Bringing high-end technology to corporate meetings.
In recent decades, technological advances have changed the way business is done. The Internet has made most information immediately accessible, cell phones ensure we’re just a speed dial away, and email means we’re always available to clients (and the boss). But while software upgrades and faster machines have become de rigeur in today’s offices, there’s another area of operations that’s failed to keep up: boardrooms.
In theory, boardrooms are where companies become better. They’re where ideas are generated and shared, where clients are wooed and where contracts are signed. In reality, though, many boardrooms are as empty and outdated as Grandma’s living room. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Companies are beginning to realize that the gadgets and gizmos employees use to make themselves more efficient day-to-day should—scratch that: must—be incorporated into larger corporate settings. But, these days, simply bringing a laptop to a meeting isn’t enough. (And do I even need to mention archaic multi-line conference phones or easels and whiteboards with their rainbows of color-coded notes waiting to be transcribed?)
Today’s modern meeting rooms incorporate the best of what’s now called “presentation technology.” There are plasma screens and high-tech projectors (often in multiples to accommodate large-scale video conferencing), dedicated computers with Internet and network connections, surround sound, electronic tablets or whiteboards and digitized styluses, self-dimming lights or automated window screens. Sounds like a techie’s dream—and it often is—but in the end, it’s all meant to enhance collaboration and communication.
Dream on
Last year, the Santa Rosa office of bi-county (Sonoma/Napa) law firm Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty moved into its new space. As part of the build-out, firm attorneys and IT Manager Melvin Cheah worked together to deck out a pair of meeting rooms with high-speed, high-tech wonders.
“We got it all!” laughs Brandon R. Blevans, a Santa Rosa-based partner with the firm (and NorthBay biz’ “Simply Legal” columnist). “We collaborated with [Melvin] to make sure he understood what we wanted—and that we understood what the technological realities were—so when we began working with [architect Keith Taylor of Del Starrett Architect], he designed around our hopes.”
We should all be so lucky: The larger DP&F meeting room (which can accommodate about 20) has a 120-inch drop-down screen projector that can be used for presentations or video conferencing. The smaller room, which can seat about 10 to 12 people, was a victim of location and (poor thing) had to settle for a 50-inch plasma screen instead. “That room has a lot of ambient sunlight, so a projector would be washed-out and hard to see,” explains Cheah. “The plasma screen is much more visible in that situation.”
The systems that run the projector and plasma displays are each full touchscreens and have remote controls, wireless keyboards, mice, integrated displays and styluses for writing on the screens. What’s more, they’ll burn DVDs and CDs, can play video and are compatible with any kind of presentation that anyone brings in, whether it’s in SD, Memory Stick, HP media drive, CD, DVD or flash drive. “We wanted the “Wow factor,’” admits Cheah.
The systems are backwards-compatible, meaning that, if necessary, attorneys can hook up a VCR (remember those?). They’re also open and run separately on a wireless network, so clients can access their own emails, websites and the like. Unfortunately, jokes Cheah, they don’t serve coffee. After a little coaxing, though, he confesses, “They also function as cable TV, because we have Comcast connected. It’s useful for keeping up with cases on Court TV, CNN…and sports.”
Make a statement
Two years ago, Bank of Marin gave its new boardroom a high-tech update with some help from Novato architect Daniel McDonald and Santa Rosa-based Summit Technology Group.
“The bank was doing well. It was time to invest in new technology to reflect that,” says Facilities Manager Carol Trueblood. “We’d just moved into a new corporate facility and signed a 15-year lease, so we weren’t going anywhere. And I wanted a boardroom that made a statement.”
She got one. From its 63-inch display screen and wooden cabinetry to its LCD glass windows that darken at the touch of a button, the Bank of Marin boardroom is now elegant and functional. Trueblood started her upgrades by finding a San Rafael-based furniture designer who created a wedge-shaped table (think theater seating at a conference table). “It’s great, because the people sitting at the far end of the room don’t have to lean forward to see who’s speaking at the head of the table,” she explains.
The table itself is wired for PC access, so each board member can plug in with their own laptop and all presentation information can be transferred directly. No voluminous board presentations (or loan packets) need to be printed anymore. “It’s actually made us greener,” says Trueblood, “we’ve saved thousands of dollars on paper.” Greener and cleaner. With the new room came a new rule: No food allowed.
While they were at it, the bank’s new employee training room got the once over as well. Using a retractable wall, the space can be split into two smaller rooms, each with its own projector and five-by-five-foot screen. “We usually set up the food in there,” laughs Trueblood. “That carpet’s easier to clean.”
Choosing equipment
As with any type of upgrade, knowing which options to choose is always a challenge. Technology changes so quickly, it can be difficult to sort through and find proven solutions that won’t soon be outdated. But even when you’re going for the “wow factor,” it’s important to remember that any upgrade is only as good as the person using (and understanding) it. As Cheah’s puts it, “technology should never hinder its own use.”
