Huddle Rooms Buyer’s Guide

Huddle rooms are designed for unscheduled conferencing & collaboration meetings, typically between 2-4 people. These private spaces are built to include all the technology you’d expect in a traditional meeting room, including a worktable for connecting your laptop, video display, and support for audio and video conferencing.

Huddle rooms are growing in popularity, in part because of the needs and expectations of the emerging workforce. Scheduling a video call to go over a few items with a remote teammate should be as simple as walking into a space, turning on a display, and starting the call. Yet, in many companies that employee may have to wait until one of the large conference rooms is available or make the video call directly from their desk, distracting nearby co-workers and presenting privacy issues in the workplace. It’s for reasons such as this that huddle spaces are growing in popularity year over year.

And there’s also cost to consider. Huddle rooms can be outfitted with the required collaboration technology for around $5,000. Huddle rooms offer a vastly more cost-effective and intimate environment ideal for the fast-paced millennial worker.

Perhaps your business is part of the one-third of all organizations that still haven't deployed newer conferencing technology to most of their employees. Even without the video conferencing or wireless presentation tools, a huddle space provides a great solution for small teams needing to collaborate without disturbing others.

Huddle room furniture setup examples from Middle Atlantic

Key components of a huddle room space

• Table with built-in device connectivity and video conferencing hardware
• Comfortable seating
• Power supply/outlet
• LCD Display (40-50”) typical
• Presentation system for sharing content (wired or wireless)
• Video camera

Considerations when planning your huddle rooms

Here are some things to keep in mind when planning your huddle room space.

Choose furniture built specifically for smaller spaces

• Middle Atlantic offers AV tables built just for huddle spaces that includes hidden power, cable storage and mounting for displays

Make it easy to connect

• Include wireless connectivity options that simplify the sharing process
• Use built-in table cubbies to store cables and allow direct access to power for charging devices.

Size the display appropriately for the room

• Over 55" is typically too large for intimate meetings
• Install close to eye level to avoid neck strain
• Consider interactive displays that allow you to save and share your meeting sessions, such as the Surface Hub 2S

Don't ignore sound and lighting

• Sound insulations and pro-grade noise-cancelling microphones (like Crestron mercury) can dramatically improve audio quality during video calls
• All-in-one solutions, such as the Ascendo by AMX, include a wide-angle camera, robust JBL speakers and built-in microphones
• If there are windows to the outside, provide lighting control to prevent harsh silhouettes or distracting screen glare

Tips for successful huddle meetings

• Keep huddle space groups small - larger groups tend to be more distracting and less focused
• Make sure all users can be seen by the camera - In most cases, a wide angle video camera mounted below the display is the best approach since participants are typically much closer to the display
• Don’t forget normal meeting etiquette – show up early, setup content sharing prior to starting