Not only does artwork have the ability to impress your customers, clients or office guests, it can increase employee morale by creating a positive and efficient atmosphere. A splash of color or abstract art can inspire your entire organization to be at its best.

Research by Psychology professors Dr. Craig Knight and Dr. S Alexander Haslam proves a direct link between the working environment and levels of well-being, professional satisfaction and productivity. An experiment studying the effect of the office environment on staff productivity saw a group of employees perform an hour’s worth of administrative tasks in an office without visual stimulation and another do so in an ‘enriched’ office space decorated with art and plants.

In an office with art, employees worked approximately 15% faster than those in the lean office.

A survey confirms the results conducted by the Business Committee for the Arts and the International Association of Professional Art Advisors of more than 800 employees of 32 companies that displayed art in the workplace, 94% of respondents agreed that art enhanced the work environment; 78% said that it contributed to reduced stress; 64% saw increased creativity and productivity, and 67% said that it enhanced morale. These statistics demonstrate the potential return on investment concerning corporate art and visual design.

Art in the office doesn’t have to be costly

Not every company has a dedicated art budget to invest in museum-quality pieces. The good news is there are alternative ideas and new technologies supporting cost-effective art that smart companies are using to enhance office spaces such as ArtPlayer.

ArtPlayer is a TV streaming and digital signage art service that decorates and creates ambiance, which makes it ideal for workplaces. It works on PC, tablet or mobile, but can easily be integrated into your own info screen and digital signage system as a screen feed.

ArtPlayer displays world famous high-resolution art and nature images accompanied by pleasant background music based on your selected settings. Inspired by Bill Gates, who already in the early 1990s displayed art on framed and wall-mounted PC screens at his mansion, ArtPlayer was launched as a contrast to traditional digital signage.

Putting a spotlight on the world’s most famous painters

ArtPlayer includes the most famous works from all the great art movements: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Expressionism, Realism, Abstract Art & Cubism, Modern Art. Big star works are presented from the likes of Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Klimt, Gauguin, Munch and many more, all in resplendent 4K UHD.

ArtPlayer can display artworks and nature pictures based on your selected mood setting: Happy, Sad, Calm, Excited, Awed, Disgusted, Angry or Afraid. The mood selection is done using image recognition technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms analyzing brightness, contrast, edges, color, texture, layout, shape etc.

Best of all? If you have an Airtame installed in your workplace, you can use ArtPlayer’s URL to automatically display beautiful art when you’re not actively streaming to your screens. Simply copy your unique ArtPlayer URL, and paste it in as the Homescreen background on your Airtame device settings.

Eager to get started? Try ArtPlayer for free on artplayer.com, and reach out to their main man, Morten Kryger, if you are eager to learn more about their fantastic custom solution.

The post Artful signage: exhibit beautiful art in your workplace appeared first on Airtame.

In total, Airtame has about 90 employees, most of them located in Copenhagen, Denmark, where our headquarters is. In the beginning, the Copenhagen office took care of all areas such as marketing, product development, and sales, while the North American team – at that time a lot smaller – was mostly focused on sales, support, and demo calls. However, as the North American team expands and diversifies, so does their focus areas.  

Currently, our North American team consists of 15 members, the majority of them placed in a WeWork coworking space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They’re as much the backbone of the Airtame experience as our headquarters in Copenhagen. Here’s why.

Who are they?

It all started with one lone sales manager, Daniel Schiffer, all by himself in a WeWork office in South Station, Boston. He’s our Head of Sales in the North American region, and he’s since then built a super-team.

Right now, it’s an almost even split between salespeople and support, and we regard the unit primarily as a commercial team with limited development. Most of the product development happens at our headquarters in Copenhagen, though this is changing, with one of our senior software engineers relocating to the States, and new marketing hires on the horizon.

Our North American efforts are almost purely customer-facing, meaning that we’re here in the right region and time zone to take care of all requests and support right when it happens, and we leave hardware and firmware to the dedicated teams in Copenhagen.

How does the team function?

The sales representatives are split territorially and each covers a specific region. If they’re not in the office taking lots of calls, writing emails or doing web demos, you can often find them traveling so they’re on-site with resellers, meeting face to face with end customers and occasionally with distributors too.

They also attend Pro-AV tradeshows, both heavy-hitters and the more local ones. The team will go themselves or match up with someone complimentary to the work we do. Most of the events are Education sector focused, as this is our current market focus within North America.

Then there’s the other half of the team, the customer success side. They’re broken up into customer support and tech support.

Both support teams are focused on making sure that leads and current customers get their problems solved straight away. Seeing as some challenges are fairly complex and need attention right away, it’s fantastic for us to have a team in the same time zones as the challenges arise, ready to address problems as they come in with no delay.

