Insights What Enterprise AV Needs to Get Right Next Steven Larkins 5 min read A CEO perspective on how enterprise AV needs to perform, scale and be supported across modern workplaces. Across trade shows, manufacturer events and the conversations we’re having with clients, partners and suppliers, we’re seeing a clear pattern: enterprise AV is moving into a more accountable phase. The question is no longer just what the technology can do. It is whether AV environments can perform reliably once they become part of a live workplace, client experience space, meeting room estate or more specialist environment. That matters because AV now touches the network, the workplace, the meeting experience, client-facing spaces and the teams expected to support it all. For enterprise clients, that makes AV a business-critical part of the modern workplace, not just a room-by-room technology decision. Enterprise AV is moving from innovation to accountability Innovation still matters, but it is not enough on its own. For enterprise clients, the real question is whether AV environments can be trusted over time. Innovation has to be justified by how it supports the way people actually work. If a new capability disrupts established workflows, creates uncertainty or adds pressure for support teams, it has not solved the right problem. Can people walk into a room and start a meeting without thinking about the technology? Can internal teams understand what is happening across an AV estate? Can issues be resolved without constant escalation? Can a standard be repeated without forcing every space to become identical? Those are the questions enterprise AV now has to answer. It is less about impressive rooms in isolation, and more about accountable environments that are designed, delivered and supported properly over time. AI is useful when it reduces friction AI now has a clear place in enterprise AV, but its value comes from what it helps improve. The useful applications are the ones that make rooms easier to use, easier to manage and less dependent on intervention. For enterprise AV, that is the important distinction. Intelligence should make the experience feel smoother for users and give support teams better visibility, not create another layer for people to manage. Governance and support need to be designed in from the start AV now sits alongside IT, facilities, workplace, security and operations. That does not mean AV should lose its specialist thinking, but it does mean ownership needs to be clear. Who manages access? Who handles updates? Who checks performance? Who supports the room when something is not working? These questions cannot sit at the end of the project. They need to be part of the design, especially in enterprise environments where boardrooms, meeting rooms, training spaces and client-facing areas all carry business impact. Standardisation is not about making every room the same One of the biggest opportunities in enterprise AV is standardisation, but it is often misunderstood. It is not about making every room identical. It is about giving people a consistent experience across different spaces and use cases. A boardroom, divisible room, flexible workspace, training room and client suite will not all need the same specification. But they should feel familiar to use, easier to support and consistent enough for people to move between spaces without relearning the technology each time. That is where standardised AV design becomes valuable. It reduces variation, lowers support pressure and gives organisations a more scalable way to manage workplace technology across offices and sites. Enterprise AV needs a framework, not isolated decisions The risk for many organisations is not a lack of technology. It is fragmented decision-making. Rooms are added over time, projects are handed across different teams, support models vary and the user experience becomes inconsistent. A stronger approach starts earlier. It brings consultation, design, integration, handover, monitoring and long-term support together as one joined-up process. That is what helps enterprise clients build spaces that work well on day one and remain manageable as their estate changes. This is also where specialist AV expertise matters. Enterprise AV has to work alongside IT, but it cannot be absorbed into IT without losing sight of acoustics, room behaviour, user experience, physical space, control, integration and support. The best outcomes usually come when IT and specialist AV work together, with clear ownership and an understanding of both the infrastructure and the room experience. Where this leaves enterprise clients For enterprise clients, the next stage of AV is not about chasing more complexity. It is about creating environments that are easier to use, easier to manage and more resilient over time. That means clearer ownership, stronger governance, more consistent room experiences and support models that reflect how important AV has become to the modern workplace. That is the way we look at AV at BoomSpace. Not as a set of separate rooms or systems, but as part of how a workplace, estate or client-facing environment needs to perform over time. The technology matters, but the structure around it matters just as much. Fortinet’s new London HQ is a strong example of this in practice. For an iconic enterprise workplace, BoomSpace delivered a structured, end-to-end AV approach that supported the way different spaces needed to perform, from everyday meetings to client-facing and collaborative environments. Fortinet case study Many of these same challenges appear much earlier for growing businesses, before AV has become an enterprise-scale issue. Related Reading AV Trends We’re Seeing Across Workplaces, Meeting Spaces and Client-Facing Environments The industry trends shaping workplace technology, meeting spaces and client-facing environments. AV Trends article When Growing Businesses Outgrow ‘Good Enough’ AV How growth often exposes the need for greater consistency, ownership and support. Growing Businesses insight If you are reviewing enterprise AV, planning workplace technology across a wider estate or trying to bring more consistency to your meeting spaces, start with a conversation about how your environments need to perform, scale and be supported over time. Start with a conversation
