In Tech We Trust

Work environments have transformed from what they once were—and for many, it feels like it happened overnight. As a result, meeting technology is rapidly adapting to keep up with these new environments.

“In the last five years, work dynamics have undergone more significant changes than in the previous 50 with the rise of remote, hybrid, and in-office workstyles,” said Yannic Laleeuwe, marketing director, workplace collaboration at Barco ClickShare. This change makes it hard to keep a strong connection between remote and in-office workers, leaving companies with discouraged employees who feel they are not properly represented by company technology.

“Our research has shown that one in three remote meeting participants find it difficult to speak up,” Laleeuwe added. “Even six in 10 remote workers say they have difficulty grabbing attention in the meeting.”

Looking for Video

To address these issues, you might assume that companies are at least equipping meeting rooms with video to improve employee connectivity, but you would be wrong. Recent studies in 2024 by analyst firm Frost & Sullivan reveal that less than 15% of all meeting spaces are video-enabled. However, they predict the penetration rate will almost triple between 2020 and 2027.

“If we want the hybrid workplace to be successful, we clearly need technology that enables us to collaborate in a better and smarter way,” said Laleeuwe. “We need technology that supports flexible workstyles and personal preferences.”

Meetings and what happens during them are also changing. They have evolved from simple information-sharing sessions to tackling more complex issues like decision-making and relationship building. To do this effectively, meeting technology needs to advance further. It should enable everyone to hear each other, observe body language, interpret facial expressions, and share the same space, whether virtual or hybrid.

“Today's reality? Meeting quality varies significantly depending on which space, and that inconsistency itself becomes a barrier to connection,” said Laleeuwe.

Flexible, people-focused spaces like jump spaces, focus rooms, and modular areas are emerging trends to overcome this barrier. However, scaling quickly and affordably can also be a challenge to achieving more widespread meeting equity.

“The best meeting experiences are often limited to expensive, complex rooms,” said Tyler Troutman, strategic development with Shure. “We need to bring those capabilities to smaller spaces and make them deployable at scale, so more people can benefit from true meeting equity.”

Have No Fear

Dave Silberstein, North American channel sales manager for DTEN, believes that fear of change is the biggest obstacle to achieving meeting equity. People may not like change, but he said it will make us more productive. “As an AV designer, it is hard to propose something new when the IT staff does not see the need or know how their own rooms are used,” he added.

For example, Silberstein recounted a recent experience where an IT professional told them that no one uses whiteboards at their company—but when they toured each room, there was writing on the glass walls because they lacked a whiteboarding solution. This indicated that they needed a whiteboard solution, but they also needed to invest in training on how to use it and where users could find their work afterward to make it truly impactful. Without education on how to use the technology, it would just sit idle.

Silberstein said that people are afraid of technology, but not literally. “They are not scared of technology because it is technology," he explained. "They have a message they need to deliver, and they don't want change to get in the way, even if it is for the better. Delivering your message and opinion is the important part, and if you don't feel you can do that remotely, you go to the office for that meeting.”

The more people trust in the technology to improve the delivery of the message, the more it will be used. With smart meeting rooms here to stay, AV and IT teams must work better together to demonstrate the potential of the installed technology, which could lead to significant growth in equity. “When meeting spaces are equipped with the right tools, and those tools are easy to use, everyone benefits, not just the people in the room, but also the teams making it all work behind the scenes,” added Laleeuwe.

At last year’s AV/IT Summit, the "Future of AV Technology" panel discussed meeting equity, believing that, although progress has been made, it has not yet been fully achieved. “Meeting equity is achievable with the right technology, but with the right technology, you need someone to tell you how to use it,” said Sharath Abraham, strategy manager with Jabra GN.

That includes training everyone on how to use the technology, as well as making sure they actually use it after training. Behavioral norms are a key (and often overlooked) part of developing people-driven steps toward meeting equity. "It starts from the top," explained Michele Ferreira, VP of system integration at Advanced Systems Group. "If you have the buy-in from the top and every single time they're on call, their camera is on, I'm more likely to turn on the camera."

During the panel discussion, Ferreira also noted that interoperability can make meeting equity a challenge. "We've all been on a Teams meeting and a Google meeting and a Zoom meeting, and it's always wreaking havoc within our system to the point sometimes we're rebooting," she said. "We've got to reboot before the next meeting because the camera won't work and the audio is messed up."

More Improvements Coming

Although many meeting technologies are now designed to ensure participants feel equally included, not everyone is investing in these upgrades. And even if they are, disparities still exist with these technologies, with accessibility being one area still not widely addressed.

“Challenges such as language barriers and accessibility needs have not been fully addressed,” admitted Troutman. “The future is about moving beyond AV and making meetings truly accessible for everyone.”

Speaking of the future, emerging technologies, such as AI, are making a significant difference in meeting equity. AI can also be transformative in promoting equity and accessibility through real-time captioning, transcription, and translation, thereby breaking down barriers for individuals with hearing loss or non-native speakers.

Shure is focusing on using AI to improve audio quality, which is crucial for accurate closed captioning and real-time transcription. “With IntelliMix Room, our software-based audio processing solution, AI-powered Denoiser and Deverb dramatically improve audio clarity by removing background noise and room echo,” said Troutman. “This ensures every voice is captured cleanly, allowing AI-driven features like transcription and translation to perform at their best.”

Barco also believes the future lies in AI-powered solutions, such as Microsoft Copilot, which bridges physical distances while enhancing the overall meeting experience. “Ultimately, collaboration technologies are evolving from static experiences limited by the physical hardware within the room to adaptable solutions that follow users into every meeting space, catering to individual preferences,” said Laleeuwe.

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