A simple thing like working in a WeWork shared coworking space is actually one of the things that makes the team run so smoothly. WeWork takes care of all things logistical so the North American team doesn’t have to worry about any practical issue. Oh, and if they need to work from another location because they’re on-the-go, that’s fine too. If you’re a part of the WeWork family, every WeWork office is your home.

Differences and similarities between our two offices

Obviously, the two offices differ in size on the personnel side of things. In Copenhagen, we’re also focusing on product development and marketing efforts, and that’s deliberate. Such a big market as North America deserves a local, attentive team that is able to hear exactly what people need and what they need from a product like ours. In real-time. No delay.

With a local team, we’re able to dig in and be more nuanced about the process and we get to visit and travel and see people when they need someone from Airtame. We wouldn’t be able to grow as much without the focus on what’s going on specifically in this market.

One thing that always stays the same across offices, though, is the company culture. The North American office is their own little ecosystem, which has its own culture, but every Airtame employee no matter where they’re situated taps into our overall company values. Even as we’re scaling, we work hard to maintain a thriving company culture.  

The value of the North American team

While still relatively small in size, our North American branch has made a significant impact in the region.

Up until now, we’ve focused hyper-locally on a state-by-state level, building a customer base and attending local tradeshows. This year, we align those efforts into something bigger, exhibiting at professional tradeshows such as InfoComm, the largest pro-AV event in all of North America, and ISTE, the leading global edtech conference.

It’s a complete no-brainer for us; we have to show up at these events. It’s where the industry’s leading members meet, where trends are displayed for the first time, and obviously where we can find our current and future customers.  

Read about the trends we discovered at Integrated Systems Europe 2019. Integrated Systems Europe is InfoComm’s sister event in Europe and we had a strong presence there this year. Take a look at our learnings from exhibiting at such a big event.  

In North America, we experience many customers that handle larger organizations with several locations, such as a large-scale enterprise with many branches or a school district with numerous schools represented.

Being in relatively close proximity, we can help out, thus meaning they don’t have to waste any time trying a setup that doesn’t work or wait for answers to their many questions.

Check out how simple an Airtame business rollout is and the equivalent for an education setup.

Support when and where you need it

We didn’t open up an office in New York because we wanted to or because it sounds cool on paper. No, it was because it was a necessity for our business to grow and for it to continue growing. We call it value for our customers rather than pure entrepreneurial spirit.

We encourage open communication and a sense of community. If you’re a customer with us, we’ve got your back no matter where you’re located.

Have you got any questions about the North American market? Give us call. Plus, we’re hiring! Swing over to our hiring page for more info

The post (Re-)Introducing the North American Airtame team appeared first on Airtame.

Now that we’ve taken the first bite out of 2019, we think it’s the perfect time to speculate on the future of the workplace, for this year and beyond.

Here are some of the trends and changes we foresee coming to offices across the globe this year.

Technological office trends that shape the digital workplace

The future is wireless

The smart office is a reality. We’re not just connected to each other, all of the things in an office building can be interlinked. Smarter technology gives us the freedom to roam and brings about a more dynamic way of working.

Being connected means we gain specific insights into performance stats that can help us improve our routines. Lighting, ventilation, heating, room scheduling, presenting … all of it becomes a breeze when we’re hooked up wirelessly to an intelligent network.

An intelligent office is more dynamic and efficient, and we think we’ll start seeing more of that in 2019. Going in a more wireless direction means that your business becomes more agile, intelligent, and collaborative.

Going BYOD saves time and money

BYOD or “bring your own device” is steadily becoming more popular in many workplaces. It gives employees who bring their own smartphone, tablet, laptop or “virtual assistant”, such as a smartwatch or voice-activated assistant, more freedom to do their job when and as they please.

In addition, employees actually work faster when they utilize devices they are already familiar with and it reduces the cost of having to equip every employee with tech gear they might not be comfortable with.

That means that personal smartphones, wearables, and applications stop being only at-home playthings and instead become increasingly integrated into the workspace. They keep track of our progress, schedule appointments, respond to messages, and help us with errands and meetings. As the virtual assistants become more sophisticated, they will eventually free up a lot of time for us, the employees.

We predict even more mobile assistance this year as well as more focus on BYOD environments (and the security issues that follow).

Watch this short video explaining how the Airtame 2 works in a BYOD environment:

The Digital Age calls for enhanced security

With more wireless connections and many mobile devices hooking up to internal networks, we’ll also see more data stored on the cloud. It’s a big blow to companies if that data isn’t secured well enough. We predict more focus on cybersecurity efforts in the 2019 workspace.

