Commercial Integrator January 2023 - 37

juggle multiple conferencing applications
in their environments, integrators should be
cognizant of which application most closely
meets needs and preferences. Zoom, the
videoconferencing giant, released a slew
of new all-in-one platform features that integrators
can leverage for their clients' benefit
(See " An Integrator's Top 10 Takeaways from
Zoomtopia " on CommercialIntegrator.com).
Corporate Enterprise are
Investing in Hybrid Work
" Corporate is one of the strongest areas of
planned capital improvement flowing into
AV expenditure, " Hansen said during the
podcast. " When you look at the spaces
that those companies are planning to
invest in, it is a lot of group-collaboration
spaces and individual workspaces. As we
look at what's coming up...rather than [in
the] rearview, it's not 'What did you spend
on?'; it's 'What do you plan to spend on?' "
In Hansen's estimation, decision-makers are
" voting for " the office, and it shows in their
planned investments. " We do think that,
even if it's not a five-day workweek anymore
in the actual office - maybe it's more like
three, or some other combination thereof -
they are planning to invest accordingly, " he
added. " And, so, that's where our Industry
Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA) annual
forecast really picks up. "
" We see corporate and conferencing
and collaboration to be both strong areas
of investment, " Hansen said. However,
he sounded a note of caution, adding,
" Not quite as strong as it was over the
last two years. " As we all know, AVIXA
research clearly detected a surge in conferencing-and-collaboration
investment
amid the pandemic, seeing it grow beyond
other solution areas. With in-person
activities really pulling back, enterprises
and schools were looking to execute
adaptive measures.
In short, even if it's impossible to recapture
the frenzied pace of investments in
collaboration and conferencing that the
pandemic necessitated, opportunity nevertheless
remains. Hansen added, " While
growth percent might be less over the
next five years for the corporate marketplace,
we see it adding $18 billion to pro
AV over the next five years. "
commercialintegrator.com
Prioritizing Flexibility
When it comes to office investments, clients
are prioritizing flexibility. They want
conference spaces that can handle large,
organization-wide meetings as well as
smaller, department-level meetings.
During the podcast, Hansen stated that's
a perfect entry point for a professional
AV expert. " You can't just, like, 'bang
and hang' and then expect to be able to
get flexible use out of it, " he said. " You
need to have that well-thought-out,
good equipment that's well installed and
well supported. "
Hansen continued, " If we don't know
exactly what [the] norms are for offices
long term, that's why they're investing in
flexibility now. That means, over the next
five years, as we settle into new norms,
companies are going to have to go back
to their AV, IT and construction partners
and say, 'Hey, we made some investments
in 2022 - they're good. But we need to
make some new investments in 20242025
to settle in and really serve the needs
that we settled on.' "
That means integrators have an opportunity
to serve their enterprise clients not
only today but tomorrow and well into
the future.
Crestron on Tackling the
Modern Workplace by the Numbers
Crestron Electronics, the Rockleigh, N.J.-based specialist in workplacecollaboration
technology, recently issued a report, entitled Tackling the Modern
Workplace by the Numbers, which explores employee behaviors and preferences
in a hybrid workplace. According to Crestron, the findings show that 84% of
employees regularly have at least one remote participant in their meetings. One
person joining a meeting in a manner different from everyone else changes the
entire dynamic of that meeting. The report indicates that many meeting spaces are
not yet adequately equipped to accommodate that change, which can seriously
hinder productivity and prevent meeting equity.
Crestron identified three distinct findings:
1. Workspaces must always be equipped for hybrid participation.
Crestron's data shows that the vast majority of employees are regularly
engaging in hybrid meetings. Since you can't always know which meetings
those will be, meeting spaces must always be prepared to accommodate
mixed collaboration.
2. All meetings are high-value meetings. The age of the executive office
suite being the only fully equipped space must end. Modern work means
physical workplaces must change to encourage collaboration and create
equity among colleagues, regardless of whether meetings are in person,
virtual or hybrid.
3. Hybrid work levels have reached an industry-wide equilibrium. This
means technology-implementation plans can be designed and executed
more confidently. Although the workplace environment will continue to
evolve, Crestron data shows that IT teams are prioritizing flexible and
scalable technology solutions that enable collaboration and platform
continuity for employees, regardless of where they work.
" The findings of this report reveal that, for the first time in years, we have a
reliable sense of what to expect from the enterprise workplace in terms of where
work is done and how meetings have to be held, " Brad Hintze, executive vice
president, global marketing, Crestron, observes. " If every meeting isn't equipped
to be hybrid, the data unequivocally shows teams will experience challenges in
staying connected to each other, to leadership and to the company culture, no
matter where they're working. "
JANUARY 2023 Commercial Integrator 37
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Commercial Integrator January 2023

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