Where flip charts and overhead projectors once stood, a range of audiovisual platforms has emerged, revolutionizing the experience of workplace meetings. Meetings are now more effective and enjoyable, representing one of the AV industry's greatest achievements.
Huge interest
“After seeing the enormous interest our customers were generating in meeting technology solutions, we analyzed organizations large and small, talked to them, and designed strategies aimed at empowering and driving a distributed and increasingly mobile workforce,” says Michael Helmbrecht, COO of Lifesize. “And we did so with solutions that equip employees with increasingly effective tools, improve their processes and results, and enrich their contributions to the company.”
“We are seeing exponential growth in the demand for hardware and software for conferencing and collaboration, easily reaching double digits,” explains Anne Marie Ginn, video collaboration director for EMEA at Logitech.
This is demonstrated by the typical adoption curve applicable to any innovative technology, which confirms that collaboration systems are conquering new markets.

ise-2“We’ve seen that what was once the domain of Fortune 500 companies is now expanding to smaller businesses,” explains Andy Fliss, vice president of sales and marketing at tvONE. “Today, a legion of SMEs are adopting technologies such as remote meeting rooms and shared collaboration spaces, which we previously saw exclusively in large corporations. This is because as knowledge about these technologies increases, the fear of implementing them diminishes. The fact that they are also becoming more affordable contributes to their growth.”
But it’s not all about trust or cost; ease of use and installation also play a key role in the rapid expansion of collaboration and UC (unified communications) solutions.
“In UC technology, user experience is becoming a priority,” argues Nic Milani, executive director of commercial product marketing at Crestron. “Previously, moving to a new meeting space was like starting a jigsaw puzzle. Today, we have a wide range of hardware for all types of spaces, which enhances the user experience and provides native support for third-party UC applications. The revolutionary deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT) and management platforms significantly reduces installation times, simplifies and accelerates configuration and updates, and enables remote monitoring and data collection, thereby optimizing space and technology. As a result, technology now supports people's work, not the other way around.”

More accessible.
Tony Leedham, commercial director at Ashton Bentley, shares this view.
“The changes are driving the business,” he confirms. “Soft codecs like Zoom and Teams are being used more and more, mainly due to cost reductions and the flexibility of easily connectable devices. I think this will change people's perception of our industry and make AV solutions more accessible, which is especially important given the rise of remote work.”
Martin Payne, marketing and services director at Mersive, emphasizes that “Now we can truly say that AV is a competitive differentiator within the corporate environment.” Interestingly, the successful deployment of collaboration and communication platforms not only serves to give companies an edge over others, but it is also a fundamental weapon in the fight to attract and retain top talent.
“Today,” Milani points out, “millennials make up more than half of the workforce, and it’s estimated that by 2025 they will represent 75%. Research shows that 82% of them say they are influenced by the technology available in the workplace before accepting a job.”
It’s also known that millennials seek collaborative and relationship-based work, and that they value flexibility in work schedules and location—demands that today’s meeting systems fully satisfy.
There’s another phenomenon in the world of collaboration: collaboration itself. While some vendors tout the advantages of the “single source,” others find that it doesn’t always provide what’s needed.
Working together:
“When presenting their innovations, brands are increasingly leaning towards collaborative work,” explains Lilian Bores, vice president of marketing at Oblong Industries. “Then the different solutions need to be integrated. If the end user relies on several collaboration products, the experience must be easy and seamless. The corporate world readily admits that it lacks the time, the inclination, and the budget to train its employees to use tools that don't work effectively together. In coordination with Cisco, Oblong has demonstrated how organizations can improve workflows in distributed teams.”
Payne shares a similar view:
“Software is becoming more widespread in meeting spaces with a view to incorporating tighter integration between meeting room technology providers—hardware and software—and thus offering a simpler and more productive experience for attendees.”
But in this, as in any other technology, the world never stands still. The competitive advantage that Payne mentions can be lost if others know how to leverage the capabilities of newer platforms. It is, therefore, a matter of always staying up-to-date, or better yet, at the forefront of the latest developments.
And for many corporate users, that means heading to the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam to visit ISE, the world's largest audiovisual trade show, which brings together more than 1,300 exhibitors and attracts over 80,000 visitors. Between February 11 and 14, 2020, attendees will have the opportunity to be among the first to discover audiovisual technologies that will be game-changers in the coming months and years.
ise-3A key highlight
is Hall 11, which will house the Unified Communications Technology Zone, allowing visitors to go directly to their area of ​​interest. But ISE's real strength lies in the opportunity it provides to stay up-to-date on everything happening in other areas that impact the business environment: from the latest in AVoIP to digital signage, from smart building technology to search and evacuation systems, and from projectors to displays. Manufacturers in the audiovisual sector typically reserve their most important product launches for ISE, giving attendees the opportunity to get ahead of their competitors.
“ISE also offers business users the chance to meet established vendors or newcomers to the show and get exclusive information about what’s coming,” Ginn points out. “It’s also the ideal opportunity to resolve doubts about potential investments and ensure you’re on the right track. IT and AV professionals also use the event to learn from their colleagues and improve their own customers’ experience.”
“At ISE, business users learn more about the future of technologies and discover solutions designed to improve their lives,” Milani adds. “It’s the best opportunity to experience firsthand, all in one place, the technologies currently available and those under development.”
A highly valued aspect of ISE is its emphasis on training and education through both in-person classes and conferences and seminars. ISE co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA, two industry organizations, offer visitors a wealth of opportunities to explore a wide range of topics in depth and network with colleagues to share experiences.
The Smart Building Conference, scheduled for February 10, 2020, at the Okura Hotel Amsterdam, will provide a comprehensive overview of smart building and office technology. As in previous years, the conference offers attendees the chance to gain fantastic and unique business insights in a single day, just one day before the trade show opens. The theme for the 2020 edition of the Conference is “5G, IoT and the Intelligent Edge.”
In addition, the AVIXA Enterprise AV Conference will focus on the growing opportunities presented by data and analytics in workplace design. Sponsored by the AV User Group, the conference will be held on February 12 at the RAI.
The changes in business interactions and professionals' expectations of enhanced collaboration and user-centric workspaces mean that companies must embrace the latest technological advancements to remain competitive. ISE 2020 is the perfect event to ensure your meeting room has everything it needs, both now and in the future.

*Intelligent edge is the analysis of data and the development of solutions on the very site where the data is generated.