You can hear people saying “I can’t wait for today’s meeting!” just about as often as “I’m happy to work on Saturday!” That’s to say: not much. In fact, meetings have gotten a bad rap, lots of times because meeting room technology didn’t work right and time is wasted.

According to RoomReady’s State of the Meeting Room 2020 survey, these roadblocks continue to grow. We found meeting leaders struggle with poor room design, uncomfortable spaces and unsightly cords – dangling from tables and walls or tethering people to podiums – as just three of the problems in many of today’s meeting rooms. And as long as the problems exist, real work suffers.

Let’s take a look at what meeting leaders say holds back meeting productivity – and how the right technology can help bring it and collaboration back into the room.

1. Less-than-optimal room environment

A report by The Muse shows 15% of an organization’s collective time is spent in meetings – a number that’s steadily grown since 2008. And since employees are spending more time in meetings, you might think that meeting rooms would help drive productivity. However, our survey results offer a different take: 33% of respondents say the room itself is a challenge.

With lights too bright or dim and temperatures too hot or cold, meeting rooms are not only uncomfortable to work in but are physically counterproductive. Adding to the stress, 31% of respondents report that Wi-Fi tends to be spotty or that guests can’t connect because of a password issue, which significantly delays the presenter.

However, dead spots and super slo-mo zones aren’t the only issues meeting leaders face.

2. Insufficient room technology

Although sharing a device screen can drive interaction and help bring a meeting to life – think full-motion videos or an awesome infographic – presenting from a laptop or mobile phone isn’t as easy as it should be. In fact, 31% of those surveyed report having problems getting a device to share on a screen. Rather than displaying the materials they so carefully prepared, their colleagues are presented with a black screen or cursor instead.

Similarly, videos have a bad habit of failing to start, going blank or freezing mid-stream. One-quarter of respondents said their video conferencing freezes, causing lost time and frustration. So much for the body language and facial expressions that help improve communications!

3. Inferior room design

Ever been to a meeting where the TV was mounted too high or the set-up prohibited audience participation? Meeting room design can have a big impact on the outcome of a meeting – positive or negative.

It’s no fun being in a room that’s downright unsightly, particularly one that’s littered with racks, wires and cords. Twenty-two percent of respondents said there are too many cords in a room with no particular purpose – dangling from walls, backs of displays or beneath the table. And when those cords are sprawled across the table, figuring out which one connects to the TV can be downright frustrating. The focus should be on the presenter or the business at hand. Instead, it’s on the clutter.

A smarter, better meeting room awaits

Hosting a productive meeting is difficult enough without ineffective technology holding it back. But it doesn’t have to be so difficult. With the right meeting room solution, you can take control back.

The best meeting rooms in the world run on intuitive, simple-to-use technology and operate with a touch of a button. RoomReady meeting rooms work simply because they simply work.

We provide the technology to eliminate a meeting leader’s conference room troubles – from providing a comfortable environment that’s conducive to getting work done to ensuring Wi-Fi is up and running throughout the meeting. And the cables and cords? Our RoomReady Set neatly houses cords and other AV tech equipment behind a mounted display, allowing the presentation to become the focus of the room instead of the clutter.

The right meeting rooms don’t hinder productivity, they enable it. The technology puts the presenter in control, all the time – from booking a meeting room to making sure the meeting room is set to his or her standards upon arrival. RoomReady can help take away meeting leaders’ headaches with technology that provides pain relief.

Truly, “I can’t wait for today’s meeting!” could be something that is actually overheard at the water cooler if you contact RoomReady for your AV setup!