During the lockdown, online meetings and video conferences took on a new meaning by allowing face-to-face communication when direct contact was not possible. The worldwide spread of the Coronavirus has had a significant impact on the habits of the globalised world, presenting challenges unimaginable until recently. For this Sennheiser carried out important research analysing the most relevant aspects of the ongoing change.

Why are video conferences the new standard after the Covid crisis?

The importance of contacts and interpersonal communication, especially in difficult situations, is witnessed by the exorbitant increase in the number of online meetings worldwide. This fact is also confirmed by the downloads of ZOOM Cloud Meetingsfrom 2.35 million to 35.95 million between February and April 2020. In this particular situation, those who have taken digital transformation seriously by adapting quickly to change will emerge stronger from the crisis anticipating competitors.

Acceptance of digital solutions has increased even among those who previously had little experience with the online meetings or simply preferred face-to-face meetings. Millions of people around the world stayed in touch and were able to work thanks to new technologies, demonstrating how modern communication tools are indispensable to safeguard the economy and also interpersonal relationships.

Less travel, more distance: the new solutions

The health crisis and its consequences are forcing many companies to constantly cost reduction. Moreover, on-site meetings do not always repay 100% the costs of travel and overnight stays. The lockdown has made business travel almost impossible. At the same time, however, the crisis has also shown that many business trips are unnecessary. There is no point in travelling hundreds of kilometres for a two-hour meeting if participants can instead hold an online meeting with aexcellent image and sound quality. In the future, in order to protect the health of their employees and save on travel costs and time, companies will avoid business trips as much as possible, while also helping to set a positive example in terms of sustainability by reducing CO2 emissions.

The comparison: costs of an average business trip versus setting up a professional meeting room

Let us assume that an employee travels an average distance of 600 kilometres six times a year for professional reasons. The travel costs for one person are thus approximately EUR 3,720 per year. The one-off costs for setting up a medium-sized meeting room amount to approximately EUR 9,900, while they would rise to EUR 18,100 for a large one.

This is the first lesson of the crisis: online meetings are a future-oriented alternative, useful to save resources and budget compared to business trips. Ordinary online meetings, however, are not enough; what is needed is an authentic meeting culture.

Of course, online meetings will never fully reproduce the communication that takes place in face-to-face meetings, as there is no immediate physical presence in the same place. However, Covid has shown us that reliable alternatives are urgently needed, especially when travel is not possible and the home office shows its limitations. This is especially true for major video conferences, where the lack of face-to-face contact must be professionally compensated for.

The second lesson to be learned from the crisis is that, regardless of the meeting, the equipment and design of the room are decisive for the success of the meeting. The voice, facial expressions, gestures and movement of a person in the room must be conveyed perfectly. This is crucial to create a feeling of mental and social connection, even if the participants are not physically present in the same room. This is the only way to ensure that the professional online meetings are in no way inferior to classic meetings.

What advantages does a professionally equipped meeting room offer over meetings with standard equipment?

• Authentic meeting atmosphere (furniture, lighting, tools and technology) for full and flexible collaboration
• The technology, already installed, of the meeting room is reliable and fast
• A new configuration is not necessary for each individual meeting: it is possible to ad hoc meetings at any time
• Thanks to the company network, the operation of all hardware and software is guaranteed
• Product solutions of high quality enable smooth communication
• The value of a meeting room system emphasises the professionalism and the prestige of a company

The best Sennheiser video conferencing systems distributed by Irbema

The numerous advantages just described and the rapid cultural evolution taking place are the reason why Irbema markets only the best video conferencing products such as those under the Sennheiser brand. For example, the ceiling microphone TeamConnect Ceiling 2 from Sennheiser ensures that communication is transmitted clearly without any loss in audio quality.