Even in the age of almost everything digital, meeting people is just as important as before, if not more so. "Reality is a basic human need in an increasingly high-tech world"The Swedish firm Memoori, which specialises in intelligent buildings, stressed the importance of human contact in a 2017 study on the design of the offices of the future. Is this a kind of counter-revolution at a time when voice speakers and other connected objects are taking over meeting rooms? Not at all. Because the balance between ultra-modern technology and the timeless need to reach out to others can be found in today's meetings, and no doubt in those of tomorrow.
According to the IACC association's annual study on the meeting room of the future published in 2018, organisers expect multiple human experiences which enhance corporate events are playing an increasingly important role. Among the solutions put forward, meeting planners favoured themed meals (71 %), outdoor meetings (69 %), but above all creative rooms (77 %). The flexibility of meeting spaces has become essential, with furniture on castors or extremely light so that it can be moved around, as well as a variety of seating options: high tables and chairs, comfortable sofas and even footstools on the floor. There are so many options to suit different personalities, and each person can choose their own style. deploy your creativity. Digitalisation is not accompanied by ultra-high-tech design rooms, like Minority Report. Some are even cosy, almost British, with wood panelling and bookcases. A potentially reassuring cosiness, while at the same time the data is moving far, far away into the clouds.
85 % of millennials expect the integration of new technologies, but also more experiences, more interaction and shorter formats.
However, while the flexibility of spaces will be paramount in the coming years for half of those surveyed by the IACC, interactive technologies will be even more so, garnering almost 90 % of the votes. Naturally, the growing number of millennials in the corporate workforce goes a long way towards explaining this result. According to another IACC study - dating from 2019 - 85 % of young employees expect an increasing integration of new technologies, but also more experience (80 %), more interaction (76 %) and shorter formats (70 %). With less of a master-student relationship, the new generations are moving away from the old-school meetings of the pre-smartphone and pre-wifi era, which used to drag on and on, silently listening to the speaker.
More rhythm and efficiency, less dead time: millennials, who are easily zapped, like to avoid wasting time on useless things, leaving more room for networking and other activities. In this context, new technologies, with their promise of interaction, collaboration and efficiency, fully meet these requirements. No more scribbled notes On the flipchart that only doctors can decipher, gone are the lost notes: with interactive screens, everything is saved, then sent on a USB key or by email.
Among the best-sellers in the business world are Microsoft's Surface Hub 2S, which is compatible with all Office tools, the Jamboard developed by its competitor Google, and the solutions offered by high-tech leaders such as Cisco with its Webex and Samsung with the Flip. This whiteboard in XXI versione century for example, allows documents to be presented and annotated, with everyone able to add their own content for greater interactivity.
While the application has become the cornerstone of meetings technology, the cornerstone of the system is of course excellent wifi.
In the hotel industry, Barco, long known for its projectors, has moved with the times by bringing its ClickShare technology into the meeting rooms of many establishments. This intuitive wireless system facilitates presentations, eliminating the need for participants to search for ways to connect or disconnect their computers. Its "plug & play allows you to take control of the screen using the ClickShare button connected to the USB port or via an application installed on the computer. Last year, Barco went a step further by launching its Ideation Wall, which combines a touch-sensitive image wall with ClickShare. Other solutions, such as Blackbox's Coalesce, Mersive's Solstice and Bimobject's Airmedia, also provide wireless access to conference room screens.
Alongside interactive whiteboards, applications have become essential, veritable "must-haves". digital keystones from corporate events. What seminar or convention today doesn't have its digital counterpart in the form of an app that allows you to consult the agenda and the list of participants, making it easier, among other things, to put people in touch with each other and take part in the various sessions, while extending the experience after the meetings by archiving all the presentations? According to the IACC, more than 70 % of organisers have implemented this type of solution, which boosts the commitment of participants, particularly millenials, who need to be stimulated by a series of contributions, or risk losing their attention during meetings. Apps that also avoid a lot of unnecessary paperwork and printing.
Outdated format
The recent Global Meetings Forecast 2020 report from American Express Global Business Travel suggests that this trend should continue. Quoted in the report, Reggie Aggarwal, founder of Cvent, estimates that by 2020 there will be "a renewed interest in using solutions that will help increase participant engagement and streamline post-event follow-up. While trade shows, conferences and other types of events haven't changed much in format over the years, the tools for maximising their impact have. And I think the need for more actionable data will continue to drive technological developments in the year ahead.While the application has indeed become the keystone of high-tech meetings, the cornerstone of the system is obviously based on a "user interface". wifi excellencewithout which no high-tech meeting could support all the data exchanges.
What was already important will undoubtedly be even more so in the future, as we wait for 5G to take off. "The development of wifi infrastructures and greater confidence in its use will play a key role in the design of meeting spaces."Peter Komornik, CEO of Slido, noted in the CICA's 2019 study. A report that highlights the growing importance of cyber security 27 % of those surveyed believe that this will be a predominant issue over the next three to five years, and 76 % of organisers say that they pay particular attention to this issue when integrating new technologies into their events.
And what about tomorrow? According to Gartner, among the technologies that are beginning to develop in the world of corporate meetings, the voice recognition is at the cutting edge. But in the next ten years or so, the working environment will incorporate augmented reality, facial recognition, bots, virtual assistants... When it's not artificial intelligence that will judge employees' performance and decide on their end-of-year bonuses.
