Business opportunities September is collaboration month!


A landmark conference; a new brand to the market; and several im- portant product solutions, all combine to make this the ‘month of col- laboration’ in a year that has already seen the technology emerge as the outstanding opportunity in AV.


According to AVIXA, the cor- porate market continues to ac- count for the largest segment of pro-AV revenue. Corporate office environments are expect- ed to generate nearly $15 bil- lion in revenue in the Americas in 2018. Growth is expected to be somewhat slower than the overall industry, at 1.5 percent annually from 2017 through 2022. The Market Opportu- nity Analysis Report (MOAR), covering the corporate market examines the opportunities and challenges for providers of pro- AV solutions and technologies. “Increasing productivity is the main driver to corporate AV spending. This takes increas- ingly different forms today, as many office workers are being reached on mobile platforms such as tablets, laptops, and smartphones, rather than via traditional desktops or in con- ventional conference rooms. Often these mobile devices are brought in by the employees themselves,


creating security


and content sharing challeng- es. Workforces are also often distributed, requiring collabo- ration technologies for empow- ering teams.”


“Despite mobility, organi- sations are pulling the focus back to the office environment. While companies still seek to provide workers the flexibility to determine when and where they can do their best work, a growing faction of corporate America is attempting to create more innovation by bringing employees back to home base. AV technology implementation is the way for companies striv- ing to make the office a modern workspace, in part by improv- ing user experiences.”


Workplace design


Given the broad and diverse challenges faced by the current business


environment, deci-


sion-makers remain focused on upgrading or installing audio- visual technologies and solu- tions to support office workers. This is reflected in increased planned among


capital corporate


expenditure technology


managers to the tune of ap- proximately $181 billion in the U.S. for 2018. This translates to nearly $12 billion in AV sys- tems investments this year. Consistent with an office fo- cus, plans emphasise collab- oration space. Project plans focus mostly on upgrading AV products and services that are utilised in conference rooms, both large and small as well as incorporating AV technolo- gies like audio equipment and capture and production equip- ment. Integration of existing key solutions will be a part of these plans, with significant increases for security and sur- veillance systems and wireless presentation technology. “What used to be a series of disconnected flagship con-


ference rooms have become communication and collabora- tion points, tied together with networks,” said Sean Wargo, Senior Director of Market In- telligence, AVIXA. “What were cookie-cutter office buildings have become statements of corporate identity, brand, and culture. Where individuals used to be housed in a rabbit warren of individual offices, open con- cepts with privacy rooms and huddle spaces have emerged to facilitate inter-team coordina- tion. All the while, some com- panies are instead down-sizing their headquarters or local of- fices to encourage and support telecommuting and remote work.”


Rise of the meeting room


A recent Futuresource blog reported “workplace meetings have undergone a physical and cultural transformation during the past five years, both in terms of their location and the technology used to facilitate them. Modern working habits and technological advance- ments have contributed to the rise of the meeting room as a high growth vertical for audio visual, unified communications and collaboration technologies. Further to this, employees are increasingly meeting in other areas of the office with major implications


for the vendors


involved in these markets. The development


of modern


technologies which serve to increase teamwork, and busi- nesses pursuing top-down pol- icies


to create collaboration


focused spaces, are fundamen- tally altering the modern work- place.


One key area of change re-


lates to the physical makeup of meeting rooms. Here, the num- ber of large meeting spaces has decreased during the past two years, predominantly due to the macro trend


toward smaller,


faster, more flexible meetings. Typically, large meeting rooms are being repurposed for small- er meeting spaces and, with over a quarter of companies looking to add additional meet- ing rooms over the next three years, the overall total address- able market of meeting rooms is expected to surge.


Businesses are very keen to pro- mote top-down policies which utilise space more efficiently and promote smaller, more collaborative sessions amongst workers. Manufacturers have also been quick to respond to these changes, producing a raft of collaboration technologies designed for smaller meeting room and huddle spaces that are already seeing good traction in the market.


Budget realignment


Another clear indication that the traditional meeting is un- dergoing fundamental change


P10 AV News September 2018


is the type and variety of prod- ucts that are now being used in these spaces. This develop- ment is most evident when we look at meeting room budgets, which have grown increasing- ly


diversified across product


categories. While the meeting traditionally was the mainstay of telephony and display tech- nologies, we are now seeing that as the size of a meeting room grows, there is a signifi- cant increase in spending on goods other than displays, such as audio, collaboration devices and control products.


The distribution of budgets is highest in large meeting rooms, where over 60% of funds are spent outside of display tech- nologies. This diversification is not only evidence of the grow- ing importance of a wider set of technologies but also the increasing


complexity meeting room market.


