In 2025, conference room design isn’t just about creating a space where people can meet—it’s about ensuring everyone, whether in the room or joining remotely, feels included and heard. We sat down with Marshall Copeman, AV Designer at Bluewater, to talk about what makes a meeting space work in today’s hybrid-first world, the mistakes companies still make, and the technology trends shaping the future of collaboration.
The Goal: A Room That Just Works
For Marshall, the best conference room design is one that eliminates confusion entirely. “An intuitive system that works every time is the best,” he says. In other words, there should be no frantic searches for a power button or repeated calls for extra training. If users don’t have to ask How does this work? the design has done its job.
The Table Problem No One Talks About
Surprisingly, one of the most overlooked aspects of AV design isn’t the camera—it’s the table. Many traditional shapes, like long rectangles, boat designs, and round tables, were built for face-to-face meetings, not hybrid ones. They often block sightlines, create audio challenges, and force expensive workarounds like extra cameras and complex programming.
Marshall recommends trapezoid-shaped or wide curved tables, which ensure every participant can see one another and be seen by the camera without obstruction—saving both frustration and budget.
Building for Hybrid: People First, Then Tech
Even when clients want to keep their existing tables, Marshall prioritizes audio and sightlines. “Without audio, you don’t have a meeting,” he says. But the good news is that technology has evolved—AI-driven multi-camera systems like the Huddly Crew, AVer MT300N, and Yealink AVHub now make it easier to track speakers and reactions seamlessly, combining feeds into a single stream that’s easy for conferencing software to process.
A current Bluewater project for Hollingsworth Financial Services of Michigan showcases this approach, using the AVer MT300N with Sennheiser ceiling mics to cover multiple angles without adding more hardware than the room can handle.
Technology That’s Changing the Game
Marshall is excited by how manufacturers are collaborating to make sure cameras, microphones, control systems, and source interfaces work together without hours of complex setup. The AV world, he notes, is no longer siloed—an encouraging trend for integrators and end users alike.
Designing for Comfort and Productivity
Marshall emphasizes that successful AV design starts with asking end users what they want and don’t want. For instance, some participants find moving cameras distracting, but will accept digital zoom that frames them without noticeable mechanical movement. Other considerations—like room lighting, ceiling height, and display sizing—can make or break the user experience.
“Making sure everyone is heard is paramount,” he says, and modern solutions from Shure, Sennheiser, Yamaha, Audio-Technica, and Yealink make that more achievable than ever.
The bottom line: Designing an effective conference room in 2025 isn’t about adding more tech—it’s about understanding how people work, then integrating the right technology to make the experience seamless, inclusive, and frustration-free.
