Published: 05/01/2019 | Updated: 04/06/2020
Raise your hand if the very thought of attending a meeting made you cry out in agony. We’ve all been there, trapped in a room of utter chaos with no clear direction or an end in sight. This is even assuming the scheduled meeting occurred in the first place and there wasn’t another meeting scheduled in the exact same room at the exact same time.
In this post, you’ll find the latest in conference room technology trends for 2020. All of which will make your meetings more productive, boost creativity, and eliminate time spent messing around with outdated equipment that only occasionally works. From interactive whiteboards to scheduling assistants and automated control systems, there’s a solution for any meeting mishap.
Interactive Whiteboards
Google jamboard
Harness your team’s creativity with the 55”, 4k Google Jamboard. Teams can collaborate using the Jamboard whether they are in the same room or on the other side of the world. Jamboard has the traditional feel and functionality of a whiteboard with the power of Google Search and G-Suite. Pull in images or content from the web or sync Docs, Sheets, Slides, and even photos in Drive straight to your Jamboard. Plus, it’s completely portable with a simple single-cable setup.
samsung Flip
The Samsung Flip is a digital flip chart that helps to drive productivity and efficiency without the hassle. Like the Google Jamboard, the Samsung Flip is completely portable allowing meetings to take place anytime or anywhere. Any space, whether a personal office or an available room, can be transformed into a fully-functional huddle space. And when you are finished, Flip lets you save conversations and critical content within the display's central storage to later distribute with your colleagues through digital channels.
Impevo iw2
The IW2 is a more budget-friendly interactive whiteboard system. This compact, the wireless 3-piece system can make almost any flat surface an interactive whiteboard. It’s as simple as transferring the pen’s motion and button presses into cursor movements, mouse clicks, and mouse drags on your computer screen. While the IW2 isn’t as feature-rich as other interactive whiteboards, but it’s the most cost-effective option on the market and is great for a simple presentation.
Video Conferencing Systems
logitech smartdock
With SmartDock from Logitech you can add video collaboration to any room with the touch of a button. SmartDock is the perfect solution for businesses already utilizing Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business. SmartDock has all the connectivity you want, including HDMI for dual 1080p displays, three USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and a headset jack without all the clutter. When you need to share a presentation on your laptop, simply connect via the HDMI input built into SmartDock and begin presenting.
huddlecam go
Turn any huddle space into a meeting space with the HuddleCam Go. Go combines a camera, microphone, and speaker all-in-one and takes less than three minutes to setup. Simply plug in the USB 2.0 cable into your laptop or computer and you are ready to start a conference call with your colleagues.
Meeting owl
Connect with all your favorite video conferencing software including, Google Hangouts, Zoom, GoToMeeting, and Slack with Meeting Owl. Meeting Owl has a 360º camera lens that automatically focuses on whoever is speaking, while the eight omnidirectional microphones locate the presenter and speakers delivering exceptionally clear audio. Owl has automatic updates and operates completely software free. Just connect with a USB and begin your meeting.
creston mercury
Creston Mercury markets itself as the only all in one UC and A/V tabletop solution that supports any web collaboration application. Present, call, collaborate, and schedule meetings all from Mercury. And with all those features, Mercury is still priced to meet tight budgets. You can’t go wrong with this all-in-one system.
ubiq hive
Simplify your conference room by eliminating all cables and cords from your A/V equipment. With Ubiq Hive’s plug-and-play setup, simply plug the Hive, launch Ubiq on the presenters device, and begin presenting. If a problem does occur, login to your Ubiq dashboard for full control over one to one-thousand conference rooms. You’ll be able to see each conference room status and all network settings at your desk. Hive also includes a scheduling assistant integrating Exchange, Office 365, and Google Calendar so there will never be any battling over conference rooms on meeting agendas gone astray.
Meeting Room Scheduling Assistants
Alexa for business
Amazon Alexa for Business utilizes the same voice controlled Alexa you’d use in your home with the addition of enabled Skills specific for a business setting. Alexa for Business makes meetings more productive by finding an available meeting space, interacting with the conference room technology, or finding real-time assistance when everything goes wrong.
joan Executive
Schedule and reserve meeting rooms on the spot or remotely with Joan Executive. One step up from Manager, Joan Executive offers additional enterprise security with Wi-Fi encryption and meeting room analytics. All Joan products are easy to set up and are powered for a full year on a single battery charge.
Black Box room scheduler
This 7” meeting room scheduler makes scheduling meetings a breeze. This device is compatible with Outlook, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Exchange Server, and Google Apps letting you reserve rooms directly from your computer, smartphone, or via the touch panel. Plus, it’s scalable. By interconnecting dozens of devices, you can see the status of every meeting room using the main panel.
Automated Room Control Systems
black box controlbridge
Gain complete control over your conference room technology with ControlBridge. ControlBridge gives you one-touch control of A/V presentation switchers, monitors, projectors, screens, and room controls. With the touch of a button, you can lower the screen, dim the lights, and begin your presentation. Plus, Black Box will work with you to create a custom system with an interface built around your specific needs.
How perk-it Can Help Upgrade Your Conference Room Technology
If you are located in the greater Salt Lake City area, then you are in luck. Our experts at perk-it can help you select, install, and provide on-site training on all the conference room technology products we’ve highlighted in this post. And if you have another product in mind we didn’t mention, we can help you get started with that as well. Feel free to give us a call at (801) 910-9838 or if you prefer, by completing our contact form.
