Looking at Meeting Spaces Post-Pandemic

ARE YOUR MEETING SPACES READY FOR A POST-PANDEMIC WORKFORCE?

The Coronavirus might have its foot on the accelerator, but it’s not necessarily in the driving seat. Even before the crisis, businesses were trending towards flexible and remote working.

To provide flexibility, businesses are adopting a hybrid approach to balance remote and in-office working that works for both employees and employers. The key to this approach is to make sure in-person meetings feel worth the time and that spaces support productive working.

Below we cover key considerations businesses need to make as they enhance meeting spaces to welcome back workers, safely.

Fixed or flexible spaces – Decide if you have the space for a dedicated meeting room, or whether cost and space concerns mean you’re better off with a flexible multi-purpose space. A more flexible arrangement will enable businesses to quickly adapt and manage spaces according to usage and changing Covid-safety guidelines.

Optimised usage – With space at a premium, room management tools help optimise usage by identifying underutilised rooms and equipment. Parameters such as temperature and air quality can be monitored and controlled to maintain a conducive and safe working environment, and cleaning teams can be alerted to sanitise the room between occupants.

Favourable furnishings – An airless, windowless box with drab décor and uncomfortable chairs will make meetings a penance. Select the right furniture, lighting and aesthetic elements to improve the meeting and collaboration experience but be mindful of easy-clean surfaces.

Acoustic insulation – As workers return to shared spaces after enjoying a dedicated space at home, this will be an important consideration. By designing spaces with sound-absorbing panelling or using meeting booths that incorporate acoustic insulation, you can deaden noise transfer to avoid annoyance and distraction during video calls.

Common user experience – Replicating the technology across multiple locations supports a common user experience and technology familiarity. Simple, frictionless technology will be key with many organisations needing to enable interoperability across multiple platforms whilst maintaining security.

Quality sound & vision – Both audio and video are essential in equal measure when supporting hybrid meetings. With so many devices and peripherals to choose from, going for a solution which has been certified by Microsoft or Zoom offers the peace of mind that compatibility between vendors is already proven to generate a high-quality user experience.

BYOD connectivity – Whatever the space layout, the focal display in the room needs to be easy to use and easy to connect to securely, either wirelessly or via cables. Meeting room participants are likely to favour using their personal devices so there must be support for BYOD.

True collaboration - Sometimes video and audio aren’t quite enough so think about software platforms that will enable real time collaboration. Digital whiteboarding and agile workflow tools that are cloud based and accessible from any device, anywhere, are the tools that will drive true collaboration beyond just video.

Actionable outcomes – When great things happen in meetings, it’s important to have the tools in place that capture the critical insights visualised on the whiteboard. Don’t just trust people taking notes on their devices; invest in platforms that enable you to make a record of meeting discussions and outcomes, so that you can quickly track actions and make references in future meetings.

Simon Hayes

MEETING SPACE & COLLABORATION SPECIALIST SHARP/NEC

Simon Hayes works in the Meeting and Collaboration Solutions team at Sharp/ NEC. He has over 20 years’ experience in the AV industry and drives NEC’s meeting space solutions into global enterprise accounts. Simon’s top display for Spring 2021 is the InfinityBoard® which is an all-in-one collaboration solution combining UHD touch display, Huddly IQ camera, speakers and software.