10 Conference Room Technology Trends to Watch in 2024
- Written by: Ryan Mosher
The design and technology of conference rooms have undergone and continue to undergo significant transformation. The evolution from projectors and tangled cables to tech-driven hubs of collaboration has been stark—and absolutely necessary.
As workplaces and workforces have evolved (especially since COVID), so have meetings. Approximately 11 million meetings are held every day in the U.S. alone, and thanks to the rise of remote work, meeting numbers have only increased.
So with the huge amount of employee time and effort put into meetings, the rooms and collaboration tools we use should make our lives easier, more efficient, and even more environmentally friendly.
We believe conference rooms can be one of the most important collaborative tools in your tool belt—and the right technology and design can make that happen. Let’s talk about 10 of the top conference room trends we expect to see in 2024, ranking from conference room design ideas to the latest conference room technology, and more in between.
1. Seamless Connectivity and Ease of Use
The modern conference room should embody simplicity and efficiency—walk in, open your laptop, and start a meeting without any hassle.
Cable-free environments that leverage wireless connectivity ensure a smooth transition from individual work to group collaboration. Wireless presentation systems and cloud-based cooperation tools help create a frictionless experience in the workplace.
2. Crystal Clear Audio for Everyone
Despite the huge advances in virtual meeting tools, consistent audio quality still ranks as one of the biggest headaches for meeting participants.
Whether you’re in a conference room, at your desk, at home, or in the coffee shop, clear communication for all participants is critical.
Features like noise cancellation, beamforming microphones, and high-quality speakers that deliver a natural and immersive audio experience help ensure that every word is captured and delivered with clarity.
3. Interactive and Engaging Meetings
Digital whiteboards are revolutionizing interactivity in meetings. They enable real-time collaboration, allowing team members to share ideas, annotate documents, and brainstorm solutions together, no matter their physical location.
4. Smart Booking and Management Systems
With the rise of meetings comes the rise of double-booking conference rooms. Booking systems and meeting room displays keep everyone informed in a user-friendly way. These systems streamline the process of managing room reservations, leading to the effective use of conference rooms and the time spent in them.
5. Enhanced Security and Privacy
Security measures like privacy filters on windows and access control systems using badges or keycodes are becoming more and more common. These steps protect sensitive information and ensure meetings remain confidential.
Additionally, encryption plays a crucial role in securing virtual meetings. Scrambling the audio, video, and data exchanged during calls—making it unreadable for anyone who is not authorized—is an important piece of the security puzzle.
6. Flexible and Adaptive Spaces
Just like the broader trend of overall office design, conference room design trends have moved in the direction of easily adaptable and flexible spaces. The ability to change the size of the room depending on the size of the meeting allows companies to maximize their real estate efficiently while also catering to various meeting types.
Flexible furniture and modular layouts for different purposes help foster a dynamic and collaborative environment.
7. Video Walls That Provide an Immersive Visual Experience
The adoption of LED technology for video walls offers better visual experiences compared to traditional projectors or monitors. These large, vibrant displays can transform presentations, making them more immersive and engaging for all involved.
8. Sustainable Meeting Environments
Not strictly technological, but the concept of green meeting spaces continues to gain traction. LED lighting and paperless meetings are two of the more prominent eco-friendly initiatives in modern conference rooms. These eco-minded solutions align with growing organizational environmental responsibilities.
9. Voice Recognition and AI Enhancements
Just like Alexa and Siri began taking over our homes, voice recognition technology is making its way into conference rooms. These solutions range from controlling AV equipment, lighting, blinds, etc., to collaboration tools that recognize which speaker is speaking and adjust microphone levels, shared screens, and more.
Coupled with voice recognition, AI-powered cameras can now automatically adjust framing based on the number of meeting participants, track and zoom with the speaker, and even feature facial recognition that can save time on room setup.
10. Virtual and Augmented Reality Tools
By now we’ve all seen the videos of the Apple Pro Vision out in the wild—and VR headset sales are expected to grow to 27 million per year by 2028. Harnessing virtual reality and augmented reality in our conference rooms allows for a more interactive and immersive meeting, providing unique experiences that traditional presentations will never be able to match.
Next Steps in Embracing 2024’s Conference Room Technology Trends
Making meetings easier, more interactive, more efficient, and greener should be a goal for all of us. As organizations continue to adjust to shifting workplaces and workforces, conference rooms will keep getting smarter, helping people work together and doing that work, better.
No doubt at least one (probably several) of these conference room ideas has piqued your interest. Which one(s) will you prioritize? How heavy of a lift will it be to implement these?
That’s what HBS is here to help you find out. Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and let’s explore how we can help you design and implement the best conference room solution for your organization.
