Corporate applications have always been among the most frequent—and, at the same time, the most interesting—to design and pursue; but today AV is applied in many contexts, and multimedia rooms are now present not only in companies, but also in hotels, museums, convention pavilions, etc. A new concept of a multimedia room that embraces contexts yet to be discovered while not forgetting environments that are historically dedicated to technological innovation, such as corporate collaboration.
Believing in corporate
The corporate world, which still enjoys excellent health, is the focus of AVIXA’s reflection in their 2018 Market Opportunity Analysis Report (MOAR). From the behavior of the main clients of AV solutions (end users, influencers and decision-makers) involved in integration projects to new challenges for suppliers of corporate systems, the report paints the picture of an evolving sector rich with opportunities. “The individual conference rooms of the past have become points of network-connected communication and collaboration,” comments Sean Wargo, Senior Director of Market Intelligence at AVIXA. “Offices today essentially represent declarations of identity and corporate culture. Where employees were hosted in a ‘labyrinth’ of single offices, the concepts of privacy rooms and huddle rooms to facilitate coordination between people and work teams emerge. Other companies instead choose to redesign their general area to encourage distance communication and smart working.”
An emerging paradigm in the name of connection and mobile devices that necessarily impacts the design and adaptation of corporate AV systems, as confirmed by four sector trends identified by AVIXA:
- The corporate strategy welcomes mobile platforms: tablets, PCs and smartphones are used more today than desktops and traditional conference rooms. Devices belonging to employees create challenges related to security and content sharing, while human resources that are increasingly distributed require new levels of collaboration to empower work teams.
- Without renouncing mobility, some firms aim to reinvent the office environment, transforming it into a modern work space, improving the “user experience” of employees and their productivity.
- The dimension of projects planned by companies confirms the potential of the pro-AV sector. Decision makers are today focused on updating or installing AV solutions to support employees.
- Projects emphasize collaboration space, concentrating on AV products and services for meeting rooms, but also on the integration of such components in complete systems. Also a part of corporate plans is the implementation of existing solutions in the security environment, video surveillance and wireless presentations.
As always, a fundamental role is played by the designer in proposing the right solutions for interpreting and, at the same time, in offering the right instruments for a new way of working: the systems integrator has been transformed into a 360° consultant, a competent figure ready to grasp the wishes and needs of the end user and the unique aspects of the situation.
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