Along with the SCN Top 50 Systems Integrators 2023 list, we polled a selection of leading firms on industry hot topics.
From a Pro AV perspective, what is the secret to achieving meeting equity?
Mathew Newfield, President, Diversified
To achieve meeting equity, you have to address the cultural shift as well as the technology application. Employees want three things in a meeting: to be seen, heard, and acknowledged; to contribute spontaneously with input, textually or verbally; and a culture of “polite rigor” to ensure everyone is able to participate. With the growing hybrid work environment, it’s become more critical than ever to deliver meeting experiences that engage all participants, whether they are in the room or not, for optimal meeting effectiveness as well as provide a more inclusive workplace.
[Top Integrators 2023: Challenges for 2024]
Mary Landis, VP of Enterprise Sales, Avidex
At its core, meeting equity is about seeing and hearing well, yes, but it’s also about fostering higher-level connection through AV technology that promotes eye contact and personal acknowledgement between in-person and far-end participants. Cracking the code of meeting equity means creating an environment that supports one-to-one and one-to-many collaboration through personal interactions. With AI advancements in camera, audio, and processing, we’re seeing a focus on this to support a richer content and participant connection for in-person and remote attendees alike.
Jeffrey Mele, CTO, Metinteractive
I keep getting this question. Likely low latency in remote sessions. Latency disrupts the confidence in conversation. One person talks over another. It’s not how humans interact. All that said, I suppose there are constructive meetings and meetings of contention. Constructive meetings should be a bit like everyone getting to fingerpaint on the same canvas, multiuser interaction in a workbook style. Contentious meetings—I guess equity shouldn’t matter. You need to leverage technology to better your odds against the other side.
Kevin Lyons, VP, Sales and Marketing, Inter Technologies Corporation
Ultimately, the secret to meeting equity lies on the facilitator invoking participation. The requirement, however, is to have the technology in place that provides a platform for a group of people to share information and deliver ideas with one another from anywhere at any time. Provide an environment that offers an opportunity for participants to be heard in the room and online.
[Top Integrators 2023: Top Growth Markets]
Paul Wells, Sales Manager, CCS Southwest
Sales reps and AV engineers have to take the time to determine the right camera and audio tech for that given space and preferred conferencing platform. Not all rooms are created equal. There are a bunch of solutions—and you need to fit the right one to the right room.