And that’s not all. Physical privacy is top-of-mind too. Companies are also opting for more personal privacy by creating smaller, enclosed spaces where employees can take a phone call or meeting without the rest of the office eavesdropping, for example, an office pod or call booth.

If you need a guiding hand, check out our article on obtaining enhanced network security.

Is a reception area for you?

The reception area isn’t necessary for all sizes and shapes of organizations. We made a small guide here to help you figure out if it’s for you. For larger companies with many visitors, a reception or lobby is absolutely vital, but the very nature of the reception space is seeing some change.

There’s isn’t always as great a need for a receptionist to be tied full-time to the front desk. Instead, companies are using smart sing-in kiosks and other signage solutions to welcome and guide visitors. Technology can help guide, inform, and support your guests in their visit, and smart solutions like sign-in kiosks and proper digital signage are just a few of those initiatives.

Workspace design trends that increase employee engagement

Healthy people = good work

It’s a pleasant transformation to see companies focusing more on the humans that do the work rather than the other way around. After all, we spend a good chunk of our lives in the office, and if we connect with our workspace and feel comfortable there, we’re more likely to invest energy in it. If you want an employee that feels ‘at home’ and great about putting in more time, invest in comfort and wellness.

But how, you ask? It’s all about the way we perceive the rooms we work in. If you include elements that are dynamic and stimulating, it makes for a happier work environment. Sunlight, good air quality, plants, healthy snacks and access to outdoors can all help counteract the static, dormant conditions of sit-still work. And if you want to take it even further, opting for recycled work materials, a clean work environment, and CSR programs can make a big difference too.

According to the Harvard Business Review, wellness programs don’t work unless leaders create a culture of understanding and acceptance. We think corporate wellness will be more inclusive and thought-out in 2019. When done right, wellness programs can boost confidence (and thus productivity) as well as prevent burnouts.

Once you go “green” …

Every office creates waste. The more people, the more waste. Soda cans, plastic bags, food waste … In 2019, we think employers will opt for greener, more environmentally friendly solutions and focus on recycling and finding simple ways to be more energy-efficient.

We’re starting 2019 off at Airtame with two recycling bins reserved for cans, one for used batteries, and a firm promise to eliminate plastic in the kitchen.

The “green” mindset doesn’t stop there, however. Including nature-elements such as ‘green’ walls or natural elements like wood will make the office seem alive and welcoming as opposed to cold and mechanical.

Office trends that create a “home”

Diversity drives innovation

Embracing people from different cultures than your own can prove to be enriching and productive for the work environment. Just take a look at us – 90 people and 30 nationalities represented, and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

We see this as a continuing, deeply significant trend. Human Resources and People teams this year will look into how they can continue to grow businesses in ways that positively reflect cities worldwide. Moreover, they will focus on how to do this in a way that is constructive for company growth.

But diversity is so much more than a language or skin-deep construct. It also reflects how multi-faceted the thoughts and feelings of the staff body might be, and how these teams have to go to some lengths to accommodate every type of professional.

Increased flexibility boosts satisfaction

Experience-based office designs, remote working, shared office spaces … yes, the 2019 workforce is even more focused on flexibility in the workspace, and a modern office needs to take that into account.

Coworking spaces around the world (here’s a list of our favorites) have already embraced this trend of increased collaboration, flexibility, and community management, but more ‘traditional’ companies are starting to follow suit.

We predict that companies will allow for more personalized spaces in the office, such as remote working zones and designated team collaboration areas.

A fat paycheck isn’t everything

A fat paycheck just won’t cut it anymore. Attracting and retaining top talent requires intimate knowledge of the individual and their individual needs. Playing around with these perks will ensure that employees feel supported, even empowered, rather than looking at them as mere money makers.

Something that can make a big difference to a lot of employees is a retirement plan or health insurance. Struggling with financial challenges is emotionally challenging for anyone experiencing them, so an effective financial program will eliminate that stress and leave the worker less worried and therefore more focused on the tasks at hand.

Others perks could be stock options, tuition grants, paying off student loans, unlimited holiday, unlimited remote work, choice of hardware … the list is long and the options are many, and choosing just one or a few of them is sure to leave a lasting, positive impact on employees.

Community management drives company culture

Community management is hard in this period of individualism. The employee experience and the human aspect should, therefore, be prioritized. That means workspaces need to cultivate community-like environments with creative spaces to share and facilitate ideas. Breaking down walls and designing recreational areas a good way of evoking that feeling.

Business meeting trends that streamline working

Huddle spaces help productivity

With an increasingly diverse workforce and more flexible arrangements, the 2019 workspace needs more than just a conference room and cubicles. Huddle rooms or smaller collaboration spaces give teams the privacy and collaboration tools they need to be productive (described by us here).

