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Designing and Delivering the Most Collaborative Hybrid Meeting Experience, Part 2: Space Factors

Posted on by callmtg

A hybrid meeting is a gathering that features at least one group of in-person attendees connecting virtually with other meeting attendees. This series offers insight into designing and delivering the best hybrid meeting experience for your users or clients.

In Part 1 we summarized the factors to consider when designing a hybrid meeting space. This chapter will touch on meeting space and room factors.

With the increased demand for hybrid meeting spaces, rooms of all shapes and sizes are being equipped with state-of-the-art video conferencing devices to bring a dynamic mix of in-office and virtual attendees together like never before.

While ongoing advancements in video conferencing technologies and products continue to wow, the best results are achieved when architects, designers, furniture providers, technology integrators, and end-users collaborate early in the design process.

 

Key Considerations

The following architectural and other supporting elements of the best-designed meeting spaces fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

Room Size

  • There is no one-size-fits-all hybrid meeting space. Most companies will configure multiple rooms of various sizes and furniture arrangements.
  • The larger the room and number of participants, the more challenging it becomes to create a hybrid meeting environment that delivers a productive and enjoyable experience, especially for remote attendees.
  • Preconfigured video conferencing systems can work well for up to ten on-site participants. Rooms that host larger meetings typically require more sophisticated video and audio design.

Lighting

  • Lighting can significantly impact the appearance of the on-site participants to those who are remote. Lighting should be evenly distributed and positioned to avoid unflattering facial shadows.
  • Room designers should also consider factors such as background color and window treatments.

Sound

  • Quality audio starts with room acoustics. The more sound-absorbing surfaces in the room, the better the audio quality at both ends will be.

Furniture

  • Configure furniture to suit the size of the space and optimize viewing by all participants. Tapered or rounded tables are helpful for both the camera’s field of view and the participant’s view of the room monitor(s).
  • Mobile furniture can offer flexibility for multiple meeting configurations. Carts for video displays and AV equipment can allow users to arrange spaces to suit their needs.

Digital + Analog Tools

  • A range of digital and analog tools are available to help share and capture whiteboard-type co-creation work for all participants.
  • Content cameras focused on marker boards or flip charts significantly benefit productive collaboration.
  • Digital whiteboards enable co-creation between in-person and remote participants.
  • The use and placement of such devices must not be overlooked when configuring hybrid meeting spaces.

 

The next part of this series will focus on technology considerations for hybrid meeting spaces.

Designing and Delivering the Most Collaborative Hybrid Meeting Experience, Part 1

Posted on by callmtg

With more people returning to the office, hybrid meeting spaces are becoming a critical requirement to facilitate effective meetings with a dynamic mix of in-office and remote participants. This places new demands on architects, designers, property managers, and IT/end users to design and maintain hybrid meeting spaces that foster productivity and efficiency alongside simplicity and ease of use.

This series offers insight into designing and delivering the best hybrid meeting experience for your users or clients.

 

What is a hybrid meeting?

A hybrid meeting is a meeting or event that features at least one group of in-person/face-to-face attendees connecting virtually with other meeting attendees. For example, a board meeting with six members present and two members virtual, or any combination thereof. Hybrid meetings combine the benefits of live and virtual interaction between presenters, in-person attendees, and virtual attendees.

 

What is the goal of setting up an effective hybrid meeting space?

The pandemic has changed the way we communicate and collaborate. Our people have become accustomed to participating in virtual meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Webex. There has been a learning curve, but for the most part, these meetings work as they should when all participants are connecting virtually.

Creating a positive meeting or presentation experience can become significantly more complicated when combining an in-office, face-to-face meeting with one or more virtual attendees. The larger the in-office meeting, both room size and number of attendees, the more difficult it becomes to create a hybrid meeting environment that is a productive and enjoyable experience, especially for remote attendees.

The goal is to make the virtual attendees feel as close and connected to the in-person attendees as possible and vice-versa. Such magic only happens when the space characteristics, furniture, and technology are cooperatively designed.

 

Stakeholder collaboration is critical to hybrid meeting success

There are many critical elements necessary to create hybrid meeting environments that work. When architects, interior designers, IT, technology integrators, and end-users work together, the chances of creating spaces that people enjoy using dramatically increase.

 

Key considerations include:

  • Architectural elements such as size, flexibility, privacy, lighting, and acoustic materials  
  • Furniture that is comfortable, functional, and flexible for the space 
  • Tools that help facilitate effective communication and co-creation in a hybrid environment 
  • Technology that matches the room, furniture, and intended interaction while maintaining reliability and ease of use   

The rest of this series will provide some best practices to consider to ensure that your hybrid meeting spaces will create the intended engagement, collaboration, productivity, and enjoyment.