New Conference Room Technology Trends to Shape Your Workplace in 2021

Much has changed in the global workplace landscape since the beginning of 2020, and these changes continue well into 2021. Many of them appear slated to stay, most notably work from anywhere, hybrid work, and virtual meetings. Technologies that have moved to the forefront of many businesses and organizations include interactive panels, wireless presentation systems, and smart projectors. All offer tools that power collaboration among workforces separated by necessity, as teams may no longer all operate within the same close space.

We now have access to data covering all of 2020 to help us better understand and forecast the trends that will shape 2021 and beyond. For example, 89% of businesses and organizations surveyed in late 2020 by Digital Workplace have implemented “work from anywhere, anytime” models in response to COVID-19, with an understandable emphasis on working from home. This comes in response to changing circumstances. While previously technology provided communications in the form of email, intra-office chat, and content creation, legacy tools are not enough to properly function in hybrid work scenarios. More interactive and cloud-based technology rose to the top of the corporate and organizational “to get” list very quickly over the last 18 months. Solutions that fold video conferencing, content sharing, and creativity into a single platform with remote collaboration capabilities emerged as highly sought after. They are a must for maintaining efficient team work during challenging and ever-changing times that see employees engaged in cooperation from home and the office.

New Ways of Communicating

In many workplaces, simply walking over to a coworker’s cubicle has become impossible because so many people work from home. Likewise, one on one calls or emails often do not match the scope of a team-wide project, and limit efficiency as traditional tools that were not designed for a truly hybrid workplace.

As a consequence of the global pandemic, the international business community has embraced large scale video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, and Microsoft Teams. All of these support quick-start, spontaneous remote meetings for large groups of people. However, they require specific hardware to function best. BenQ interactive displays arrive pre-installed with TeamViewer to ensure you have a system ready to go whenever a video conference needs to start without delay.

Simply having video conference capability may not be enough. Teams want to remain creative and have a focal point to share ideas and brainstorm. That’s where new-generation digital, interactive whiteboards come in. Pre-loaded with various apps and the Chrome browser, BenQ interactive displays serve as smart whiteboards that support content creation and info search. They effectively bring together team members working from the office with colleagues based at home or anywhere else, setting the stage for seamless hybrid meetings. BenQ interactive displays feature the EZWrite whiteboarding software suite for quick, efficient, and intuitive content creation and sharing. EZWrite offers full web capabilities and wireless connectivity with a host of devices, supporting BYOD (bring your own device). Employees may contribute to meetings and workflows directly from their personal smartphones, tablets, or laptops with no stopgaps getting in the way.

Central Content Management and Wireless Presentation

With teams located in disparate geographical locations and hybrid/virtual work now the order of the day, it’s more important than ever to have a good system for accessing and managing content. The BenQ AMS (Account Management System) embodies that, offering secure saving and storage of all user accounts and content. Access is fast, plus file versions are auto-synced for all relevant team members. The AMS offers intuitive access to cloud services team members are already familiar with, only in a more organized way, and from a variety of devices, be it the interactive display at the office or personal devices at home.

To support streamlined and healthier meeting room interaction, BenQ InstaShow systems provide wireless presentation with minimal physical contact. InstaShow devices pair with user devices via secure Wi-Fi through an integrated router, and cast content onto screens using wireless HDMI or USB-C. InstaShare software, bundled with InstaShow devices, is designed for wireless presentation, so users can also mirror and control all digital content, including audio files and full HD videos. Whether presenting to customers or engaging within your team, wireless presentation provides an excellent complement to corporate displays and further builds up your ability to work better in a hybrid attendance situation.

Best Tools for More Productive Meetings

As all-encompassing platforms for video conferencing, hybrid meetings, and content creation, BenQ DuoBoard interactive displays offer full integration with Meeting Room 365 and Amazon Web Services. In addition, you get BenQ’s own Saffi voice assistant for extra convenience and time savings. An inclusive approach to remote participation stands at the center of the BenQ DuoBoard design, as shown by the above-mentioned EZWrite suite. Team members have the best tools for so-called “new normal” meetings at their disposal. Multiple participants, entire teams in fact, have the freedom to collaborate, create, share, and make changes to plans on the spot. This is indeed How BenQ Can Help You Transition into A Hybrid Work Setup and make sure your business suffers little to no disruption.

How BenQ Can Help You Transition into A Hybrid Work Setup

Make Things More Visible

Corporate displays deliver information to employees in meetings and public areas, and therefore need to have high visibility. Do you want to share the latest public health guidelines or announce upcoming meetings? Or maybe you produced educational videos to benefit employees and want to make sure they’re shown in the finest way possible. Then big format 4K corporate displays are what you’re looking for. Equipped with web cams, these screens perform multiple duties, as they can be setup in lobbies, cafeterias, and meeting rooms. The BenQ CS series ships in 65”, 75”, and 86” with crisp and bright 4K. These screens work great whether sharing knowledge or as the heart of a video conference. They help you Transform your meetings with an intuitive 4K anti-glare display.

Transform your Meetings with an Intuitive 4K Anti-Glare Display.

Looking Ahead to a Hybrid Work Future

For the time being, it seems hybrid work settings are here to stay. Fortunately, the technology that supports a mixture of remote and local work has come a long way, and as we’ve shown above, there’s quite a lot on offer to make things easier for your employees. BenQ is proud to offer one-stop solutions that ensure team members can continue to create, contribute, and collaborate despite a shifting workplace environment. If hybrid work continues to be as important as it is now, we wholeheartedly recommend looking into incorporating some of these new tools, if you haven’t already done so.