As the weather heats up, many employees are itching to spend time outside. The newest blog in our Office Breakdown series outlines some pieces of AV technology that will make your outdoor spaces more engaging and work-friendly, so that you can enjoy the weather without sacrificing productivity.
The sun is shining, there’s a slight breeze…and you’re sitting inside at your desk, wishing you could be sitting with the sun on your face instead. It doesn’t have to be that way! Updating your outdoor space with strategic AV technology is a good idea for several reasons: besides offering employees more flexibility and a better work environment, studies also show that working outside can drive both productivity and creativity.
So what does successful outdoor AV tech look like? Read on to find out what you should consider at every phase, from design to installation, integration, and maintenance.
Purpose-Driven Design
Let’s suppose that you want to convert your office rooftop into a space where employees can work, relax and socialize. Before you begin buying technology, you should consider enlisting the help of an AV specialist who can work with a designer to build the space you’re envisioning.
It’s necessary to consider more than just the placement of screens and speakers: you’ll also need to think about where viewers will be sitting in relation to sun positioning. A screen that’s suspended above a west-facing open space may look great, but what happens when viewers are trying to watch the screen with a sunset in their eyes?
Great design will also consider AV technology in the context of your landscape. If you’re designing a roof, for example, speakers may have to be strategically placed to be heard over the wind and other background sounds. This doesn’t have to mean sacrificing style, though, since intelligent design can also place speakers and other hardware in such a way that they’re barely noticeable.
Trust the Experts for Installation
Whether you’re setting up a temporary screen for an event or installing a permanent outdoor AV system, you should leave the integration to the experts for a number of reasons. For starters, enterprise-level AV technology is very rarely a plug-and-play solution — for business security reasons as well as manufacturer particularities. Relying solely on an internal figure, such as an IT person, may get the basics of the installation job done but leave other features or capabilities on the table.
Many outdoor systems depend on wireless connections that can be a headache for the uninitiated, so leaving it to an AV integrator will save you time and frustration. Besides ensuring that all your systems are “speaking” over a wireless connection, you can also trust an AV integrator to properly protect your technology from the elements through proper placement, sealants, and covers.
Don’t Skip Maintenance
One major consideration for outdoor AV tech is wear and tear — while strategic placement can help to an extent, regular maintenance is what will truly extend the life of your equipment. We don’t just mean wiping down the screens: you should have an AV technology partner available to perform regular internal and external checks on the health of your setup.
This doesn’t just make your valuable investment last longer. It also identifies and prevents problems before they happen, meaning that your company-wide outdoor event or client party will never be caught off-guard by broken speakers or a screen with too much glare.
Ready to learn more about how to upgrade every part of your office with strategic AV technology? Check out our feature on another space used for both work and play: break rooms.
