Soooo….how many virtual meetings are you hosting or attending per week these days? How many will you be doing when we are fully #backtowork? For most of us the answer won’t be “zero.”
Upon our full return, zoom and other video conferences will still replace many in-person meetings. Virtual meetings will continue to take the place of some business travel. In addition, most experts predict that there will be a permanent shift toward more work-from-home, so even connecting with colleagues from your office may require a video call.
Issues with Current Conference Spaces for Video Calls
Companies must find comfortable and distraction-free spaces for their employees to participate in video conferences. Many video conferencing booths and meeting pods are equipped with screens and cameras to allow a group to jump on a call, but what about when it’s just one person who needs to log on? Current options are limited in today’s open plan offices:
- Employee workstation. This option lacks privacy, permits a high degree of distraction, and would be disruptive to everyone else in the office.
- Conference room or meeting pod. These can be hard to come by, and using a large meeting room for a one-person call is inefficient. In addition, if only one employee is participating, the distance from the camera and screen are not ideal.
- Phone rooms or office phone booths. Phone booths are perfect for quick phone calls! However, many virtual meetings last an hour or more, and a privacy pod built for a quick call is not designed for the needs of the video conference in terms of comfort or functionality.
Optimizing the Virtual Meeting Experience
Enter the Oasis Linear Studio. We designed a video conference studio specifically for a single person in a virtual meeting.
- Clean and clear backdrop. Experts agree that a clean background keeps meeting participants focused on you, not what’s behind you. Choose from 24 fabric colors for the interior walls of your Oasis Studio.
- Camera distance and perspective. Many of us place our laptops on a stack of books so the camera is at eye level. Wouldn’t it be easier if the work surface and seat were already positioned for the ideal camera angle? Because Oasis Studio is larger than a single person office phone booth, the user sits at the optimal distance from the camera, minimizing distortion. Add the Studio sofa, and you are seated at an appropriate height when the laptop is on the work surface. No magazine stacks required to boost the camera for the right angle!
- Plenty of room to work. The work surface in the video conference Studio is 40% larger than the work surface in our Linear Phone Booth. At 39″w x 21.5″d, there’s plenty of room for a laptop, cell phone, notepad, and even your coffee or lunch.
- Great lighting. The lighting standard for audio visual spaces is 20-50fc. The video conference Studio is 12 sq. ft, generating a requirement of 609 (min) to 914 (max) lumens. The Studio’s overhead LED light panel provides 758 lumens, giving it the perfect amount of light for video conferences.
- Acoustics. There are two keys to holding a video conference in an office setting. The first is ensuring privacy for you as the caller. No one outside the room or video conference pod should be able to hear what you are saying or be distracted from their work by the sound coming from your call. Then, as the participant, you want to be able to hear only what is being said on the call. There should be very little to no sound from outside the room. Studio delivers on both. The unit offers a noise reduction of 32dB from the inside to the outside of the space, with speech intelligibility of 0% and a privacy rating of Confidential. Information shared on your call won’t be heard or understood by those in the office around you. And the noise reduction from the outside to the inside is the same. So you won’t hear much, if anything, of what’s going on outside the Studio, allowing you to focus on the task at hand. Maximize the acoustic performance by placing the pod on a carpeted floor, and utilize the upholstered Studio Sofa for even more sound absorption.
Plan Now for the Future of Video Conferencing Studios
If you’re considering how to manage video conferences when everyone is back to work, closely consider the spaces available to you now, including the lighting, acoustics, and furniture.
If you need to add space for more (and more comfortable) video conferencing in the months to come, look no further than the Oasis Linear Studio. With a lead time of only 6-8 weeks, you can be up and running by fall! Get in contact with us today to discuss your video conference pod options.
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