The Ultimate Guide to Meeting Room Signage

meeting room display, meeting room signage

The Robin Team

Published on

June 27, 2023

As office foot traffic increases, meeting rooms are in higher demand. Teams need to be able to find available spaces effectively so they can collaborate.

That's where conference room displays come in, having the right digital signage outside your meeting spaces makes it easier for employees to locate and book the right rooms. In this blog, we'll explore the ins-and-outs of meeting room displays.

What Are Meeting Room Displays?

Meeting room displays are digital screens or devices that are placed inside or just outside of meeting rooms or conference rooms. They provide real-time information about the room’s status, such as whether it is currently occupied or available, the schedule of upcoming meetings, and the duration of current and upcoming meetings. Some conference room displays provide details about the attendees or the subject of the meeting.

Meeting room displays make it easier for employees to find the spaces they need.

Meeting room displays are typically connected to a calendar or room booking system, enabling them to update automatically as the room status changes. Some displays allow users to book directly on the display.

Meeting room displays serve a critical role in hybrid offices. They allow for fairness and better organization of shared meeting spaces by keeping meetings on schedule, preventing double bookings, displaying meeting room availability and allowing for ease of access for everyone.

Types of Meeting Room Displays

Meeting room displays can come in many different formats depending on your budget and need. Let’s look at a few common ones.

Tablet-Based Displays: Tablets—like iPads or Android tablets—are typically mounted on the walls outside meeting rooms. These offer a lot of flexibility, as they can run various apps, are interactive, and can be customized to the company's needs.
Digital Signage Displays: These TV-like displays can show the status of multiple rooms at once, making them useful in a common area or large office. They can also be used to display other information like company announcements or news.
LCD/LED Displays: These are versatile displays that can show detailed information, including color-coded schedules, meeting space details, and more.
Integrated Room Systems: Some integrated solutions provide meeting room booking displays and incorporate other functionalities like automated lighting, window blinds, air conditioning, or AV system controls based on the meeting room booking schedule.

Conference room signage can be displayed on a range of different hardware.

Benefits of Meeting Room Displays

Meeting room displays are the bridge between your room management solution and your physical spaces. By connecting with your calendars, emails, and workplace management system, these displays unlock several benefits for hybrid workplaces. Here are some of the most important ones:

Improved schedule management: Displays provide real-time information about the room's current occupancy status and scheduled bookings. Teams can manage and allocate meeting room time more effectively.
Easier integration with other systems. Meeting room displays can often be integrated with tools like email or calendars. This makes it easy for everyone to stay synced on meeting room status and ensure the right people are always in each meeting.
Less hassle for employees. Employees can quickly glance at the display to see if the room is available or booked instead of having to check their calendars. They can also book rooms right from the display's touch screen and view meeting details.
More meeting room data. Displays connected to a room management system give you insights into which meeting rooms are overbooked and which ones are underutilized. Find out why some rooms are underused and make a plan to make them more desirable.
Fewer interruptions. By indicating when a room is occupied and for how long, displays can reduce unnecessary interruptions and distractions, helping meetings to run more efficiently.
Increased privacy: For sensitive meetings, the displays can show that the room is booked without giving further details, thus helping to maintain privacy.
Remote booking. Advanced meeting room displays are connected to the company's booking system, allowing remote booking and schedule changes. This allows hybrid workers to book rooms in advance so their in-office days are more productive.

With room displays your teams can collaborate more effectively.

How to Choose The Right Meeting Room Displays for You

There are a few solutions for meeting room displays out there, and it’s not always easy to tell which is right for your specific needs. Use these criteria to evaluate solutions and determine which ones would be worth trying out and eventually deploying.

Ease of use. The system should be intuitive and user-friendly so that everyone, regardless of their technical proficiency, can easily understand and use it.
Integrations. The displays should be able to integrate with the tools your teams use, including calendars, email, and workplace experience platforms.
Cost. The displays should be cost-effective in terms of the upfront costs and any ongoing subscription costs. Ask yourself if you have enough rooms and enough friction in your current processes to justify making the investment.
Vendor support. Look for a reputable vendor that offers timely support with setup, maintenance, troubleshooting, and expansion. Read reviews and ask for references from each potential vendor.
Hardware quality: Check the durability and quality of the displays. They should be robust enough to withstand constant use over long periods of time.
Scalability: Consider whether the system can grow with your company in a seamless and cost-effective way. If you plan to expand your office or add rooms in the future, the system should scale accordingly.

Need help putting together an RFP for a digital signage solution? Check out our guide, “The ultimate guide to an RFP for office digital signage: Status boards” to get a template and guide for your own RFPs.

Tips for Setting Up Meeting Room Displays

Even the best meeting room display solution will fail to live up to your standards if it’s not setup and configured properly. Use these tips to ensure your displays give your team everything they need to work effectively.

Plan Ahead

Before purchasing any displays, have a clear plan for which rooms will need displays, what information should be displayed, and which features are needed. For example, do some rooms require interactive screens? Should some rooms only have static displays? Have a plan before you start trying to set them up.

Make sure you have a plan in place before setting up your room displays.

Consider Accessibility

For every meeting room that needs a display, consider the placement of these displays for maximum visibility, accessibility, and convenience. Will all displays be easily reachable? Is the color scheme set up for people of differing visual abilities? Consider all of the angles and keep accessibility at the forefront.

Get Integrations Working

Make sure the display system integrates seamlessly with your existing software and systems. While you should have already determined if your displays integrate with your system, it’s still important to make sure the integrations are working as needed. Test them extensively with different permissions and devices to ensure everything works properly.

Ensure Installation is Minimally Disruptive

Work with your IT team and service provider to ensure the installation is done correctly and at a time when people won’t be trying to work around the installation crew. Try to do the install after hours or even on a weekend to keep things seamless.

Provide Training

Ensure all employees know how to use the system, book rooms, understand the display information, etc. Do an initial training with everyone, and then be available for follow up questions and troubleshooting. Additionally, it’s worth posting clear instructions in your company knowledge management system and even on flyers near the displays. Failure to train effectively and consistently will hinder adoption.

Give teams the training they need to effectively use your display tablets.

Include Wayfinding Displays

Mixing wayfinding technology into your meeting room booking strategy can increase adoption by making meeting rooms easier to find for people who may not come into the office very often. These kiosks and displays can be set up anywhere and help people find their desks, huddle spaces, and meeting rooms.

Collect Feedback

After the displays have been in use for a while, collect feedback from staff and leadership. This will help you understand if the system is working effectively or if there are any issues that need to be addressed.

Enforce Policy

Develop a policy for meeting room bookings that covers key aspects of room scheduling such as the procedure for booking a room, cancellation and no-show policies, what to do in case of conflicts, and so on. It’s also important to set permissions so meeting rooms can only be booked by authorized employees. This will help ensure the system is used effectively and fairly by all staff.

Getting Started With Meeting Room Signage

Bringing in a partner that offers a leading meeting room booking system is just part of making your hybrid office a success. It’s also about finding a true technology partner that can bring a consultative approach to your workplace strategy.

Robin has helped thousands of organizations run better hybrid workplaces. Learn how Robin can help you set up and maintain your meeting room displays and booking system, and book a demo today.