Are you planning one or more commercial AV projects in your place of business? If so, you’re not alone. As companies chart their return to the office, most are making minor, or even major changes to shared spaces like conference and meeting rooms; and it’s important to understand your AV project guidelines.
Whether you’re adding post-pandemic huddle rooms or simply seeking to bolster your videoconferencing capabilities, now is a great time to get the ball rolling on your next AV project.
But as you prepare to do so, make sure you don’t jump the gun. As important as it is to keep your AV capabilities up to date, a poorly planned upgrade is sometimes worse than no upgrade at all.
Before you jump into your next project, make sure you’ve taken care of the following three items.
Research and Discuss How the Project Will Impact the Existing Space
First, it’s essential to take the time to research how the proposed AV project will impact the existing space. As a part of this research, you should discuss any planned upgrades with those who regularly use the room. Is the upgrade something they will use? Will it interfere with or replace something they’re using now without replicating the functionality?
You’ll also need to research any sound concerns: does the room have or need audio? If so, how is the audio being used? What volume and quality levels do you need in the space?
Line of sight is another essential consideration. If you’re redesigning focal points in the room (for example, installing a screen in a new location), where will people need to be to see it?
Lastly, consider the employee or customer experience in the room. Any new AV project needs to enhance user experience, not detract from it.
Bluewater can help answer many of these questions and our consulting team can even help you design and plan out your AV upgrades.
Get a Site Survey So You Can Create a Unified Plan
Some of the questions above are simple to answer, even if you don’t have any particular background or training in AV or space design. But others require a professional touch.
Before moving forward on an AV project – especially on a project with significant scope – you should order a site survey from a reputable AV firm like Bluewater. Our team will come in and correctly measure your room, catalog your existing AV resources, identify your cable runs and power, and more.
We’ll evaluate lines of sight and audio and video use cases, and we’ll seek to understand the desired user experiences you envision for the space.
Once we complete our site survey, we’ll work with you to create a unified, cohesive plan for the space. You’ll receive a professionally designed plan that accounts for variables your internal team might miss.
Of course, once the planning is complete, someone still needs to build out your new AV project. Most firms are looking to contract out the build as well. If you’re looking for a professional install in addition to the site survey, Bluewater can help there, too.
Consider a Managed Services Package to Simplify and Streamline AV Operations
As a business leader, you probably don’t love spending your time wading through the specifics of keeping office AV equipment running well and up to date. Additionally planning AV refreshes and upgrades likely isn’t your chief core competency; and even if you enjoy working with AV resources, you certainly have dozens of other priorities competing for your time.
There’s also the cost factor: AV refreshes can be costly, sometimes at unpredictable frequencies, and equipment downtime costs you both time and money.
One solution Bluewater offers is AV-as-a-Service, or AVaaS. Companies that choose AVaaS don’t have to worry about office AV on a day-to-day basis because we do it for them. We ensure your systems stay running well, and we keep them as modern as you want them to be. Think of it as a subscription based approach to AV.
AVaaS with Bluewater takes care of system maintenance and repair and selects the optimal hardware upgrades when it’s time for a refresh. You save yourself and your team significant time and focus by passing off hardware decision-making, troubleshooting, and more to our team. When you do encounter a problem, our on-demand help desk is there for you.
Best of all, AVaaS comes with a predictable and consistent monthly subscription cost. No more budget spikes when a room refresh is needed!
If you choose to purchase however, and not partake in one of our AVaaS plans, there is always the option to engage our managed services team should a service plan be in place.
Bluewater Is Your Partner for AV Refreshes and More
Whatever your business needs in AV, Bluewater can get you there. From simple equipment refreshes to large AVaaS contracts, we can ease the burden of managing AV for your business. Reach out today for a free consult and see what Bluewater can do for you.
