized meeting rooms. It combines three beamforming microphones that isolate voices from background noise, with full duplex audio for natural conversations and a long battery life. In addition, the IMPACT 1000 Bluetooth headset is a perfect huddle room solution thanks to AI-driven noise cancellation and hybrid adaptive ANC for superior audio performance.” Warren says that over the next 12–18 months, the market should continue to grow as businesses replace ageing equipment, standardise rooms across different sites and improve the experience for hybrid workers. “For the channel, the opportunity increasingly extends beyond supplying hardware to offering room design, installation, training and ongoing support,” he adds. n

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The software platform needs to match what the business already uses day to day, whether that is Teams or Zoom, so there is no friction for staff or clients joining a call. The SMBs who overspend are usually the ones who buy premium kit without first working out what the room actually needs to do.

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