Stay aligned with virtual meetings

Because the number of independent contractors and remote workers is rising, the need to dial in from afar is greater than ever. The remote workers need to be kept up to date with what’s going on at headquarters and businesses need to tune in to what their clients are saying on the other side of the globe.

That’s why we’ll see an increase in virtual meetings in 2019. AV gear is now so good that it’s almost the same as being in the room with the person you’re calling, so there’s no excuse not to equip your office with conferencing equipment. It reduces cost in the long run as you won’t have to travel further than your designated meeting room to have a chat with someone far away.

People matter more

In 2019, there’s an increased focus on people metrics. How you design your workspace plays a significant role in performance and productivity. Physical working conditions, mental health transparency, and an overall increase in flexibility. Why? Because people matter. Support the employees and you will reap the benefits.

These are just some of the office trends we can start to predict from the communication we have with over 18,000 organizations. Any we missed? What are you excited about seeing? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Additionally, if you’re curious to kit your office space out with Airtame, reach out. We’re here to help.

The post The future of work: office trends in 2019 appeared first on Airtame.

As the workforce changes and we slowly embrace more remote workers and other company structures than the rigid office hierarchy, so does the office space. One thing that doesn’t change, however, is the need to meet. For some meetings and people, the perfect place is a conference room.

Unlike our previous articles in this series – which covered relatively new office essentials like all-hands rooms, office pods, huddle rooms – the conference room is a relatively well-known concept and a fixture in an office space. Nevertheless, it can be challenging to pin down just what makes a conference room a “conference room”.

In this article, we hope to bring some clarity to what the conference room, its purpose, and what sort of companies could benefit from it in their workspace.

Curious about the rest of our office essentials? So far, we’ve tackled the All-hands room, office pods and huddle rooms.

The conference room essentials:

• Conference rooms are for conference calls, board meetings, management discussions, and other major decision-making situations
• They are some of the most elaborate meeting rooms in an office, both in terms of AV gear and furniture
• Only companies of a certain size or maturity will truly need conference rooms. Smaller, collaborative workspaces, perhaps not so much

What is a conference room?

Staff meet-ups, client meetings, training sessions, interviews and other scheduled conferences (video or in-person). The conference room is medium-sized or large and is likely a room that caters to monthly reviews, board meetings and sharing info across teams – and yes, you guessed it, conference calls.

In our earlier piece in the “office essentials” series, we covered the all-hands room. Whereas the all-hands room should be big enough to accommodate the entire staff, a conference room varies in size, but generally accommodates 5-20 people, depending on the size of your company and team.

While similar in size and presentation, you could argue that the key differentiator between a conference room and an all-hands room is the audience. A conference room fits right in within a more enterprise-oriented business, and might be a little more “suit and tie.”

It’s also the place where a board meeting would be held and should come with a degree of severity to reflect that.

A conference room gives you a chance to connect with your entire workforce and clients, no matter where they’re located, because it’s fully equipped with conferencing gear and easy to use technology.

The key elements of a conference room

Setting budgets, conducting interviews, closing client deals, and setting a new direction for the company. They all have the conference room in common; where a majority of all important decisions could be best made. But how do you make sure it’s an effective space for problem-solving and critical thinking? The answer lies in what you put inside the four walls of the conference room.

Ready to use

For a conference room with many frequent external visitors and clients coming in, it’s of the utmost importance to find the right equipment that’s simple to use for both employees and guests.

Elaborate

Whereas some of the other rooms you’re likely to encounter in an office environment require versatile furniture that can be used both for formal and informal settings, the conference room likely isn’t one of them.

That’s because of the formality of what goes on in the room, and the need for the room to be always ready for clients and executive discussions. A vital room such as the conference room is a little less lax than other rooms, and the equipment and furniture should reflect that.

The right furniture makes all the difference. An oval, rectangle or U-shaped conference table is a must, and so are comfy, yet corporate chairs that are comfortably spaced to allow enough elbow room. This is not the place to cut expenses as the conference room is what clients and other guests encounter first, and thus a great way to make a good first impression.

Bookable

Conference rooms are mostly for larger meetings, often with external visitors or clients. Because of that, we advise that conference rooms should be booked in advance.

Conference rooms also tend to be more elaborately equipped, with tools reserved for specific purposes, and therefore shouldn’t be occupied at whim.

AV tools

A conference room is a space for conference calls. That’s why it’s essential to have a big enough screen, good web camera and conferencing system so people can be seen and heard. Smartboards and whiteboards could also prove useful.

