Volume 21, Issue 30 — August 9, 2023

rAVe ProAV Edition — Volume 21, Issue 30

August 9, 2023 | Volume: 21 | Issue: 30

In case you haven’t heard the news, Zoom announced that it is making employees come back to work for at least part of the week. This is interesting since it published a study last year that was about how most workers want to choose where they work. To find out more, check out Gary’s latest column.

Also, Scott Tiner writes about the Sphere. I’m sure you’ve all seen it and heard about it — we’ve even published a case study about the tech. But Scott writes about it in the context of experiences and what it will do for the live events market.

Finally, check out the latest news from Snap One, Extron, Planar, Optitrack and more.

P.S. There’s still time to register for Commercial Integrator Expo 2023! Sept. 7-9 in Denver — you won’t want to miss all the latest in resimercial and more. Use code “RAVECE23” for your free show floor pass.

— Steph Beckett

COLUMNS

+ Zoom Now Thinks WFH Doesn’t Work As Well As The Company Originally Thought [Gary Kayye]

I am sure, by now, you’ve likely read all the stories about Zoom demanding all its employees — living within 50 miles of any Zoom office — start working in the office at least two days a week, some three days a week. This, to me, is a bit ironic as, in 2022, Zoom published a survey (that it funded), showing that 69% of workers wanted to choose whether or not to work remotely some of the time or all of the time. So, Zoom seems to be bucking its own data.

+ The Sphere and the AV Industry [Scott Tiner]

I doubt there is a single person in the AV/IT industry who has not seen or heard about the Sphere, but even if you have it is worth taking a few minutes and searching YouTube for videos of the experience (and I also included one below). It is simply mesmerizing. Even as an AV professional who has seen lots of cool things, I am still amazed by this. I have read as much as I can about the technology, and I believe that this publication will be doing more stories — or likely several — on the design and technology behind the Sphere. That is not why I am writing. I am writing about the experience that this new venue offers, and the potential it offers to the entire AV industry.