Some businesses treat their conference room as a showroom of talent and success. Some treat the conference room as a blank canvas for ideas. However you organize your conference room, how does technology play into it?
Sure, cutting edge technology can take your conference room from being a Toyota to a Ferrari. However, it’s all about HOW and WHY you and your colleagues use it. The hells and whistles can only do so much if most people don’t know how to best work with them and why they are necessary.
You should look at how technology, both hardware and software, can enhance meeting experiences. We know that meetings are meant to bring people together. The tools available are meant to make meetings run more efficiently and effectively. Technology is a means to greater collaboration and knowledge management, while enhancing your skills, your business and the quality of work being produced.
Is your conference room “smart?” Here are some ways to optimize it!
- Benchmarking. IT managers get approached by sales people all of the time about new products and services. You don’t have to take what comes your way. Evaluate the landscape, be aware of trends for both hardware and software and look at how your peer businesses are working. This will help you identify and create the ideal conference room experience for your company and begin to word towards that.
- Auditing. Just like with benchmarking, you need to evaluate your current technology and IT infrastructure. Is there room for improvement with upgrades? Do you require any system overhauls? Take what you’ve learned from your benchmarking and take stock in your equipment and software. Conducting an audit of how your tools are operating and being used by employees will help you prioritize the needs versus the wants for enhanced conference room technology and experience.
- Road-mapping. Comparing the needs and wants is just a start. Now, it’s time to be realistic. Working with your fellow C-Suite members and executives, you’ll need to see how any conference room enhancements will benefit the company’s strategies and goals. Can the costs for upgrades be justified? You may have to spread out enhancements over time. Create a roadmap in line with your company’s strategy to show when and where technology can be useful and effective to reach targeted goals.
- Training. Tools are only are good as the people who use them. Want your conference room to be “tech-savvy?” You’ll need to train your colleagues on how to use any new or upgraded technology. By empowering and supporting them, you can create a user-friendly, proactive environment. It can change the work culture in how people do business and communicate. It’s not just the equipment that will make the conference room experience; it’s also the people.
The conference room environment can speak volumes for both internal and external parties. Having the latest and greatest equipment isn’t enough. Make your meeting rooms work smarter, not harder for your business. Bring people and technology together.
