Top Considerations When Choosing AV Equipment for Your Boardroom, Meeting and Conference Area

Posted by Nicholas Yeandle on 07/03/2018

Just a few years ago, much AV equipment and video conferencing equipment was often considered a luxury, to be implemented mainly for prestige in corporate boardrooms. At most, the average boardroom in a mid-sized company would be equipped with a simple projector and screen. Nowadays, such equipment has become a necessity for ease of communication across most businesses in a variety of sectors and the benefits are clear to see; fast, efficient collaboration between internal project teams or with outside clients across the globe, and assistance in the reduction of employee travel costs.

In today's marketplace, thousands of options exist for kitting out your boardroom, conferencing areas and meeting rooms with AV equipment. If the technology is new to you, it can be difficult to know where to start and who to trust. Hence, we have put together a list of key things to consider when planning a permanent AV installation for your boardroom and meeting spaces.

Consider the Look of Your Room Versus the Practicality

Whilst it may be tempting to put in place the most aesthetically pleasing materials to wow guests, the use of certain materials needs to be weighed against the impact they may have on the acoustics within your room. If your room is to be used mainly for frequent meetings and conferences held between internal groups, it may be preferential to bias your attention to materials which enhance, or at the very least do not adversely affect, sound quality. Acoustic panelling is always a good option to consider.

Ensure Your AV equipment is Suitable for the Acoustics in Your Building

In some instances there may be restrictions on changes that can be made to your conferencing and meeting rooms due to budget constraints or structural issues. Thus, it is important to ensure you choose an AV solution which is suitable for your environment and allows people at both ends to be heard clearly during a teleconference or video call.

Plug and Play AV Points

Installing plug and play AV points in your boardroom enables extra equipment to be added at low cost as your company grows or your requirements change. It also enables high-quality conferencing and meeting facilities to be made available in different rooms and spaces as and when required. Users are able to take equipment to use in multiple locations across a building and easily implement it for their meetings. This is also great if you have guest speakers coming in to give presentations using their own laptops and devices. A single USB-C cable to your laptop from a Plug and Play point will give you access to a whole host of AV technologies such as camera, speakers, microphones and external displays.

Projector Lamp Advances

When considering a new projector for your boardroom, take a close look at the different types of lamp options now available. Over the past couple of years laser lamp technology has greatly improved the quality which can be obtained from a projector. Key benefits of choosing a projector with a laser lamp include high-quality and consistent colour, no lamp maintenance costs, long operating hours, less reduction in brightness over time and a much longer life for the light source.

In-Ceiling Speaker Systems

Professional installation of high-quality speakers in the ceiling of your boardroom or meeting spaces can create an enhanced working environment by ensuring that everyone can hear what is being said. However, it is not just the manufacturing quality of the speaker which is important; careful consideration should be given to the size of the room, positioning of the speakers and the number required. In turn all of these factors will impact on which type of speaker is most suitable for your room. During a free consultation AV Xpert can provide advice on the ideal specification of in-built speakers for your premises. We then detail our recommendations in a bespoke proposal or quotation.

Wireless Collaboration Systems

If you have data, visual displays or presentations to share regularly among teams or clients, investing in a wireless collaboration system could be a great time saver and image booster. These systems allow your content to be shared securely across screens, from laptops, computers and mobile devices, throughout your meeting space in seconds. Typical systems can accommodate up to 50 devices and work using a wi-fi connection or a dongle. The connection is encrypted keeping your data secure and the chairperson of a meeting or team can manage which screens receive information and who sees it. Information from multiple individual devices within a room can be shown on the main screen at any one time.

Custom Built AV Furniture

If your boardroom or meeting space is used regularly to host potential clients or existing customers, it would be wise to consider investment in appropriate AV furniture such as cabinets and lecterns. These can house equipment such as microphones, amplifiers and switches without affecting performance of the AV equipment itself. Not only will these fixtures closely match other furniture in your room enhancing the aesthetics, they help to keep your AV equipment clean, tidy and safe, and also hidden from view.

AV technology has moved on at a rapid pace in recent years and this list of important factors for consideration is by no means exhaustive. AV Xpert provides a free initial onsite consultation service for companies seeking to upgrade their AV equipment for boardrooms and meeting spaces. Our friendly, knowledgeable and experienced team will work closely with you to understand the needs of your business, assess the relevant areas of your building and put together a tailored solution, without bombarding you with technical jargon.

To book your free consultation, please call 01223 755944 or contact us online today.