Tackling Your Conference Room Communication Problems

In today's workplace, the most common challenge our clients say they face is the time it takes to get a meeting started. When they walk into a conference room, they want to begin immediately. Time is valuable, and the number of meetings spaces are often limited.  Losing meeting time connecting to the room's technology is inefficient and frustrating.     

Our VP for Strategic and Global Accounts, Lori Cook explained it like this:      

"Let's say you've got a 30-minute meeting scheduled and it takes 8-12 minutes for those in attendance to get hooked up and ready to share. You've just wasted almost half of your time together. "     

Cook said, "When we hear this kind of pain point we typically turn to wireless connectivity solutions." Cook added "There are a few solutions on the market, but we tend to stick with best in the breed. We've had much success with the Crestron Air Media and the Crestron Mercury."  

Smarter Systems and Crestron are teaming up to host a live webinar to accurately show how the Mercury can change the way you meet. We’ll host the webinar from a conference space with a Mercury. That way you can see how we're utilizing that solution in our own office.       

Mercury has a built-in AirMedia that allows wireless presentation on the room display from a laptop, smartphone, or tablet; or connect directly via HDMI.      

Mercury allows the use of any softphone, video conferencing, or UC services, such as Cisco WebEx ®, GoToMeeting ®, or Slack® to collaborate. Crestron Mercury can also be configured to run native Skype for Business or the Zoom UX, without a laptop.      

Cook says "Gone are the days of coming in 15 minutes early and making sure all your technology is working together. That's why solutions like the Crestron Mercury are such a hit with our clients."    

We hope you'll join us for the LIVE WEBINAR on November 28 at 1 pm. Save your seat today for a chance to win Panthers tickets. Just click here to get started.  

Overhaul your meeting space: How much will it cost?

Conference room technology evolves constantly. You recognize the need for upgrades in your office but don't know where to start or what it will cost. We know, it can be difficult. So we're laying out how to figure out what fits in your budget.

The essentials

There are 4 essential parts of conference room technology. You'll want to consider how to address each of these in your meeting space:

1. Display – How you view content. This can range from a TV to a projection screen to an interactive wall or Smart Board.
2. Sound – How you hear audio. This can range from display speakers to a soundbar, to multiple ceiling and wall speakers.
3. Communication – How you talk to users outside of your space. This can range from a phone to a VOIP phone with soft conferencing, to a sophisticated system allowing multiple users to talk from anywhere in the room.
4. Connection/Control - How you connect sources of your content such as PC's, phones, or tablets and how you control the various pieces of electronic equipment in your room – This can range from an HDMI cable to wireless, to touch panels and iPad Room schedulers.

The solutions

There are unlimited options to pick and choose so we've put our most popular options into two categories:

Our baseline category represents a basic plan to outfit your space with Audio Visual essentials. Here’s where to start your budget with Baseline options:

• Huddle Room $1,500
• Small Conference Room $1,900
• Medium Conference Room $2,200
• Large Conference Room $7,000
• Training Room $25,000
• Open Ideation Space $10,000 

Open Ideation Space using a Nureva Wall

Upgrade Options

Our Upgrade category gives you add-on options designed to give your team more capabilities.

Want to know what equipment is our most popular baseline and upgrade solutions? Our free guide is set up by space and solutions.

Get our free Meeting Space Guide now!

As you can tell, the easy answer to your pricing question is "it depends". But this will help you get your budget started. If you are ready for a free room assessment, call the Smarter Systems team today.

Integrating SMART Boards and Video Conferencing

SMART Boards and video conferencing have both become very powerful tools in the business world. Integrating the two technologies provides an even greater amount of benefits and here is a closer look at how that combination has enhanced modern-day business.

Preparedness

Video conferencing on its own lacks the interaction aspect that comes with a SMART Board. On its own, video conferencing relies upon participants in training sessions, meetings and conferences to bring their own materials. Even if those materials are sent via email, there is no guarantee that participants will have it in hand. With a SMART Board, there is no way any participant will be unprepared.

Communication

It is obvious that video conferencing allows for a new way of communicating, but adding in a SMART Board changes those overall capabilities. The visual aspect is not only enhanced, but brought to life in real time. Changes can be made right there as participants can actually see them happening and offer their thoughts as well. This enhances collaboration as participants can actually communicate on making improvements in that moment.

Training

Employee training typically brings people together at one location for a specified amount of time. Now, with SMART Board and video conferencing, training saves time and can be done from remote locations. On-site training can occur without trainees actually being on site. This enhances the training experience in numerous ways. Trainers can explain things visually and can also offer resources via a SMART Board. Being able to see the trainer and training materials simultaneously helps immensely in grasping all of the concepts being conveyed.

Conferences

Video conferences combined with the use of SMART Boards allow for projects to be discussed and modified. The video aspect also shows the expressions among participants. If someone is not truly on board with suggestions or changes, chances are that will show up in their mannerisms. Also, adding a document or spreadsheet during an actual meeting is a lot more difficult without the use of a SMART Board. This technological combination brings a whole new level of collaboration as conferences are no longer limited to conversations, but have the capability of action.

⏹

Smarter Systems can bring a whole new dynamic to your business conferences. We provide a vast selection of SMART Boards and video solutions to Charlotte business owners and educational systems. Get started on the future today by contacting the professionals at Smarter Systems.