Comfortable lighting

Lighting has a significant impact on the quality of a meeting or the presentations within. Harsh lighting wears people out quickly or might even provoke headaches – not something you want in your business meeting. Go for something that isn’t too direct and feels natural, comfortable.

Privacy and isolation

Because of its purposes, the conference room should have a degree of isolation, privacy, and soundproofing. Think of it as one of the main places to have confidential conversations (board meetings, product launch talks, classified information). Thin walls or too many glass panels will give away the topics of discussions while a well-designed conference room allows you to keep it inside.

How to set up successful conference rooms

Make it neutral, not flashy or overly distracting. Because the conference room is very business-oriented, you should outfit it with a board table, or at least an “in-the-round” setting.

While all that sounds stiff, a conference room is also an excellent space for reminding employees and guests alike of your company values. Showcase them on the wall and use them as both a means to steer the conversation and shape your decision making.

Adding a dash of your company spirit or tasteful art will elevate the room and provide a nicer, more cozy atmosphere for employees and clients to conduct their business.

Even the color on the walls can change the whole atmosphere. Go for calm, douce colors light like pastels to promote focus and relaxation. Brighter colors, on the other hand, invoke creativity and passion – great for innovation. In a conference room setting, we recommend the subtler tones.

The conference room is not the place for lounging or solo activities but should be reserved for management meet-ups and other important decision-making situations. That’s why bean bags or other types of lounge furniture is a no-go here, whereas a large meeting table is a must, and so is comfortable conference chairs (we’re talking chairs with armrests and good back support).

Conference room technology

Because the conference room is used for monthly reviews, data presentations, board meetings and so forth, visual displays are needed to highlight relevant information, and interconnectivity is key.  

Airtame really steps up to the mark here. It is a wireless streaming solution that works well and is simple enough for people of all IT skill sets. It’s the kind of reliable conference room tech that makes meetings run without difficulties. It’s also platform-agnostic, which means that people can join with their individual devices and share information smoothly. 

Good conference room gear is often priced pretty steeply, a fact that keeps many from getting the right solution for them. Not Airtame, though. It’s budget-friendly, and besides that designed with your convenience in mind – because conference room tech shouldn’t take center stage, just like the price

Are conference rooms for you?

Conference rooms are arguably only necessary for companies of a certain size or stature. They hold a symbolic weight of the hierarchical structure, and distance (often the board table) between employees. They are maybe not so relevant for companies with a more flat hierarchy and “open” work environment – like the one we have at Airtame.

If you’re a smaller-sized organization, you might not have the space needed to provide a good conference room setting. But fear not, there are several shared office spaces or coworking spaces out there that let you rent a room for single purposes or events. Check out our post on some of our favorite coworking spaces here. 

If you do have the size and maturity that calls for conference rooms, remember that they will be the face of the company. A poorly designed conference room with bulky, outdated tech solutions and ancient furniture doesn’t signal success when your clients come to visit you, nor will it foster good business practice.

A well-designed conference room, on the other hand, with state-of-the-art tech gear, modern details and a pinch of personality creates an atmosphere of relevancy and confidence.

Got an Airtame question? Reach out to our customer success team

The post Office essentials: the conference room appeared first on Airtame.

1) You’re awaiting an urgent call from a client, and your colleagues are loudly discussing today’s lunch nearby.

2) An upcoming deadline is nagging you while your co-workers are coming at you from all fronts with other requests.

3) You need to prepare a verbal presentation and want to go over how it sounds – aloud. Where do you see yourself performing such tasks?

Office pods. That’s your answer. 

The essentials:

• They allow for sharp focus in otherwise noisy surroundings
• They are affordable for most companies
• They help remove distractions
• They provide solace in a hectic open office environment

If you haven’t heard of office pods yet, it’s time you familiarized yourself with the term; they are all the rage. Here’s our take on what office pods are, who they’re for and how to set them up.

Don’t forget to check out our rundown of the much-hyped and misunderstood “huddle room“

What is an office pod?

Pods are almost entirely self-contained spaces that give the solitary worker a private area to concentrate, away from the office’s distractions and noises. Essentially, they’re a “room within a room” – many of them can even be moved around.

A lot of the time, they look like advanced phone booths with all four walls (often glass), a ceiling, seating for a single person and the necessary gear to get work done. They provide a quiet, private area for all kinds of workers, no matter the department. It sounds like a simple setup, but we’ll get back to what’s in them a little later.

An ever-growing number of companies are literally tearing down walls in favor of open office plans, as well as sharing their workspaces with other companies.

While the open office plan breeds socialization and collaboration, it’s not the best environment for introverts, noise-sensitive people, those who spend a lot of their work hours on the phone, or those who are looking for a secluded, private area to focus.

