The post-pandemic workplace demands have shifted, pushing organisations to rethink their office environments to make the office workplace more attractive, while also ensuring remote workers equal visibility. This shift has accelerated the adoption of advanced AV and smart building technologies, emphasising immersive workspaces and meeting equity. Innovations such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), enhanced artificial intelligence (AI), and avatar representation for remote participants sound like a distant future. But, as Bill Gates once said “people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years.”, conveniently quoted in the Meta press release ‘Living in the Future’. In this article, Rue Parrish, a business writer interested in metaverse, audiovisual technology and future society takes you into the future of meetings and the considerations for modern businesses.
“Dream big, join in, and learn and grow together”. Let’s start with the drawing board or better yet, let’;s start dreaming – if you could change the corporate meeting world, what would it entail? Imagine walking into a room – would you perhaps create a colourful and approachable atmosphere for a brainstorming session, where all participants, from chairman to intern, have an equal voice? In this ideal scenario, brainstorming power is fully utilised, and every voice is heard.
Alternatively, a different setting would be better suited for decision-making on a 5-year budget plan, with a more hierarchical structure and a directive style of facilitating and actioning the meeting. Today, as we think about the meeting of the future, we aim to include hybrid participants seamlessly, integrate smart note taking and AI involvement, but are we daring enough to dream big and truly transform our future meetings? Are we prepared to let go of the current status quo?
Transformation?
What if meetings could be as transformative and engaging as the adventure in the movie Jumanji? Welcome to the Jungle, where characters are dropped into a video game, appearing in entirely different bodies with new, unfamiliar traits. What if virtual reality could bring this kind of shake-up to the meeting room? By assuming new virtual roles, participants could step out of their comfort zones and engage with meetings from fresh perspectives. This role reversal could break the monotony of traditional roles where the same voices in the meetings always dominate. Instead. it could bring creativity and inclusivity, while also providing personal learning and insights.
Now think about the potential of a Matrix-like experience (sorry, yet another movie example), where participants plug into a virtual environment that allows them to interact with data and each other in unprecedented ways. Or, consider the layering of additional information and visuals over the real world, much like Inception, where AR can enrich a budget meeting with interactive 3D projections and scenarios.
Drawing parallels to role-playing games (RPGs), VR can allow meeting participants to take on different avatars or roles, encouraging them to view problems from new perspectives and contribute in unique ways. This can help break down hierarchical barriers and promote more inclusive and dynamic discussion.
Back to our current world, a popular corporate outing would be to take staff to an escape room, where VR enables team members to solve puzzles and challenges collaboratively, enhancing problem-solving skills and teamwork. Wouldn’t it be great if you could create this in the convenience of your own office? Parallel this with the concept of ‘Undercover Boss’, where executives go incognito in their own companies, often discovering surprising insights about the disconnect between the boardroom and the work floor. VR and AR can bring this dynamic into meetings, allowing individuals to experience the organisation from different viewpoints and fostering a deeper understanding and empathy among team members.
Dynamic environments
By leveraging VR and AR, meetings can be transformed into dynamic environments where participants can experiment with new roles and perspectives, leading to innovative solutions and more engaged teams. This technology enables a deeper connection and understanding, bridging the gap between different levels of an organisation and ensuring that all voices are heard. Obviously, there are rules to be set in creating these new ‘realities’, it’s not all glory and there should be a lot of thought put into creating VR and AR environments into the corporate setting, but that should not put us off.
Consider our next-gen workforce, they will adopt it in their gaming environments and will soon expect similar technology at work. VR and AR do not just offer new tools for meetings; they offer a paradigm shift in how we approach collaboration, and also training, learning and inclusion. By embracing these technologies, companies can foster a culture of innovation and empathy, driving success in the modern workplace.
Factors to consider for your future-ready meetings
How do we get to live these dreams in the near future? There are several software and hardware solutions out there to start either big or small – depending on your budget and company size of course. In any case, when planning to upgrade your corporate meeting technology, it’s essential to focus on solutions that ensure seamless interoperability, robust security, and excellent user experiences.
Here are the key variables to consider:
- Interoperability and Integration: Ensure the new technology integrates smoothly with your current IT infrastructure, software applications, and hardware.
- Choose solutions that work across different devices and operating systems to accommodate all users.
- Look for platforms that offer robust APIs and integrations with other essential business tools.
- The results from a meeting in practical ‘to do’s and meeting notes should easily integrate again with the way the employees need to follow up on their actions – in email, CRM etc.
- User Experience and Accessibility: Solutions should have an intuitive interface that is easy for all employees to use, regardless of technical expertise.
- Ensure the technology is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, through features like screen readers, subtitles, and adjustable text sizes.
- The ability to customise the meeting environment to suit different types of meetings and organisational is key, the environment should fit the type of company and represent their brand values.
- A consideration here is how the layout and characters can be tailored from a gamified appearance to a more realistic setting for corporate business.
Collaboration and engagement
Tools with features like live editing, interactive whiteboards, and instant messaging enhance collaboration. VR/AR capabilities for creating engaging and immersive meeting environments are also essential. Tools that allow different levels of participation and control, such as moderator controls, participant roles, and breakout rooms should be considered.
