Experience the meeting room of the future

The challenge:

We experience a gap between how meetings should be and how they actually are

Your organisation has invested in modern meeting facilities. Good cameras, clear audio and user-friendly controls have now become the basis.

Teams work flexibly and hybrid. However, the meeting experience? It often still falls short of expectations.

Remote participants don’t feel sufficiently seen and heard. At the same time, participants in the room miss the non-verbal communication of their remote colleagues. But the technology still works smoothly enough. As a result, 43% of remote employees do not feel engaged, and more than 60% feel that they cannot fully see or interact with colleagues. These are hard figures from studies by Microsoft and Crestron.

As a facility or IT manager, you may recognise this problem. Participants in the meeting room struggle between looking at their colleagues physically present and the remote participants on the screen. At the same time, remote participants see many people’s backs and miss crucial non-verbal communication.

Hybrid working is no longer a temporary phase; it’s the new reality. Therefore, organisations that continue to invest in technology that embraces this reality position themselves as innovation leaders and employers chosen by top talent.

Top three obstacles:

*source: Crestron Modern Work Research Report

The good news

Fortunately, technology continues to evolve and is making hybrid meetings increasingly effective. Consequently, new possibilities are emerging for organisations.

We see the next development emerge: meeting rooms that, with the help of AI, smart cameras and multiple displays, translate the dynamics of a physical meeting even better to remote participants.

For example, during a recent visit to the Crestron EMEA headquarters in Mechelen, we saw an inspiring example of where the meeting rooms of the future are heading.

For this reason, we’d like to introduce you to the Crestron Sightline Experience.

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Experience the Crestron Sightline in action:

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What you experience:

• The Sightline experience live in a fully equipped boardroom
• Hands-on demonstrations of speaker tracking and conversation mode
• The full ecosystem with Visual AI, DM NVX, Crestron Control and Room Scheduling
• And above all, personal advice from Crestron experts and AVEX specialists for your specific situation

What makes an ideal hybrid meeting room?

Ultimately, the best hybrid meeting rooms share a number of crucial characteristics:

• Intelligent cameras that automatically follow the right speaker, so remote participants can naturally follow the conversation.
• Multiple displays on every wall that ensure both remote colleagues and presented content remain visible from every position.
• AI-driven technology that understands who is speaking and automatically responds, without manual control.
• An intuitive interface that brings all technology – from AV to lighting – together in one system.

As a result, every participant, whether remote or in-person, feels fully engaged and can contribute effectively to the conversation.

The Crestron Sightline Experience brings it all together:

Equal participation

Sightline combines Visual AI technology, multi-camera speaker tracking and multiple in-room displays. This gives every participant an equal place at the table. It’s broadcast quality for every meeting.

Visual AI that empowers everyone:

Crestron Automate VX™ technology forms the heart of Sightline. That means that with 1 Beyond Visual AI cameras offering up to 20x optical zoom, every participant is brought into crystal-clear view.

So, what happens in practice?

1. Speaker Tracking: Just like in a film, the system smoothly switches between speakers. Voice-activated technology uses data from microphones throughout the room. As a result, the systems automatically direct the correct camera to the active speaker. Remote participants can naturally follow the conversation without manual camera control.
2. Conversation Mode: When two people are having a conversation, Sightline shows both sides of the conversation. In other words, you don’t only see who’s speaking, but also the reactions of the listener, which are essential for nuance and understanding. With multiple cameras and an immersive experience, you no longer miss any details.
3. Automatic framing: Furthermore, when people enter or leave the room, the system automatically adjusts the camera view. Up to 12 camera feeds can be switched and composed, with output to the UC platform of your choice.

Effortless participation and data-driven insights

Full ecosystem:

Sightline integrates seamlessly with Crestron Control for managing AV, lighting, blinds and climate via one interface. Additionally, AirMedia provides true BYOD – plug in your device and present immediately, without apps. Meanwhile, Room Scheduling makes finding and booking any room easy. And DM NVX technology distributes uncompressed audio and video across your entire network.

There’s impact on three levels

First, from the IT perspective:

1. Reduction in support tickets through reliable, AI-driven systems
2. Centralised management via XiO Cloud of all meeting locations
3. Platform-agnostic: works with your existing UC infrastructure
4. Future-proof thanks to Visual AI, ready for next-generation collaboration tools

Second, from the facility perspective:

1. Equal experience for all participants
2. Higher utilisation of meeting rooms through smart scheduling
3. Consistent user experience from huddle spaces to executive boardrooms
4. Meets the expectations of modern employees

Third, on the organisation level:

1. Strengthening employer brand and innovation reputation
2. An inclusive meeting culture increases engagement and retention
3. Faster decision-making through more effective communication
4. Competitive advantage in customer and talent acquisition

AVEX & Crestron: 35-year partnership, proven results

For more than three decades, we’ve translated Crestron’s global innovation into local implementations that really work. With a proven track record among our customers, AVEX combines technological leadership with local expertise and personal service. As a result, organisations benefit from proven technology combined with local expertise.

Furthermore, AVEX is a Crestron Platinum Elite Partner. This is the highest status in the Crestron partner programme, exclusively for system integrators that consistently provide excellent customer service and support for Crestron solutions. Our skills and experience reflect our many years of involvement with Crestron.