Best Technology for Your Coworking Meeting Rooms

Meeting room technology in a coworking space is the hardware and software that make a bookable room easy to use and easy to sell: displays, cameras, microphones, cables, wireless screen sharing, and a booking system that shows availability and takes payment. Get it right and rooms book more, run smoother, and cost your team less time to service.

Since we released a series of content pieces about meeting rooms in coworking spaces—from planning your meeting rooms to promoting them to boosting meeting room utilization—and saw huge interest in the topic, we decided to build on top of that content.

We’ve had plenty of discussions with clients and other coworking operators about the best practices for designing conference rooms and the technology items that make a meeting room efficient, convenient and easy to use.

We sat down to talk about the topic in more detail with Mike Everts, our US Regional Manager. Besides co-founding SharedSpace, a high-tech workspace in the Atlanta suburbs, Mike has rich experience in the audio-visual industry, designing and building collaboration spaces for large corporations across the southern US.

We recommend watching our webinar How to Design Top-Performing Meeting Rooms for Coworking Spaces, where he shares tips on several topics:

• What makes a meeting room attractive and user-friendly for coworking members and visitors
• How to choose the types of meeting rooms you need in your coworking space based on the needs of your customers
• How to set up wired and wireless connections in your meeting rooms
• How to choose between a TV screen vs projector and how to set them up
• How both you and your members can benefit from room reservation technology

As a continuation of the webinar, below are Mike’s top recommendations for the technology items and accessories that will help you outfit your conference rooms. After all, technology is essential for the success of any digital transformation strategy. But before we get to them, here’s something important to consider:

You want to design your rooms to be simple but impactful.

Once you’ve designed your conference room, make sure it’s easy to use. It doesn’t matter how cool the room is. If it’s not easy to use and understand, it won’t be used to its fullest potential.

Your staff are responsible for these rooms, so the more complex you make them, the more time your team spends servicing them instead of doing other things that make your coworking space better.

Complexity is hard on members too. Not knowing how to connect a laptop to the TV can frustrate people or derail an important meeting. Design with simplicity and function in mind.

Even so, put up clear signage on how to use the equipment (connecting a laptop to the TV or projector, adjusting the picture, and so on). It helps members who get stuck with the setup.

Now, here are Mike’s top recommendations for the items and products that will help you set up your meeting rooms.

Do you still need a wired TV connection?

It might be basic to some of you, but dedicated wired connections are a must. Wireless is convenient, but a wired connection is more reliable when someone needs a presentation to work on the first try. Keep 3 essential cables on the table: HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, and USB-C. Support a variety of these.

HDMI connects to every TV today, as well as to many Windows laptops. Mini DisplayPort covers older Macs, and USB-C now covers current MacBooks, most newer Windows laptops, and plenty of tablets and phones. USB-C has become the connector most people reach for first, so make sure it’s on the table.

There are plenty of brands and models out there, and in most cases whatever you choose will fit your needs.

What’s the best wireless TV connection for a meeting room?

Wireless connection is convenient, but keep in mind it isn’t as reliable as a wired connection. Here are Mike’s recommendations:

Apple TV

It’s easy to use and around 150 USD. You don’t need the more expensive models. You just need the ability for Macs and iPhones to share their screen, and most people already know how to use Apple TV.

Check it out on Amazon: Apple TV

Microsoft Miracast Adapter

It’s the wireless display technology used in Windows laptops and Android smartphones. It’s easy to use, but fewer people are familiar with it.

Check it out on Amazon: Microsoft Miracast Adapter

Airtame

Airtame works well with both Apple and Microsoft, which makes it a good pick when you don’t want to guess what device a member walks in with. It can stream video wirelessly and handle mixed-device rooms without a separate adapter for each platform.

Check it out on their website: Airtame

TV screens vs projectors: which should you buy?

Projectors used to be the go-to when you wanted a picture in massive size, but TV screens keep getting larger and cheaper. For most coworking rooms, a TV is the more convenient and cheaper option.

Projectors still make sense for large board rooms or event space. Keep in mind the extra costs and hassle: buying a projector screen, hanging the projector, replacing bulbs, and the warm-up time when you turn it on.

Bonus tip: use a projector calculator to work out the best screen width, height, and throw distance for your room before you buy.

Some recommended items:

• • TCL 4K Smart LED Roku TV
  • For projectors, BenQ and Epson are good brands

Video conferencing gear for hybrid meetings

Most meetings now have someone dialing in. A room that only works for people physically present is a room members will complain about. Two things matter more than anything else here: a camera that captures the whole table and audio that picks up every voice.