Security and privacy
End-to-end encryption, strong authentication methods, and role-based access controls are essential to protect sensitive information during meetings. Last thing you want is to let your brilliant ideas escape through bad security in your IT network. Ensure the technology complies with relevant data protection regulations.
Reliability and performance
Assess the bandwidth and network stability needed to support the technology, especially for high-quality video and VR. The ability to scale up or down based on the number of users and meeting sizes is crucial. Reliable performance with minimal downtime and robust customer support for troubleshooting and assistance are also essential.
Management and administration
A centralised dashboard for managing users, settings, and permissions across the organisation is vital. Tools for tracking users, attendance, engagement, and other key metrics, as well as regular updates and maintenance provided by the vendor to ensure the technology remains up-to-date and secure, are necessary.
Cost and ROI
Consider the upfront investment in hardware and software, ongoing costs such as subscription fees and maintenance costs, and potential training expenses. Assess the potential productivity gains, cost savings, and other benefits that the new technology will bring to determine the return on investment.
What’s available today?
This list is just a starting point of what’s out there, but if you were just getting used to the idea of AI, then brace yourself, there is more coming your way and sooner than you might think. Starting the list with Facebook just to show the significance as it rebranded as Meta already in 2021 to reflect its focus on building the metaverse, a virtual reality space beyond traditional social media.
Meta for Work focuses on leveraging virtual reality (VR) to enhance workplace collaboration, productivity, and training. Through platforms like Horizon Workrooms, Meta offers immersive meeting experiences where teams can collaborate in virtual spaces using avatars, spatial audio, and interactive environments. These tools aim to break down geographical barriers, enabling more effective remote work and fostering deeper engagement.
By integrating VR into daily workflows, Meta for Work helps businesses innovate their operations, improve communication, and create a more inclusive and connected work environment. As part of a major tech conglomerate, Meta’s Horizon Workrooms has significant resources and market impact, making it a top player in the VR collaboration space.
Microsoft Mesh aims to make collaboration in the metaverse personal and fun. The platform combines the mixed-reality capabilities of Microsoft Mesh, which allows people in different physical locations to join collaborative and shared holographic experiences, with the productivity tools of Microsoft Teams, where people can join virtual meetings, send chats, collaborate on shared documents and more. With Microsoft’s extensive enterprise reach and integration with its existing ecosystem (like Microsoft Teams), Mesh is a highly important and revenue-generating platform.
‘Spatial’ transforms spaces into 3D collaborative environments using VR/AR technology. It features lifelike avatars, interactive whiteboards, and real-time content sharing, enhancing engagement and productivity in meetings. Spatial’s advanced VR/AR technology and integration with major platforms position it asa significant player.
‘CoVince’ is a multisensory collaboration platform aimed at training, collaboration and meeting environments. It offers a unique, integrated way of working in an immersive hybrid environment that includes full support of workflow (assigning people, adding data, generating graphs, AI assistant support and dashboarding to keep a centralised timeline overview of all activities. This out-of-the-box affordable solution is easily customised to specific company needs and supports multi-device connectivity. The included training features and e-learning modules provide a complete journey from mobile access at home to VR simulation in the office and ultimately blending these two in a virtual space for discussions.
CoVince’s award winning platform is rapidly expanding and looking to grow market presence in the UK as an attractive (software) solution for AV integrators to offer their future-ready end users. The solution fits small 4 by 4 metre brainstorm spaces to conference and large showrooms, delivering a genuine new experience for people to connect.
VirBELA’;s ‘Metaverse Campus’ provides customisable virtual environments for collaboration, networking, and immersive experiences. It integrates social interaction features and advanced collaboration tools, creating a connected and inclusive workspace. VirBELA’;s Metaverse Campus is popular for immersive virtual environments in the education and corporate sectors.
‘EngageVR’ offers a virtual reality platform for professional events, training and education. It includes multi-user environments, 3D content creation tools, and virtual whiteboards, supporting cross-platform usage and customizable settings for diverse needs. EngageVR is known for its comprehensive features and strong marketpresence in professional events and education.
Finally, Kinly provides an integrated solutions for video conferencing, AV installations, and collaboration technology. It offers tailored environments for various meeting types, ensuring seamless communication and connectivity, enhancing productivity and collaboration across teams. Kinly provides robust AV and video conferencing solutions, integrating various technologies to enhance collaboration.
Bringing it all together
While software solutions play a crucial role in creating immersive meeting experiences, the AV and IT hardware remains an essential component for facilitating seamless collaboration. High-quality cameras, microphones, and displays ensure clear audiovisual communication, while advanced room systems and smart devices optimise meeting room setups for hybrid environments. Investing in reliable hardware that complements software solutions enhances the overall meeting experience, bridging the gap between physical and virtual spaces. By considering both software and hardware needs, organisations can create future-proof meeting environments that foster collaboration, innovation, and success in the evolving digital workplace.
Rue Parrish