Where do you go to get “in the zone”? The solution to that could very well be the budget-friendly pods. And why is that? Well, a sound-resistant, distraction-free area is a bonus in all open floor plans where secluded areas are few and far between. A pod can be used as space for:

• Making private calls
• Solo productivity
• Virtual meetings
• Study areas
• Quiet time

The key elements of office pods

There are several types of ‘pods’ or ‘privacy pods’, and some of them are just rearranged furniture. To us, the office pod is a little bit more advanced. If you’re still trying to picture a phone booth on wheels, you’ve pretty much got the idea. This is how we classify them:

Space-efficient

Here’s the deal with office pods; they’re not only smaller than any type of room you’re likely to find in any office besides a bathroom stall, but they’re also easy to move too (Inc describes the miniature work zones here).

Even if you change your office plan or need the office pods to help out in a different area of your organization, it’s not like you have to build them from scratch somewhere else. Many pods can be moved around as you wish, giving you much more flexibility than regular rooms.

Quiet

Fully sealed, sound-proof, distraction-free. Sounds like the perfect place for you to focus. Noise is inevitable in any place of work. Your office pod is your chance to take a breather and work without distractions.

Easy

Instead of having to build an extra room for the people who want a little extra concentration, you get an office pod. It’s streamlined, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to install and move around.

Affordable

A standard phone booth-sized pod will cost anything from $4,500-8,000 depending on location, materials and gadgetry (the beautiful one below – which is nearing the top end of the price bracket – is from the design-conscious Finnish company Framery).  Pods with room enough for more people are of course more expensive too. Getting a customized pod is cheaper than constructing a new conference room, and doing so is prohibitive. Pods have the advantage of being mobile whereas rooms and walls usually stay where they are.

Versatile

Office pods shouldn’t just be for clacking away on your keyboard. Put in a screen, and you’ve got video conferencing in a private area plus idea visualization for the team member in the pod.

Pods are versatile in regards to the kind of work you can do in them, but definitely also the way of working itself. The best office pods allow both seated and standing work, making them a great ergonomic choice.

Glass

Office pods are often enclosed with translucent glass. Why? Just because the worker in the pod is shielded from the surrounding chaos doesn’t mean you should exclude them entirely. A glass panel will help open up the layout and make the pod feel like less of an intrusive force.

The “open” setup makes it less claustrophobic and allows for the individual to look out on the rest of the team, and for the team to quickly identify where a colleague is and/or when the pod is pre-occupied.

How to set up successful office pods

Office pods are for solo productivity and concentrated work. They should be used by many types of employees, so, much like with huddle rooms, keep the decorative efforts to a minimum and let the pod’s purpose shine instead.

Office pods can come in many sizes, some only fit to hold one standing worker, while others fit two people. We think you’ll get the most out of a medium-sized pod for just one worker to sit or stand while the focus on their tasks.

Find a pod that’s outfitted with a desk, chair, and at least one glass door. Get an office pod with wheels. Your workspace is sure to change over time, and you don’t want to discard the pod just because you moved around the rest. Think of the pod as part of the furniture, use it as a divider or even a decorative element (seriously, some of them look very elegant).

Office pods should be easy to occupy, but seeing as they’ll be popular among all types of workers, there should be an option to book them on a company’s shared calendar instead of on a first come, first served basis. Make sure there’s a display outside the pod so that people can see when/if the pod is booked next.

Office pod technology

Motion-activated ventilation system and a skylight sound impressive, but it’s okay if you go for a less fancy option. Just make sure there are numerous electrical outlets, natural lighting and an ergonomic setup for laptops. Additional displays to connect to probably won’t be necessary either.

The great news is that office pods come fully equipped when you buy them from the manufacturer (Samsung, Lyft and Meetup use Zenbooth, an eco-friendly and readymade solution), so all you have to worry about is assembling it in a jiffy and then reaping the benefits.

Are office pods for you?

Do you have a problem with people occupying the conference rooms just to take a phone call? No private areas to go? Working in an open office plan? Then office pods could be for you.

If you already have areas focused on privacy, then maybe you don’t need the pods in your office.

While the open office plan is great for transparency and inclusive, it’s also a more distracted way of working because every conversation and decision is public.

It comes down to productivity versus socializing, and in our opinion, you need both things to lead a successful business. Your work area should be flexible enough to accommodate both things as well as the different types of employees you’re likely to encounter; both introverts and extroverts.

The post Office essentials: the pod appeared first on Airtame.

Then there’s the kind of ad-hoc meetings where you don’t feel the need to book ahead people or meeting room, for a quick brainstorm or a small team status update on the fly, where do such impromptu sessions take place?