For the camera, a wide-angle 4K webcam mounted at eye level captures everyone without people crowding around a laptop. The Logitech Brio 4K is a solid single-room pick.

Logitech Brio 4K

Audio is where cheap rooms fall apart. If remote participants can’t hear the room clearly, nothing else matters. A USB speakerphone with a 360-degree microphone array and echo cancellation covers a small huddle room well. The Anker PowerConf S330 connects over a single USB-C cable, has 4 microphones with roughly 3-meter pickup, and needs nothing to pair or charge.

Check it out on Amazon: Anker PowerConf S330

Make sure your setup works across whatever platform a member brings: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Webex. Support browser-based and bring-your-own-device joining so people aren’t forced to install software before a call.

Accessories

Some essential accessories belong in every meeting room. A few ideas:

Whiteboard

Whiteboards matter in meeting rooms. Glass boards in particular look clean and are relatively inexpensive. I recommend glass boards because they’re easy to clean and maintain.

Check the Quartet Glassboard.

Power and USB strip

Many coworking spaces forget this, but you need power or a USB strip in every meeting room, whether it’s built into the table or the wall. Nothing ruins a meeting like a dead laptop and nowhere to charge it.

Check a good example on Amazon: Belkin Power Hub

Dongles

Dongles let you convert the signal from your TV’s HDMI input to whatever port a member’s laptop uses. Get dongles that support HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, and USB-C, and you’ll be able to connect almost any laptop.

With dongles especially, you get what you pay for. Cheap ones cause dropouts and handshake issues, so it’s worth investing in higher-quality equipment.

How does room reservation technology help?

A booking tool like OfficeRnD Flex’s meeting room booking app lets members and guests book rooms quickly. Via the web portal or mobile app, they can reserve a room, pay for it, and manage their bookings in your coworking space.

OfficeRnD Flex is the coworking space software that helps operators grow revenue and run efficient operations, with booking tools members can use on web and mobile.

You can also place tablets at the door of your meeting rooms running the OfficeRnD Rooms app, showing live room availability and letting members check in on arrival. A useful accessory here is a Heckler mount, one of the better iPad mounts for setting tablets on meeting room doors.

Booking data is the part operators underuse. OfficeRnD Flex shows you resource utilization, total booking hours, and which rooms get booked most, so you can price and schedule rooms based on what actually happens rather than guesses.

OfficeRnD Flex’s meeting rooms booking app

Frequently asked questions

What technology do coworking meeting rooms need?

At minimum: a large TV or display, wired connections (HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, USB-C), a wireless screen-sharing option, a camera and speakerphone for hybrid calls, a whiteboard, power or a USB strip, and a booking system that shows availability and takes payment. Keep it simple so members can walk in and start working.

Are projectors or TVs better for a coworking space?

A TV is usually the better choice. Screens keep getting larger and cheaper, and there’s no bulb replacement, screen mounting, or warm-up time. Projectors still make sense for large boardrooms and event spaces where you need a very big image.

How do I set up a meeting room for hybrid video calls?

Start with a wide-angle 4K camera at eye level and a speakerphone with a 360-degree microphone array and echo cancellation. Make sure the setup works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Webex, and support bring-your-own-device joining so members don’t have to install anything.

How do members book meeting rooms in a coworking space?

With OfficeRnD Flex, members book, pay for, and manage room reservations from the web portal or mobile app. You can add door tablets running the OfficeRnD Rooms app to show live availability and let members check in on arrival.

How can I get more use out of my meeting rooms?

Track utilization. OfficeRnD Flex reports resource usage, total booking hours, and your most-booked rooms, so you can adjust pricing, room sizes, and booking rules based on real demand. Bundling free room credits with membership plans also lifts usage.

Additional resources

We’ve got a few more resources that might be useful:

Webinar: How to Design Top-Performing Meeting Rooms for Coworking Spaces

What you’ll learn

• What makes a meeting room attractive and user-friendly for coworking members and visitors
• How to choose the types of meeting rooms you need in your coworking space based on the needs of your customers
• How to set up wired and wireless connections in your meeting rooms
• How to choose between a TV screen vs projector and how to set them up

Watch it here.

eBook: How to Measure and Improve Meeting Rooms in Coworking Spaces

What you’ll learn

• The most important KPIs in terms of performance
• How to improve meeting room utilization within your community
• How to add more value to your meeting rooms
• Useful marketing tactics to promote your meeting space
• How to increase revenue with external bookings

Download it here.