How is everyone doing? I bet some of you must be clearing your end annual leave, or some might be preparing for the Deepavali celebration. Either way, it's fun to have such a long holiday and such fun is usually shared with the family members. Too bad, I have to oversee a project to upgrade a boardroom into a smart one (or we can call it the energy efficient room).
As you all know, boardroom is a place where all the important meetings, either with the stakeholders or the potential customers, for the growing of a company. Therefore, it's such an important task to make the boardroom as presentable as possible. This will bring the image of a company to the visitors and it's the first (and could be the last) impression to them.
So I would like to share my experience on the boardroom that I'll be doing, along with some other examples from other projects that had been done around the world.
What Is Smart Boardroom?
So what is exactly a "Smart Boardroom"? How does it look differently from the others? Well, you need to focus on your business and not the technology running it. Let's bring it all together under one easy way to use interface for equipment like projectors, computers, video, lighting, microphones and audio, all “just work” at the touch of a button. So whether you need to simplify your technology, or make a great first impression on clients, automating your boardroom is a logical next step for your technology growth.
Simplicity: Set your conference room setup in one touch to include lighting, audio, video, shades, and temperature.
Flexibility: Build your system gradually. Start with the highest priority items and add more over time.
Cost Efficient: Existing electronics can be integrated into your Smart System.
Centralized: All of your systems are accessible from a single intuitive touch screen.
Remote Access: Ask your conference room scheduler to have the room set for a meeting at 3:00. It can be done from his desk.
How To Make It Smart?
Few of us would refute the old adage that in business, you have to spend money to make money. So it makes sense that if you want to hold more effective meetings, you have to invest in them. Over the last few decades, corporations have invested heavily in technology, designed to increase individual employee efficiency. But fewer companies have extended this investment past the desktop and into the boardroom. Plush leather chairs and polished boardroom tables are no longer enough to furnish a boardroom – meeting room tools are essential to create a fully functional workspace.
I've reviewed several meeting room tools that can be used to turn your meeting room into a highly productive collaborative environment. So read on, and decide if you think an investment in meeting room technology would pay off for your organization.
Computers
With the increasing reliance on computer-based presentation programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint and the need to access up-to-date information, very few meeting rooms can afford to ignore computers. Ideally, you’ll have a networked computer in your meeting room so that meeting participants can access their files directly.
Projectors
A data/digital projector displays your computer applications. A projector is essential for showing presentations, spreadsheets or video clips to large groups of people. Digital projectors (also known as LCD or DLP projectors) have fallen dramatically in price in recent years. In-Focus, NEC, Sharp, Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba all manufacture digital projectors.
Copy Boards
Copy boards take your traditional whiteboard one step further by offering a means of recording your notes. The board is connected to a printer, so any notes on the whiteboard can be printed out and distributed to participants. Newer boards can be connected to a computer, allowing you to save notes as a computer file.
Interactive Whiteboards
Interactive whiteboards take your whiteboard one step further again. The board is connected to a computer and a projector, so you can actually interact with computer-based information. Now with the information you'd have at your desktop available to you in the meeting room, you’ll never be stranded without a crucial fact or figure. Like a copy board, an interactive whiteboard can be used to write and save notes, but the interactivity lets you move, sort and group your notes as well. In terms of pricing, interactive whiteboards are more cost effective than copyboards, as you get the additional functionality for a similar price. The SMART Board and Rear Projection SMART Board interactive whiteboards from SMART Technologies are the industry leaders in this category.
Plasma Display Panels
A plasma display panel (PDP) is a flat-panel display that offers another alternative for viewing a computer image. A PDP is much slimmer than a standard monitor and offers a significantly larger viewing area (42" to 50"). The major selling point, however, is the exceptionally clear, bright image. PDPs are still relatively new to the market. PDPs are manufactured by companies such as Pioneer, NEC and Fujitsu.
If your organization has invested in a PDP already (or is thinking of doing so), you can add an interactive overlay for your panel. An overlay adds touch sensitivity and annotation capabilities to your PDP (exactly like an interactive whiteboard). For example, SMART Board for Plasma Displays interactive overlays from SMART Technologies is designed to work with several popular PDPs on the market.
Conferencing
Conferencing equipment is essential for companies that regularly meet with people in different geographic locations. Audio conferencing (a system of phones and microphones) can be purchased for a desktop model to a premier system. The leading audio conferencing phones are manufactured by Polycom and Gentner.
Data conferencing lets you share text, images and data in real time. Some conferencing packages, such as Microsoft NetMeeting software, may actually be included free with your operating system. Video-conferencing uses telephone or data lines to transmit audio and video. Prices for a video-conferencing system range from a desktop unit to a multi-site boardroom system. Leading vendors are Polycom, PictureTel, Tandberg and VTEL.
Multimedia Cabinets
If your office has made significant investments in multimedia equipment such as video or DVD players, speakers, scanners, projectors, etc., you may want to consider purchasing a multimedia cabinet to store and access your peripherals. In many companies, multimedia equipment is under-utilized because people don’t have time to set up and configure each piece of equipment. A multimedia cabinet comes pre-configured with the necessary wires and cables, so all you have to do is plug it in and it’s ready to go. Commercial cabinets, such as SMART Expression mobile multimedia cabinets from SMART Technologies
Room-Control Systems
Room-control systems let you control a wide range of electronic equipment (audio, video, projection, lighting, screens, blinds, security and communication) from one central location. Prices have fallen recently, and you can now acquire a system for under RM2,000. Leading manufacturers of room-control systems are AMX/Panja and Crestron.
Worth the Investment?
Making the initial investment in meeting room technology can seem like a costly endeavor. But keep in mind that an investment into more effective meetings can have big payoffs for your company in terms of increased productivity and more efficient group collaborations.
In business today time is money, so investing in your boardroom will bring you much more in return. Few would refute that you have to spend money to make money and no longer it is enough to invest in a nice polished boardroom table and plush leather chairs. Businesses are now recognising the fact that it is necessary to invest in the technical infrastructure of their boardrooms, yes to impress their biggest customers, but also from a business efficiency perspective. Who isn’t interested in attaining those objectives?
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