Introducing the huddle room. It might just be the thing for you.

Huddle rooms are:

• Essential for open and collaborative workspaces
• Easy to build
• Not for everyone (team of developers? Perhaps not for you)

There’s persistent talk around the huddle room, or huddle space, and seeing as they’re so flexible and cater to many different situations, they’re difficult to pin down. This is our take on what huddle rooms are, and how to make the most out of them.

What is a huddle room?

Before we go to the world of meetings, let’s quickly look at the world of football (American, not the European). In football, players assemble for a quick session called a “huddle”. When they “huddle up”, it means they’re either strategizing, motivating or celebrating after a win.

These quick on-field meetings are an essential part of the game, and the same goes for office environments where people need to meet for a brief chat.

A huddle room is a smaller, more informal meeting space that provides a comfortable, secluded area for teams to meet, brainstorm or catch up easily. It’s for workgroups and colleagues who don’t necessarily need to book a room but still want to recap face-to-face.

Just like in football, these sort of office huddle-ups occur often, yet not many office spaces have the appropriate settings to accommodate them. In an open office space, most people will refrain from meeting at each other’s desk because it’s a distraction to the rest of the team and not private at all.

In fact, face-to-face time decreases by around 70 percent in open floor plans, a recent Harvard study suggests. That doesn’t mean it’s not a necessity anymore, and that’s where huddle rooms can prove their worth. That face-to-face time you were missing? Perfect for the huddle room.

Besides some much-needed face-to-face time, huddle rooms can be used for:

• Quick brainstorm sessions
• Daily team stand-ups
• Design reviews
• Alignment meetings
• Informal 1:1
• Project team meetings

The key elements of huddle rooms

There’s no fixed version of the huddle room, its design or outfit, but there are some key elements that define them.

Small

They can typically accommodate no more than five people, allowing for much more intimacy. Because they’re so small, they can make use of otherwise forgotten spaces, which makes them highly cost-effective.

User-friendly

A huddle room is supposed to be a space for on-the-fly interactions and quick meet-ups rather than time-consuming setups. Your huddle rooms should have equipment that is easy to use for anyone at any time, and with instructions that are plainly visible.

Informal

Distractions and noise are pretty common in most offices, but especially the ones with an open floor plan. A quiet, private space for smaller groups to meet puts an end to that problem. Sounds great? Sounds like a huddle room!

Flexible

No matter the objective, Huddle rooms should be outfitted to support any sort of on the fly team objective. That means huddle rooms can be equipped with a range of easy-to-use equipment and technology for presenting, sharing and remote video conferencing.

Ready to go

Huddle rooms are not designed for long meetings that occupy the space for the entirety of the day. And where other, full-scale conference spaces may be booked for longer, drawn-out endeavors, huddle rooms should remain ‘unbookable’.

We suggest introducing a time limit instead, e.g. an hour per room – or perhaps even less. Every time the clock reaches a full hour, say, other workers will know that the huddle room is available.

How to set up successful huddle rooms

Huddle rooms should be used for on-the-fly collaboration, ideation and less objective-driven sessions. To facilitate that, we recommend introducing relatively neutral surroundings. Keep it simple. This means less distracting surroundings with signage, furnishing and other accessories that won’t cause too much of a fuss.

We think a huddle room should be able to accommodate no more than five people in total, and four is even better. Just don’t think of huddle rooms as scaled-down conference rooms, you’ll risk losing the intimacy and spontaneousness that huddle rooms invite. Plus, consider the sound level, and respect your fellow staff members that might be within earshot.

To set a basic standard, outfit the huddle room with a small table. You need a place for your notebooks and laptops, in any case, right? Then a few chairs for as many people as you intend to use the space. Your employees might prefer standing but they should all have the possibility of sitting down for longer meetings. Want even more flexibility? Choose the kind of chairs that have wheels.

A whiteboard or flipchart can help you visualize your amazing ideas. Just don’t go overboard with the outfit of the room. It needs to be simple enough that the next person in line won’t waste any time setting it up after you.

Huddle room technology

Huddle rooms typically cost less to equip than full-scale meeting rooms, and that’s why you’ll need budget-friendly tech options that match the laidback, casual collaboration.

Airtame 2 a cost-effective collaboration tool that makes the most out of screens, whether you’re using them for presenting or they’re on standby. It’s an easy, cable-free solution that takes away the hassle of presenting and thereby adds a better flow in productivity.

It’s a BYOD (bring your own device) solution, which means that no matter what device or operating system you or your guests prefer, Airtame 2 has got your back. The cloud-based platform allows for easy management and maintenance of devices, so you don’t have to walk from huddle room to huddle room to perform updates.

