Not long ago, meetings took place with everyone in the same room. However, technology has enabled the evolution of how people meet and work, facilitating dramatic change in recent years.
Whether you meet in a conference room, home office, hotel, or your RV, this issue of Close Up explores how Modern Workplace technology is delivering a consistent meeting experience regardless of location.
What’s Next For Meeting Spaces
In the past, meetings often involved attendees sitting around a table, facing each other. As the workplace evolved, meeting technology had to adapt to include participants located both at home and abroad.
The Problem
Creating meeting equity between remote and conference room attendees is a challenge. People on a mobile device or laptop, using a headset, are well represented. They can be seen and heard well, with lower background noise, and their name is displayed. However, those in the conference room may not be heard as clearly by room microphones. The presenter’s face is not optimally framed for their image, and their name is not identified. This creates an inequitable meeting experience for both presenters and attendees.
The Solution
AI features can identify and flawlessly remove background noises, auto-track the presenter, auto-frame, auto-switch, and identify the attendee’s face or voice. Beam-forming microphones in the conference room can minimize room acoustics and even follow a presenter who is moving around, creating the impression that the microphone is close to them. This levels the playing field of the meeting experience.
In the realm of next-gen AI, we encounter Microsoft Copilot—a highly-anticipated artificial intelligence tool for Microsoft 365 apps. One prominent feature is its ‘intelligent recap,’ which provides action items, key presentation slides, and organizes the recap for staff who may have arrived late or even missed the meeting entirely.
Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms
To ultimately address the inequities in the meeting experience, the Signature Microsoft Teams Room strategically places all conference room attendees on one side of the table, facing the display. This design aims to enhance inclusivity and collaboration in hybrid meetings.
Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms provide a comprehensive solution for hybrid meetings, offering features that foster inclusivity and collaboration. These include a unique table layout that ensures visibility for all attendees, whether in the room or remote.
Additionally, AI-powered cameras can identify and track individual participants, both in the room and remotely. The 21:9 aspect ratio display provides ample screen real estate for content, remote attendees, and chat.
Utilizing Microsoft Teams, Signature Microsoft Teams Rooms offer the same features and functionality as traditional Teams meetings, such as content sharing, document collaboration, and participant calling. To further enrich the remote experience, spatial audio is implemented, creating a more immersive environment for virtual participants.
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