Munich is known as one of the premier cities in the world for companies to meet and do business. Between conferences hosted in the city and the amount of enterprises that travel in and out for business, quick meetings are held constantly. As such, the hotel market in Munich must provide spaces in which enterprises that have travelled to the city for business or trade can meet together and conduct their business.
For years the Marriott Munich has been known as one of the best hotels for hosting and conducting meetings in the Munich market. To solidify that reputation, and to help usher in a new era of connected meeting spaces for their clientele, the Marriott Munich recently decided to renovate their facilities. In the early stages of planning, the renovation was due to be largely cosmetic—new carpets, new wallpaper, and the like. After further discussion, the Marriott Munich realized that they could usher in a new generation if they did a bit more.
“Going into the new generation—which is tech-savvy, which is already used to playing with smartphones, tablets, et cetera, and using them as a part of life—we said we have to do more than just changing the carpet,” says Robert Gasser, Director of Operations at the Marriott Munich. “The regular office set up today gives people time for work and play at the same time. We knew that this was the way to go to be ahead of the time versus our competitors.”
Through research the Marriott Munich found that the younger generation, the X and Y generation as they refer to it, have certain preferences in their meetings. Visually pleasing meeting spaces with trendy and modern furniture and decorations plays a large role in what this generation is looking for. While conducting meetings, they wish to always be reachable and always be able to reach out and contact others at a moment’s notice. In addition, they want to do so without the need for connectivity. Wireless access is a must.
The most important aspect of meetings for this new generation, they found, is simplicity.
“After six months investigation, we have found out that ClickShare, at the current stage, is the most handy product on the market,” says Gasser. “[It was] exactly what we were looking for: wireless, no installation needed, plug and play system, multifunctional, no cabling, no taping, and all of these kinds of things.”
The ClickShare by Barco is a device that allows a user to come into a room and relay what is shown on his laptop to a screen or projector. The beauty of the device is that there is no software that needs to be downloaded for the ClickShare to work. You plug the base unit into a projector or screen using either the VGA or HDMI cables connected to the base unit. With each base unit comes a set of dedicated ClickShare buttons, which connect to laptops using a USB cord. The buttons connect to the base unit via a wireless network created in the room. Simply click the button and what is shown on the laptops shows up onscreen.
“It completely changes your meeting, and that’s the thing that users only experience after having ClickShare meetings,” says Michael Geeraert, Business Development Manager for Collaboration for Barco. “The fact that you can very easily get on the screen, get off the screen, and get someone else on the screen makes it that people start sharing more easily.
The Marriott Munich included the ClickShare in their open meeting rooms which can be requested at a moment’s notice when utilizing their meeting package. They have found that, since the renovation and implementation of ClickShare, more companies that have never before stayed there have begun booking with the hotel. Recently a young businessman, having used the ClickShare technology, cancelled ten small meetings at other hotels and rescheduled them at the Marriott Munich.
The Marriott Munich has found that customers enjoy the ambience of their renovation, and especially enjoy the ease of use that ClickShare provides. Companies are returning more often than ever, and they are even seeing companies choose their hotel over competition in the market. Simplicity, it seems, sells in the meeting room.
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Video: Learn more about Marriott Munich’s installation of Barco’s ClickShare.
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