To make sure the DP&F attorneys got just the right mix of function and coolness, Cheah began by conducting independent research online and talking to local vendors (including Bay Alarm and Meltronics Audio and Video in Petaluma, Scott Technology Group in Santa Rosa and Source One Communications in Napa) about available technology. “They come out with new stuff every day,” he says, “but I wanted proven equipment. I wanted to be able to have it all up-and-running on the first day they moved in to the new offices.”
Cheah isn’t the only one working to strike that balance. Larry Dashiell, founder and president of Summit Technology Group, says, “One of our company mottos is ‘We do leading-edge technology, not bleeding-edge technology.’ Because everything changes—there’s always another new, cool product. But if you use unproven technology, the client ends up paying for that.”
To alleviate some of the confusion and introduce clients to what’s possible, Summit has set up a full-size demonstration boardroom in its Petaluma office, which houses Summit Electronic Systems and the company’s service department. The room is outfitted with a projector and drop-down screen, a plasma TV, full surround sound system, Creston control system, phone system, lighting control, automatic window shades and HVAC control.
Of course, not every technology works for every client. “We really try to listen to the client and figure out what their usage is going to be,” says Dashiell. “Are they going to be doing really high-end presentations, or do they just want to be able to host quarterly board meetings and don’t need as much? Once we know what their needs and desires are, we can figure out their budget constraints and design to that. Everybody gets into the ‘cool thing,’ but what’s really important is making sure it’s user-friendly and works properly.”
Almost as important as determining a company’s current needs is planning for the future, he continues, because there’s no such thing as “ultimate technology.”
“If [a company] really wants something they can’t afford right now, we’ll prep for it,” says Dashiell. “We’ll wire the room or install a conduit or cabling for future use. You can’t predict what will change in a year—you can’t ‘future-proof’ anything. But if we put in a lot of conduit, it gives us flexibility to change things later.
“I try not to get sucked in to the lure of all the newest technology. I love technology—don’t get me wrong—but I also realize how to run a business. We educate our client about what’s available out there and then start talking about what they really need. We try to figure out what their needs are now and what their future goals are. Then we try and design the boardroom to fit those requirements.”
DP&F is already making changes. “The current technology in Santa Rosa isn’t the end of it,” says Cheah. “We don’t want things to become stagnant, so we’re constantly looking at cost savings and efficiency. Since we moved in, we’ve already upgraded some things to help with speed and expansion.”
Two equal parts
While DP&F attorneys in Santa Rosa are enjoying their new digs, work is already underway to bring the firm’s Napa office up to speed. “We wanted to merge our two locations as a way of saving money, both for us and for our clients,” says Cheah. “Because if attorneys in both offices can meet remotely—or if a client can use whichever office is closer to them to conference with one of our attorneys—that saves both time and money.”
With that in mind, the Napa office is currently working toward a setup similar to the one in Santa Rosa. Video conferencing is first on the agenda. To make it as seamless as possible, says Cheah, “We put in a fiber optic connection between the two offices, where it used to be a T1 (1.5MBps) connection. It’s currently at 20MBps but has the potential to increase to 1GBps. We’re trying to keep the experience the same, whether an attorney is working in Napa or Sonoma.”
Meeting rooms in both offices are outfitted with conference phones that plug into a wall jack but have wireless microphone and speaker units with a 30-foot range. “That means no one’s stuck sitting close to a microphone in order to be heard,” says Cheah. “Participants can be more mobile, which means more can be done while the conference is underway.”
Extending the upgrade outward, all office phones in Santa Rosa are VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol), which means the firm has eliminated the cost of long distance calls between offices (though it still maintains Sonoma and Napa phone numbers so clients don’t incur charges when calling them).
Making plans
Meeting technology can help employees, board members, clients and consultants work more quickly and efficiently as a group. And, as more and more companies realize the benefits of boardroom upgrades, companies like Summit will be increasingly called upon for wise counsel, technical expertise and expert installation.
Most of these companies will be updating their existing spaces. The good news is, since, in the corporate world, most buildings have ‘T-bar ceilings’ with tiles that can be moved (think escaping the raptors in “Jurassic Park”) for overhead access and installation of cables and wiring, even many older buildings can get a high-tech facelift. The bad news is, even new construction often needs to take advantage of such retrofitting.
“It’s definitely easier during the initial building phase,” Dashiell says, “but most buildings aren’t designed that way. All the advanced cabling and wiring are usually never part of the contractor’s scope. There’ll be a big square that says ‘Meeting Room’ on the plans, but the architect often doesn’t design it—they may designate where a drop-down screen should go, but that’s really it. The contractor will build and finish the room without thinking about anything else, because that’s all that’s on the plans. Typically, someone like us gets brought in at the last minute, when a tenant is about to move in and they need to have everything set up.
“My recommendation to anyone thinking about setting up a new boardroom—or beginning construction on a new corporate space—is to make sure they contact a company like ours early on. At least start consulting about where conduits and wiring should be placed to make sure pathways are included in the plans.”
The bottom line is, meeting room tools should enhance the kinds of meetings your company regularly conducts. No technology can take the place of face-to-face contact, but with thorough research, careful planning and an eye on the future, companies can create a space that enhances both image and productivity. How cool is that?
