On Hybrid Work 2024: HDBaseT Alliance

Effi Goldstein, President at the HDBaseT Alliance
(Image credit: Future)

AVT Question: Please share your insight into trends that will play a role in hybrid workplace culture, space planning, and technologies in 2024.

Thought Leader: Effi Goldstein, President at the HDBaseT Alliance

For the past two years, video conferencing optimized for meeting equity and BYOD support have been the primary drivers in the return to office and hybrid work discussion. However, this year, one of the main trends we are already noticing is a shift away from the “wow” of the latest bells and whistles to the “woah” when it comes to price. In other words, expect AV/IT managers to put a higher priority on seeking out solutions for what is needed as opposed to what is wanted.

2024 will be more about finding ways to implement them [new mind-blowing features] into conference rooms and huddle space installations with one eye on scalability and the other on fiscal responsibility." —Effi Goldstein, President at the HDBaseT Alliance

That said, integrators and installers would be best served to think strategically for ways to provide their clients with access to these new technologies by opting for more cost-effective approaches. For example, they should consider employing a modular design that allows for the system to be upgraded incrementally; choose equipment with the ability to one day support these advanced features when they become more affordable; and, of course, leverage industry standards to ensure interoperability when you finally get there.

Innovation has always been and will always be what moves our industry forward, and of course, this year will also be filled with the introduction of countless new mind-blowing features. The difference is that 2024 will be more about finding ways to implement them into conference rooms and huddle space installations with one eye on scalability and the other on fiscal responsibility.

Cindy Davis
Brand and content director of AV Technology

Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology (AVT). She was a critical member of the AVT editorial team when the title won the “Best Media Brand” laurel in the 2018 SIIA Jesse H. Neal Awards. Davis moderates several monthly AV/IT roundtables and enjoys facilitating and engaging in deeper conversations about the complex topics shaping the ever-evolving AV/IT industry. She explores the ethos of collaboration, hybrid workplaces, experiential spaces, and artificial intelligence to share with readers. Previously, she developed the TechDecisions brand of content sites for EH Publishing, named one of the “10 Great Business Media Websites” by B2B Media Business magazine. For more than 25 years, Davis has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer electronics B2C publications, associations, and companies. A lifelong New Englander, Davis makes time for coastal hikes with her husband, Gary, and their Vizsla rescue, Dixie, sailing on one of Gloucester’s great schooners and sampling local IPAs. Connect with her on LinkedIn