You’ll also need a smaller projector or TV screen broadcast presentations. Mount the big screen to save some space, and give the huddle room a marginally more ‘closed-off’ quality.

Whether you need video conferencing tools is up to your organization and the kind of tasks you’re most likely to perform in your huddle rooms. If it’s mostly internal project collaboration, then you probably won’t need AV equipment.

Are huddle rooms for you?

Huddle rooms are in it to win it. These collaboration-fostering meeting spaces could result in increased productivity and less wasted space in your office, but they certainly aren’t for everyone.

In an already hectic and open work environment, you run the risk of removing the only pockets of solace and quiet you might have. And you’ll still have your conference rooms. Huddle rooms aren’t here to replace them, as it doesn’t make sense to outfit them the same way.

Huddle rooms are for all those in-between meetings you need where a conference room is too big and better for larger presentations. Huddle rooms are particularly great for big, open and under-populated environments as well as heavily compartmentalized office spaces.

In all likelihood, managers and employees that take the initiative to utilize the huddle space are likely to also be quick and adept adopters of new technology. They need it to work right now, in the simplest and smartest way possible to get the most out of everyone’s time.

Huddle rooms come in all forms, and many shapes and sizes, but bottom line is that they’re great for teamwork. If you run a floor of developers, perhaps huddle rooms would be redundant. If you have a bunch of designers, marketers and informal visits from externals, huddle rooms could be a great remedy to the typically stifling and stiff meeting room.

Want to kit out your huddle room with Airtame? Watch this short video to discover how Airtame works:

Ready to start building a huddle room, and want to kit it out with Airtame? Book a call with our customer success team

The post Office essentials: the huddle room appeared first on Airtame.

This is what Rainmaking Loft is facilitating. Rainmaking Loft is a co-working hub for tech entrepreneurs located in three European capitals: London, Berlin and Copenhagen.

Here, startups can rent a desk and get access to all the facilities needed when starting a company. But the real gem is becoming a part of the melting pot with more than 700 creative and bright minds spread over the three cities.

At Airtame we are naturally very interested in the startup environment, which is why we were very excited to learn that Rainmaking Loft uses Airtames to work more efficiently. We sat down with Kristian Justesen, Managing Director for the Copenhagen space, to learn more about how Rainmaking Loft makes it easier to be an entrepreneur and how AIRTAME helps them.

Can you share with us what makes Rainmaking Loft special?

One of the key factors behind Rainmaking Loft is that we collect all the things entrepreneurs need under one roof. Not only the physical elements but also different stakeholders such as business angels, media partners, large corporations and capital funds in general.

When visiting Rainmaking Loft one of the most striking things is the design of the 3200m2 office space located at one of the most coveted locations in Copenhagen. When entering the building the clean lines, bright rooms and warm atmosphere instantly welcome you. And that is not a coincidence.

Why Airtame?

We have a few elements we focus on when we create the co-working spaces. One of those elements is aesthetics. We are very into the Scandinavian way of living and interior design. Airtame fits perfectly into that environment because it helps to remove clutter and cables resulting in a nicer solution.

Streaming with Airtame proved to be a good fit for the company and the startups that reside there. Therefore, we decided to equip 7 meeting rooms and a large event space with Airtames.

Airtame allows everybody to stream wirelessly everywhere, and help ease the workflow of Rainmaking Loft. Plus, we got it up and running in seconds.

With the number of people and companies going in and out of the meeting rooms at Rainmaking Loft, it’s important to have a solution that works smoothly for everybody. Everybody has their own computer brand and operating system. Airtame works with all of them.

What are your values at Rainmaking Loft?

We believe entrepreneurs are the heroes of our time. Our payoff is: Heroes at work. Without entrepreneurs in the world, we would not be where we are. Take yourselves as an example. You have done something amazing with Airtame and entrepreneurs around the world do things that affect a lot of people all the time.

The more heroes in the world the better. Therefore Kristian Justesen has one piece of advice for all the would be entrepreneurs out there (a piece of advice that may seem simple and intuitive for most people in the startup community

Be part of a community. Share your idea and get inputs from others. And most of all, do not be afraid of sharing and discussing your idea. It only gets better from doing that.

If you are sitting in either London, Berlin or Copenhagen and are interested in having a desk in their coworking hub, check out Rainmaking Loft’s website to see their services and pricing.

If you also want to upgrade your meeting rooms at your company or coworking space, please get in touch or simply go to the Airtame shop and get your own right away.

The post How Rainmaking Loft uses Airtame to become a wireless coworking space appeared first on Airtame.