Room Scheduling: The Standard We Know
Room scheduling has become a foundational part of how organizations manage their meeting spaces. It enables employees to reserve spaces like conference rooms, huddle areas, training rooms, or any other open-use spaces directly through familiar calendar apps—think Outlook, Google Calendar, or Microsoft Teams.
Each room typically features a scheduling panel mounted outside the door, providing immediate visual access to the room’s availability, upcoming meetings, and scheduling options. These panels aren’t just digital signage; they are interactive, connected tools that integrate directly with your company’s calendar system, offering employees the flexibility to book a space for immediate use or schedule it for a future time.
This solution helps companies avoid double-bookings, streamline meeting room usage, and give employees confidence that the space they need will be available when they need it.
Hardware That Makes It Work
Crestron Room Scheduling Panels: Crestron is a trusted name in the audio visual industry, and their room scheduling panels are a perfect example of thoughtful design and tight integration. These touch panels come in various sizes, configurations, and features:
- Compatibility with Outlook, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and more
- Bright status indicators for quick at-a-glance availability
- Custom branding and themes to match company interiors
- Real-time calendar sync and ad-hoc booking right from the panel
Extron Room Scheduling Panels: Extron brings a high-end design sensibility and flexible functionality to their room scheduling hardware. Their panels support:
- Multiple calendar integrations, including Microsoft and Google
- Room availability indicators with LED lighting
- Flexible mounting options for walls or glass
- Built-in analytics to track room usage and optimize scheduling
Biamp Evoko Liso Panels: Sleek, stylish, and incredibly user-friendly, Evoko Liso panels bring a modern look to any meeting space. Their key features include:
- A clean, touch-friendly UI with minimal learning curve
- Iconic LED “traffic light” rings to show room status from a distance
- Integration with Exchange, Office 365, Google Calendar, and more
- Customizable settings for different types of room use and permissions
Desk Booking: The New Frontier in Workspace Flexibility
In today’s hybrid work environment, not everyone has a dedicated desk. Whether it’s consultants, remote employees who occasionally come in, or teams using a rotating schedule, the need for flexible desk usage has skyrocketed. That’s where desk booking systems come in.
Desk booking applies the same principle as room scheduling—reserve a space through your calendar app or book it on the spot using a physical device. It empowers employees to:
- Plan their in-office days with confidence
- Choose a desk that suits their work style or team location
- Avoid wasting time hunting for an open space
- Ensure compliance with office capacity guidelines and social distancing when needed
Open office areas can be equipped with desk scheduling panels that display whether a spot is reserved or free. These panels also allow for ad-hoc booking, just tap the screen and the desk is yours.
Ideal Scenarios for Desk Booking:
- Hybrid workplaces with rotating in-office schedules
- Consulting teams or mobile workers
- Shared office environments or coworking spaces
- Enterprise-level facilities with hundreds of desks
- Temporary office setups for events, onboarding, or projects
Desk Booking Hardware Options
Crestron Desk Scheduling Devices: Designed for simplicity and power, Crestron’s desk booking panels are ideal for modern workspaces. They offer:
- Compact touch panels that fit neatly on or near desks
- LED indicators to show availability (green for open, red for booked)
- Seamless integration with Microsoft and Google calendar systems
- Analytics tools for understanding desk usage and trends
Extron Desk Booking Panels: Extron applies their AV expertise to the individual desk level. Their solutions include:
- Intuitive touchscreen interfaces
- Durable design for high-traffic environments
- Enterprise-level security and IT-friendly management
- Centralized scheduling dashboards for administrators
Biamp Evoko Kleeo Desk Manager: The Kleeo desk booking device is part of Evoko’s new generation of hybrid workspace tools. Kleeo stands out for its:
- Minimalist design with a glowing LED halo to signal availability
- Wireless connectivity and easy installation
- Integration with the broader Evoko scheduling ecosystem
- Touch-based interaction and user ID tracking for personalized booking
For Coworking Spaces and Offices-for-Hire
The rise of coworking and flexible office space providers has made desk and room booking even more important. These environments often include a variety of rentable spaces: individual desks, small meeting rooms, offices for the day, and even large event venues. All of these can be made easily bookable through a central scheduling platform, supported by in-room and in-desk hardware that updates in real-time.
Desk and room scheduling hardware provides a professional, seamless experience for clients and tenants. With branded panels, real-time updates, and easy integration into billing and access systems, providers can offer high-value service with minimal administrative effort.
Unified Scheduling = Better Workflows
Whether you’re managing 10 desks or 10,000, a unified scheduling platform supported by hardware from Crestron, Extron, and Biamp Evoko offers key benefits:
Employee Benefits
- Always know where and when you can work
- Avoid scheduling conflicts
- Easy access to book spaces on-the-fly or in advance
- Greater autonomy and flexibility
Admin & IT Benefits
- Centralized control over office usage
- Integration with existing calendar systems
- Data on space usage trends
- Ability to enforce capacity limits or cleaning buffers
Business Benefits
- Higher space utilization
- More productive, satisfied workforce
- Optimized real estate costs
- Easier transitions to hybrid or flexible work models
Room and desk scheduling are no longer just “nice-to-have” tools—they’re essential components of a flexible, modern workplace. By deploying connected hardware from industry leaders like Crestron, Extron, and Biamp Evoko, companies can unlock the full potential of their physical spaces.
Smart scheduling isn’t just about reserving a space. It’s about giving your team the tools they need to do their best work—wherever that may be.
Ready to Modernize Your Workplace?
We can help you choose the right scheduling tools for your environment. Whether it’s desks, rooms, or shared spaces, there’s a smart way to schedule it. Let’s build a better workplace—together. Contact Pro AV Systems today!
