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Technology
Meetings for Techno Sapiens
Why get on a plane when a smart conference room brings the confab to you?
There's no doubt about it: Business travel has become the executive's No. 1 hassle of late. With endless lines, insufferable security checks, and a lack of convenient flights, airlines have seemingly turned a seat belt into an instrument of torture.
It's time to fight back by getting the job done rather than accumulating air miles. With a smart conference room, coworkers can interact, brainstorm, and come to meaningful conclusions without ever leaving the office or taking off their shoes for inspection. Whether it's reviewing monthly sales figures, planning an ad campaign, or brainstorming ideas, a smart conference room serves as a corporate no-fly zone.
The essence of the smart conference is that it enables you to be in at least two places at once: You can remain at your home base, and effectively communicate with those in remote locations via audio, the web, video—or all three. Audio conferences are perfect when talk is enough, while web conferences are ideal for sharing data, such as presentation slides or images. Put it all together, and you have a smart confab in which participants see, hear, and relate to one another.
Of the three, videoconferencing is growing the fastest and could account for 41% of the market by 2008, up from last year's 23%, according to Wainhouse Research (see "See and Say," page S5). "The time is ripe for wide-scale adoption," explains Andrew W. Davis, Wainhouse Research's managing partner. "We expect videoconferencing systems to grow nicely in the coming years." All told, he predicts the conferencing market will nearly double, from last year's $4.5 billion to $8.1 billion in 2008, $3.3 billion of which will go to videoconferencing.
MORE FOR LESS
More good news, Davis points out, is that prices are falling. A basic setup can be had for a few thousand dollars, but can easily rise to tens of thousands with all the bells and whistles. In fact, Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, routinely used a million-dollar videoconferencing center at his office when his well-earned wanderlust failed him.
 That may sound like a lot of money, but for a medium or large company with dozens, if not hundreds, of satellite offices, it's a worthwhile investment that pays for itself by cutting travel and lost time spent belted into airline seats. With typical cross-country trips for meetings adding up to at least $1,500 per person (more for those who rate first-class tickets), the equipment can pay for itself after only a few conferences. But the biggest payoff is in time and productivity, because rather than a two-day road trip, executives can actually attend several meetings in different places in a single day without leaving the building or going through an X-ray machine.
All conference equipment is not created equal, and the technology is changing quickly, so buy carefully. If all this is too much, think about renting a smart conference room only when you need one. For those ready to buy, here's how to build the ideal smart conference room.
Start with sound. "Audio is not as glamorous as video, but most information actually travels by sound," says Keith McMillen, president and CEO of Octiv, a maker of audio-conferencing equipment. Audio conferences offer an effective way to work together, share ideas, and allow people to bond as a team. Most speakerphones will do the trick for a few people, but with a larger group, chances are that some will be left out. A dedicated conference phone, like the Polycom SoundStation VTX 1000, can help. With its triangular star design, it may look like an alien spaceship, but the SoundStation delivers down-to-earth static-free sound and has a 20-foot range.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
A conference call can quickly degenerate into bedlam if every other phrase is, "What did she say?" Clear Call, made by OCTiVox, uses the latest in dynamic processing to match the volume of everybody on the call. "Everyone sounds perfect—loud and clear," claims McMillen. "The loud guy in a New York phone booth sounds the same as the quiet guy calling from Paris on a cell phone."
The best part is that the $250 Clear Call device plugs into the phone jack, works with any conference phone, hosts an unlimited number of callers, and filters out annoying background noise, like the inevitable rustling of paper. "It lets people's voices shine through," adds McMillen. "We see ourselves as fulfilling the promise of audio conferencing."
Adding data is easy these days with a variety of off-the-shelf applications that move files between here and there. The software routes them from a computer at one location to a display at a remote location so that everyone can see. Nothing is static, and the best programs add the ability to scribble notes and sketches on the document in different colors. At the end a marked up copy can be saved and printed for posterity.
SIGHT AND SOUND
 When seeing meeting members counts for as much as hearing them, there's nothing like a videoconference, and Polycom's VSX-3000 is its first self-contained conferencing appliance. The $5,000 device has it all—video camera, microphone, and speakers—and it doubles as an LCD monitor. "It delivers the true videoconferencing experience on the executive desktop," says Ned Semonite, Polycom's vice president of product management.