Demographic change and budget diversification are not the only significant changes happening to the meeting, with employee habits and practic- es also undergoing a cultural transformation. With more em- ployees


working from home,


and the increased ability to work in multiple locations geo- graphically or in different areas within an office, workers are now much more flexible with where they are working and who they are working with. Employers have been keen to develop more informal meet- ing spaces in step with these modern flexible working habits and, with 20% of meetings now being held in locations such as kitchens/eating areas, break- outs rooms and receptions/foy- ers, it is no surprise that 43% of companies surveyed as part of this research state they are investing in dedicated technol- ogy for these spaces. With dramatic changes hap- pening in the corporate meet- ing room, technology providers are meticulously following the evolving demands of the mod- ern workplace and how employ- ees work with one another. This market presents both an excit- ing opportunity for growth but ample room for failure and, with culturally diverse variations in how employees work with one another, Futuresource’s Corpo- rate End User Study provides the most comprehensive guide to the corporate meeting room and the nuances of this rapidly evolving marketplace.


of the Explore the latest collaboration trends at Connect!


Finishing touches are being made to the programme for a brand new event curated by Maverick AV Solutions at the iconic London Design Museum in September, with brilliant meetings, interoperability and the myths and legends of the Millennial workforce among just some of the topics lined up for this two-day event. Live on the 26th and 27th September, ‘Connect – Age of Collaboration’ will welcome industry speakers from across the globe to discuss, explore and provoke thought about the workplace of the future. In addition to previously announced keynotes led by acclaimed tech broadcaster Spencer Kelly and Hollywood futurist John Underkoffler, Maverick has lined up top-cal- ibre speakers from partners in- cluding Microsoft, Dell, Cisco and Barco.


CIO and Head of Workplace Services at Logitech Massimo Rapparini will be outlining his vision of the future of video- conferencing, while Peter Otto, Director of Product Strategy and Design at Condeco, will examine how to create a work culture that fosters innovation and creativity. Zoom’s Mike Adam will be forecasting the end of bad meetings, and Craig Decker from Cisco will provide some fascinating predictions about the future of Cloud working. Maverick has invited speak- ers from the worlds of design, human resources, architecture and academia to lend their per- spectives on the future of work. Steelcase will present on the crucial role furniture and de- sign play in a productive work environment, Dr Harriet Shortt, Associate Professor in Organi- sational Studies at the Bristol


Business School, will take an image-led look at how we cre- ate a workplace identity in the era of thought-pods and hot desking, while Barry Flack, HR influencer, will explore how it feels to be managed by an al- gorithm.


Vice President Global of Maverick AV Solutions, Jon Sidwick commented:


“This event is bringing to- gether a mixture of fascinating speakers from different kinds of businesses to learn and explore the future of collabo- ration, a must-visit for those seeking a competitive edge in our industry.” Limited spaces for the event are still available, visit https:// www.connect-ageofcollabora- tion.com/


Live at London’s Design Museum, on the 26th and 27th September, ‘Connect – Age of Collaboration’ will welcome industry speakers from across the globe to discuss, explore and provoke thought about the workplace of the future.


Clevertouch has announced the launch of Stage, a lightweight, quick to launch collaboration and meeting tool that gets rid of the pain and frustration of difficult meeting access, now available


on the Pro E-CAP touchscreens.


Stage is a real-time collabora- tive workspace meeting solu- tion that gives any organisation the opportunity to collaborate and annotate on shared docu- ments seamlessly within a live video


conferencing environ-


ment. Designed for both on-site and distributed teams, users simply need to open a web browser, enter their pin and start working together. Co-developed and adapted for Clevertouch with NUITEQ, a specialist in the development of human computer interactive software, the aim of Stage is to help participants start a meet- ing quickly with minimal fuss. With Stage, there is no need to download apps or software, saving time and avoiding prob- lems with complex firewalls. The cloud-based collaboration solution is safe, secure and will fit seamlessly into any organi- sation.


Built in features include: • Real time whiteboarding and collaboration on shared docu- ments • Voice and video meeting ca-


Series


Stage: a new collaboration workspace from Clevertouch pabilities


• Support for most BYOD de- vices to connect to the meeting • No need for an account to join as a guest


• Screen sharing capabilities •Find your collaboration work- space safely stored in the cloud, at any time


Stage now comes as standard with all our new Clevertouch Enterprise E-CAP touch- screens, providing users with the complete collaborative solution without any additional cost.


Shaun Marklew, Sales and Marketing Director for Clever- touch, comments: “The ease of conversation should flow in every meeting. Stage gives you


all the benefits of video confer- encing with the added ability to work on shared documents in real-time. This new brows- er-based collaborative meeting solution will give you the full in-room experience regardless of your location and device." Dennis Mohi, VP Business De- velopment


at NUITEQ said:


“We asked ourselves a simple question: Where does a busi- ness grow and thrive? In its abil- ity to share information quickly and execute on decisions made in its internal meetings. Stage lowers the barriers to enter a meeting and raises the playing field to offer a place for groups to come together, share ideas and deliver results.”


Clevertouch has announced the launch of Stage - a lightweight quick to launch collaboration and meeting tool that gets rid of the pain and frustration of difficult meeting access, and now available on the Clev- ertouch Pro Series E-CAP touchscreens.


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