Crestron’s EVP of Global Marketing, Brad Hintze, explores how hybrid work is reshaping collaboration and why innovations like Visual AI Direction are key to making meetings more engaging, more natural, and ultimately more effective.
Face it, collaboration can be challenging in a hybrid setting. And according to the data – most meetings have remote attendees now. But people still respond to the same human gestures — and eye-to-eye contact or face-to-face interaction is still the most engaging way to communicate and share ideas.
For businesses, accepting these truths can be intimidating. It means a total reinvestment into meeting spaces.
But for us AV pros, manufacturers, dealers, and the lot, the industry is buzzing with opportunity.
These are the conversations that give me the most thrill. And at Crestron, we’re living at the bleeding edge. Our sales teams are hearing those customer pain points. Our marketing teams are doing the research. And our engineering teams are working on brand new technologies — not just adding features — but developing solutions to these modern challenges.
Just this year we released Visual AI Direction — a feature in our Automate VX multi-camera speaker tracking solution. It’s a direct response to the face-to-face dilemma of hybrid meetings. Now, when an in-room participant turns to talk to the person at the head of the table, those far-end participants won’t see the side of their face; they will see a head-on view of the speaker.
These are the projects that energize our teams. This is how we push our industry forward.
We know this, but our challenge is showing our clients the possibilities. It’s time to shift the conversation from selling systems to creating experiences. If we face these truths we can begin to create the business outcomes our clients desire.
Truth #1: Building a culture of collaboration with hybrid teams is tough
A recent Gallup® poll reveals that 52% of staff have a hybrid schedule, while 27% are fully remote.
Why? Because it works. Companies can recruit top talent from anywhere, reduce overhead, and offer flexibility that keeps employees engaged.
But some companies never left the office. Some companies are mandating a return to office. So, why should they care about hybrid meeting technology?
Chances are their customers will fall into that 52%. Or maybe their partners, vendors, traveling team members, agencies, etc. Even companies with fully in-office teams are going to have to embrace elements of hybrid meetings every day. And if businesses refuse to face that reality, collaboration will break down — and eventually, the overall work culture will suffer.
While our Automate VX solution is great for larger, more complex spaces, we're also continually improving our 1 Beyond Camera system. Our most recent update (firmware version 2.0) expands the multi-camera capabilities to bring even better hybrid meeting experiences into smaller, simpler spaces. Now, a standalone 1 Beyond system can support up to five auto-switching cameras.
These solutions are already helping many global companies face these collaboration challenges. Just recently, we helped L’Oréal Group (Belgium) outfit their larger meeting spaces with our multi-camera solution to make their hybrid meetings better and more collaborative. They love the experience so much, they opted to use it in their training rooms as well.
Truth #2: Eye contact is disappearing
It's Business 101: offer a firm handshake, look them in the eye. It’s how trust is built. It’s how deals get done.
But in most hybrid setups, that eye contact is the first thing to go. Remote participants are left staring at the side of someone’s head (unless they have our Visual AI Direction feature) — or worse, a distant and blurry bowling alley view down the conference table.
Face it — that’s not collaboration. That’s a disconnect.
Fixing this issue means we need to tackle it from both sides of the screen — the far end and the in-room experience.
Our Crestron Sightline Experience does just that. It uses the power of our Automate VX solution to capture a head-on view of in-room participants. But then we layer on multiple displays around the room so that those in-room participants can always see a clear view of the remote attendees as well. It doesn’t matter where you’re sitting — you can always look the active speaker right in the face.
Truth #3: Sound and video quality matter
We've been trained to dress to impress: wear the blazer, look the part, dress for the job you want, not the one you have. But if your mic sounds like a drive-thru speaker, none of it lands. People judge what you say by how it sounds. Tinny audio makes you seem less credible. Muffled voice? Less clear. Dropouts and distortion? Less professional.
In a modern work setting, we must face this fact. It’s not fair — but it’s real.
And the research backs it up. A 2025 Yale study found that poor audio quality alone —without any change in content — caused listeners to rate speakers as less intelligent, less likable, and less hirable.
And if sound has that much impact, you can bet poor video quality does too. A bad angle, poor lighting, or pixelated feed can weaken your presence, your message, and your impression.
I love studies like this that help validate what we in the AV industry have been preaching for years. I had a bit of fun doing a breakdown on LinkedIn as well.
Truth #4: AI is in meeting rooms
Yes, the hype is overbearing and mostly underwhelming. But we have to face the truth — AI has made its way into the meeting room. Whether it’s Copilot for Microsoft Teams or the AI companion for Zoom or employees bringing their own AI devices — it is here. Here’s the catch: AI is only as good as the system it runs on. If the infrastructure isn’t ready, the experience falls flat.
I recently joined a great conversation with some friends where we dove deep on this topic. Even though we all brought different perspectives to the table, we agreed that in a hybrid work setting, we need robust AV systems to lay the foundation, to be the eyes (cameras) and ears (microphones) for those AI tools.
So, what now?
This isn’t about selling gear. It’s about designing experiences that bring people together — no matter where they are. It’s about helping clients see that better video calls aren’t just possible — they’re a requirement for modern business. It’s about helping clients build a culture of collaboration.
Face it — the way people work has changed.
And now, with solutions like Automate VX and 1 Beyond Cameras using Visual AI Direction, businesses can face modern work challenges head-on and teams can face each other with clarity and confidence.