The Perfect Blend

THE CONFERENCE ROOM IS A STAPLE of the pro AV industry, a common technological integration project that supports basic organizational functions across almost every vertical market. Offering end-users the opportunity to communicate both individually and as a group, the conference room makes use of mostly straightforward audiovisual presentation functions, using basic controls to play video, switch sources, and provide volume control.

Even though some projects occasionally require videoconferencing, speech reinforcement, and perhaps recording, most conference room integrations still fall on the lower end of the complexity spectrum, featuring computer display as the primary AV function. Nevertheless, high-end conference rooms have their place.

While some spaces feature more complex systems, most incorporate high-end aesthetics with relatively simple AV. These higher-look, lower-tech rooms present a common paradox that often differentiates conference room systems from other AV systems. While the guts of the system may be everyday design in many respects, the peripherals and their integration can quickly turn a “simple” system into a nightmare.

When it comes to designing conference room systems, the process is really no different than with any other AV system: Determine the user's needs, design the infrastructure and systems, and then install them.

The first step in designing a conference room AV system is to determine what the end-users need to support their activities and goals. This means gathering a potentially wide range of information from a variety of people who will actually use the system. Some of the key questions to ask during this step include:

• What do the room's users want and need to do in the space?
• Is this a low-end utilitarian conference room, a high-end, high-impact, high-aesthetic space, or something in-between?
• What kind of audio, video, and/or control interaction or connections are required to other spaces?
• Who will be supporting the AV system and its end-users?
• Is the conference room existing, in design, or under construction?

Although there will be many more detailed questions to ask, the point is that the needs analysis should not center on what type of projector the user wants or how many microphones might be needed. The key is uncovering what the user will do with the room and AV system. Based on this evaluation, ask yourself: Will your client attempt only local presentations? Is there training involved? Are there off-site facilities to connect to? Do they want two-way or one-way communication? What video and audio sources support their activities? All of these questions and more must be sorted out before selecting the AV equipment and its configuration.

Once the user's needs are determined, the state of the room can greatly influence the AV design and its implementation. A new space in the early stages of design gives systems integrators and/or consultants the opportunity to work with the room's shape, size, orientation, table configuration, acoustics, lighting, and wiring options before the room is constructed. The AV designer can optimize the infrastructure design for both the user's activities and how the AV supports their functionality.

An existing room may present significant challenges (and ultimately compromises) in addressing the user's needs, such as a low ceiling, high aspect ratio (i.e., a long narrow room), background noise, or full-height glass on any or all sides of the room. The most frustrating design experience, however, may be the room that is late in the design stages or under construction, since changes to the room that would improve the AV system installation can't be implemented because it's just too late or too expensive to make modifications.

Depending on the project schedule, the infrastructure may need to be designed and/or built either long before the system design and assembly or in parallel with it. In either case, the AV electronics will need to be accommodated with a variety of base building components. The usual fundamentals apply here: conduit, power, data connections, acoustics, lighting, and heat removal. Equally important (and potentially more problematic) are the room's orientation, layout, and sightlines. While these are typical design tasks for any AV project, it's the room layout and integration of the peripherals, in particular, that can make or break a conference room.