Going from the desktop to a dedicated smart conference room requires a higher level of equipment, and Polycom offers
several options starting at $2,000, but its Executive Collection is top shelf all the way. It may look like a lectern with a pair of plasma screens on the sides, but the small and discreet video system is powerful and can unobtrusively fit into any boardroom decor. So it doesn't overwhelm with boxes and wires everywhere, it has built-in speakers and the video camera mounted on top.
With the ability to carry on a video conversation as well as share documents, video, spreadsheets, and more, the Executive Collection is the Swiss Army knife of conferencing. But at about $80,000, it is far from inexpensive. "Talk is cheap, but to make a conference count, you need to back it up with digital files, video, and paper documents," explains Semonite.
All the participants need do is sit back, talk, and watch because the Executive Collection uses an array of microphones to tune-in on the speaker's voice and direct the camera to automatically tilt, pan, and zoom in for a close-up. The result is professional production without the cost of a technician. "This setup is great for up to 15 people; after that you have to think big, really big," quips Semonite. "Ideally you want participants to appear life-size so it seems like they're right next to you, even if they're thousands of miles away."
For hosting larger groups, the monitors can be replaced or augmented with video projectors that create a huge screen full of faces. With bulky CRT projectors falling out of favor, the choice is between two technologies: digital light processing (DLP) or a liquid crystal display (LCD). While DLP uses hundreds of thousands of microscopic mirrors and a spinning color wheel to deliver enough contrast for lights-on viewing, the latter relies on an LCD panel that pushes brightness and resolution. Forget about a rat's nest of wires and cables because the latest products put wireless front and center so that any participant can beam files directly from a notebook to the projector.
ROOM WITH A VIEW
For a projector to do its stuff, it needs a screen. With 25 basic designs available in 14 different fabrics, Da-Lite has a screen for every purpose and expense account. "The right screen can make all the difference in the world," claims Rich Lundin, Da-Lite's CEO. "Forget about huddling around a TV set or monitor. Everyone gets a good view, is more relaxed, and is ready to get down to business."
At the flick of a wall switch or remote control, Da-Lite's Advantage Deluxe Electrol screen streams out of the ceiling. The biggest decision will be whether to choose a square, traditional computer shape, or HDTV's wide screen. "The trend is away from computer-screen shapes and toward the wider HDTV screen," adds Lundin. "I guess we're used to seeing the wide screen at home, so why not at the office? The visual generation is taking over, and they want it bigger, wider, and sharper."
So that everything fits together perfectly, Da-Lite offers a free program for PCs on its website (www.dalite.com). Just click on the model you're interested in, type in how big you want it to be, and the software spits out a detailed drawing of the product. All the details are on screen, and the plans can be e-mailed or printed for an architect or contractor.
RAISE YOUR ROOM'S IQ?
When it comes to hosting an effective videoconference, little things mean a lot (see "It's Show Time!"), but any boardroom can be retrofitted to handle a smart conference. Furniture is key, so start with a rectangular or oval table with the short end pointed toward the camera.
Make sure the lighting is bright enough for everyone's close-up but doesn't overwhelm the projector. Use fixtures that produce soft light or bounce it off the walls and ceiling to reduce harsh shadows that can make the CEO look like Voldemort from the Harry Potter movies.
While it's essential that the room is in a quiet location away from high-traffic areas or ventilation equipment, decorating counts for as much as the technology. It's important that the equipment not get in the way of an effective conference, so "make the technology as nonthreatening as possible," adds Semonite. "The technophobes need to feel just as at home as the technogeeks." In other words, make it look like any other meeting room, just big and well-equipped enough for a cross-country smart conference.
—Brian Nadel
It's Show Time!
Five easy pieces for making the most of a videoconference.
1. Plan, Plan, Plan
Go beyond having an agenda. Designate meeting leaders at each end of the conference to maintain control and make sure everyone participates and contributes.
2. Be Ready for Anything
Test the equipment before kick-off time, have a technology expert on hand in case of emergency, and be prepared to deal with a variety of glitches.
3. Stay on Track
Introduce everyone at the start of the conference, maintain eye contact with the camera even if you're bored, and never read the newspaper or answer a cell phone.
4. Be Inclusive
If the dialogue drags or one side is dominating the conversation, step in to balance the flow so that all feel included.
5. Closing Time
At the close of the meeting, sum up the action, conclusions, and open issues. If need be, stay for a mini-meeting afterward to properly address them.
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