‘WFH’ wasn’t a widely recognised acronym until recently. Okay, perhaps the World Federation of Hemophilia might have something to say about that, but for most of us, working from home used to be a special exception rather than the norm. Now it’s baked into many employment contracts.

The AV team at Zurich (the insurance services company) estimates that around 95% of meetings on-site now include remote participants. This ‘new normal’ puts pressure on the suitability, performance, and usability of the audiovisual systems in meeting spaces.

This story explores how Shure’s MXA920 ceiling microphone array has transformed Zurich’s hybrid meeting experience in two of its large, flexible spaces. It’s not a ‘yeah/nah’ outcome – it’s more of a ‘belt-it-out-of-the-park’, ‘couldn’t-be-more-delighted’ kind of story, which, arguably, makes it more interesting. According to Zurich’s Nigel Curtis, the Level 17 agile workspace (with capacity for up to 250 seated participants) has become Zurich’s most sought-after meeting venue – it’s booked constantly. That’s a huge endorsement of the integrated AV offering. It’s not entirely hands-off – for mission-critical all-hands events, the room is appropriately staffed – but for day-to-day use, the tech requires minimal intervention and ‘just works’, providing a seamless experience both in the room and at the far end.

LAY OF THE LAND

Zurich’s North Sydney office features two multi-function spaces designed to support a wide range of corporate activities. The newest, located on Level 17, is used for customer events, internal functions, quarterly reviews, and planning sessions – each with differing layout and technology requirements. The auditorium on Level 2 is primarily used for town hall-style gatherings but can be reconfigured to suit various needs.

With a workforce now largely hybrid – as mentioned, over 90% of meetings include remote participants – Zurich places strong emphasis on ensuring all attendees receive a high-quality experience, whether they’re in the room or joining remotely. To achieve this, reliable and adaptable technology is considered essential.

Prior to the Shure MXA920-led upgrade, the AV team met the demand for improved far-end audio on Teams calls with a mix of handheld wireless and boundary microphones placed on tables. The results were variable… patchy at best. Nigel, whose title is Voice, Video, UC Strategy – APAC at Zurich, outlines the impact the MXA920 ceiling mics have made:

“We no longer need handhelds to run around the room during Q&As. For presentation-heavy meetings, the ceiling mics mainly come into play during Q&A. That means no more mic runners or interruptions.

“For forums – highly interactive sessions with 60–70 people around tables – we just leave the ceiling mics on, allowing for seamless contributions from both in-room and online participants. That use-case is probably the strongest demonstration of the difference the ceiling mics have made.

“In the auditorium, we had similar challenges – delays in getting a mic to someone – but we’ve addressed those now. With ceiling mics in place, we’ve eliminated the need for manual intervention.”