Seamless Virtual Meetings

In today’s business world, meetings are often virtual. Whether it’s connecting your Boston headquarters with regional offices around the nation, connecting employees who work from home with the main conference room, or connecting your international client in Beijing with your office in New York, virtual meetings are becoming the norm.

Virtual meeting success involves more than simply being present. Your electronics systems need to be fully integrated to support virtual set-ups. The way Shanahan designs and integrates a room for virtual meeting capabilities will differ from client to client, but here are some general tips to keep in mind:

1. Use a video conference processor with echo-cancellation to reduce far-end audio leaking into the near-end system.

2. Use multiple cameras for large rooms.

3. Use document imaging so that hard copy materials can be presented to everyone involved in the virtual meeting.

4. Make sure all computers are interfaced so that digital presentations can be shared.

5. Use multiple video monitors to display computer presentations as well as the far-end video.

6. Avoid using rooms with high ceilings as it makes audio difficult to understand on the far end.

7. Avoid long narrow rooms since they make it difficult for the cameras to capture everyone seated.

Virtual Meetings--Product Highlight
A Crestron Isys TPMC Touchpanel Media Center is a great product from Crestron. It gives the same control capabilities of any Crestron Touchpanel but integrates Windows XP embedded software that allows you to run presentations and take notes in Word and Excel right on the panel. Read more here.