The term hybrid is common in biology, chemistry, engineering, and the business world. We drive hybrid cars and bikes, and now we’re starting to work in hybrid ways. As hybrid meetings become part of the way businesses operate, it’s important to understand what they are and how they work. A hybrid meeting is a meeting where a part of the audience joins from the office, and another part joins remotely, enabled by audio and video conferencing technology, and usually has a strong focus on content sharing.
Why are Meetings Hybrid?
A hybrid meeting is more than just a remote or virtual meeting. In a hybrid meeting, participants are in a board room while others are at home or any other off-premise location. Hybrid is a unique blend of both an in-room and virtual meeting with live video streaming and screen sharing. It combines the best aspects of both in-person communication and virtual meeting with video conferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, and other wireless collaboration technology.
Why are Hybrid Meetings Popular?
Hybrid meetings solve bottlenecks created by time zone restraints, travel, and limited budgets. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the hybrid meeting is its focus on collaboration. When everyone is stuck at home or remote, it’s harder for a company to innovate. Hybrid meetings bring staff together when it’s not safe to be together. Currently, businesses are doing their best to stay safe and still be productive during the Coronavirus pandemic. As a business, the safety and peace of mind for your employees trumps everything else, and hybrid meetings create a safe space where high-level collaboration can take place.
How Offices can Prepare for Hybrid Meetings
If trends continue as expected, post-Covid meetings are expected to shift away from all-remote and more towards hybrid and face to face alternatives. The change will require a new meeting culture in many businesses and organizations in both the private and public sectors. The more formal the meeting, the more it will demand in-person participants.
Offices will need to rethink the design of the meeting and board rooms to accommodate both in-person meetings and hybrid meetings. This means investing in the appropriate technology. Investing in video conferencing rooms and better video conferencing technology is the number one priority for organizations and businesses. Equipping meeting spaces with SWAPS like cameras, mics, speakers, soundbars, and quality displays that allow wireless sharing is a must.
Wireless Conferencing Systems
ClickShare Conference shares apps from devices wirelessly on the room display and connects them to the camera and speakers in the room for better hybrid meetings. Barco’s ClickShare is designed to work wirelessly with our existing video conferencing system and USB audio-visual, mics, soundbars, and cameras without the need to physically connect them to your laptop using cables and adapters. ClickShare makes hybrid meetings as intuitive and straightforward as face-to-face meetings.
Need Help Setting Up Your Hybrid Meeting Room?
Communications Solutions, Inc. can help you set up a hybrid meeting room for your office. Contact Us Today!
(904) 777-6656