Creating the perfect huddle room has never been so simple as with online AV installer tools.
Hudd.io is a revolutionary AV configurator which provides the best room AV solutions with the help of neat online AV room software. Indeed, an online room configurator can be pretty helpful with choosing the specific AV furniture tailored to the customer’s requirements and easing the work for the room builder and AV installer. However, tips and particular rules make the work with furniture configuration software more efficient, and huddle spaces are simply better. Learn about them here.
Remind me – what’s a huddle room?
Huddle-room is a small indoor meeting space designed for groups of 3-6 people, usually equipped with a video conferencing system. Huddle rooms are ideal for work sessions and scheduled meetings while providing an effective alternative to a large conference room.
Companies of all sizes and industries, co-working spaces and universities have begun setting these small rooms up so small teams can work together more cohesively and effectively. Huddle rooms tend to be inexpensive to set up and require small enclosements – and many managers claim these rooms are the most productive use of space in the whole building.
How to furnish a huddle room: 5 essential pieces for any meeting space
Whether your office is just starting to look for huddle room solutions or you are looking for a way to streamline your old meeting rooms with modern technology, these are must-have elements to include in your design.
Furniture
Follow your corporate culture by choosing styles for your huddle rooms. Many companies choose a unique design for each room. The limited floor space allows you to make exciting decisions without the need for a complete refurbishment of the entire office. A typical room will accommodate four to five people with sturdy work surfaces. Suppose huddle/conference room design and interior design is not your forte. In that case, seek help from professional designers, use room design software (like hudd.io) with built-in tips or consult your favourite search engine. Here are a few keywords to get you started: modern office, great break room, and creative office.
Display
Ok, let’s assume you successfully equipped your room with a stained-glass concrete floor, reclaimed and sturdy barn door, exposed chimneys and aircraft-grade aluminium countertops – now what? Well, it’s high time to add technology that will turn your stylish space into a business-friendly space. Whether you’re brainstorming for the latest marketing videos or sifting through a sales report, having a shareable display is crucial for this place. It is unproductive to have teams gather around laptops to watch a presentation or video conference with another group.
Display prices have dropped drastically over the last few years, so picking a display within your budget is easy. Still, it would be great if you remembered that huddle space is conceptually tiny and tight – therefore, be careful not to go oversize with a display. Once again, a proper online configurator software will help you in this case and when choosing a correct installation height so that the display is located on the eye level of the seated people.
Wallboard
Whether it’s a traditional flipchart whiteboard, smart interactive board or just a glass panel, make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to jot down ideas and concepts that disappear as abruptly as they appear. You can then simply take a few snapshots of your work at the end of the meeting, so you don’t have to rewrite it again.
Proper working atmosphere
Acoustics
With many offices moving to a more open floor plan, it’s more important than ever to keep collaboration spaces free of noise and distractions. Soundproofing dampens indoor and outdoor noise, and a proper microphone and speaker setup can significantly improve sound quality with natural ambient noise reduction and full room coverage.
Lighting
Natural lighting improves well-being and increases employee engagement. That is an excellent addition to many meeting rooms, but lighting control in rooms with windows should be considered. Rooms in direct daylight at the wrong time of day can look washed out in video, and a light source directly behind the subject can make it look like a mere silhouette. By the way, cameras with backlight compensation will seriously help here.
Video connectivity
Video conferencing allows team members to participate in meetings wherever they are. Therefore, if your team includes regional employees or employees who travel frequently, video conferencing is a wise investment to keep your team connected. When equipping your meeting room with video conferencing, be sure to find a solution that is easy to manage, meets your needs for security and reliability, and, above all, helps your teams feel as close as possible!
Besides, look at these tips for improving video conferencing productivity.
Corporate business team using AV display in meeting cubicle
Number of participants
The limited size of the huddle room is a perfect analogy for the size of a functional team. The more people join the meeting, the more distractions there are. Use the large conference rooms to launch a project, then use the huddle rooms for work meetings and just share the results in the conference room.
Optimize room for video conferencing
Most conference rooms are designed with a single display mounted on the wall, and a table pressed directly against the wall. In smaller spaces, such as huddle rooms, a camera with a wide-angle lens is a good idea to help capture meeting participants sitting next to each other.
“Be yourself”
Gone are the days of video conferencing used exclusively for quarterly board meetings or other higher-ups’ shenanigans. Today, video conferences have simply morphed into a daily way of communication – just like texting, talking on the cell phone, walking to your colleague’s desk, and talking in person. So, tell and train your staff never to worry when it comes to the camera – they shouldn’t be shy and just be themselves.
