Back in 2015, the AV and collaboration industry was all-in on the death of the large conference room. The huddle room was the future, analysts claimed, brandishing inverted pyramid charts that showed demand shifting toward smaller spaces for two to three people rather than cavernous boardrooms seating 20 or more. And then, just as the industry was adapting, the pandemic hit. Huddling became unthinkable. Offices emptied. Remote work took center stage.

Fast forward to today — ISE 2025 has confirmed what many of us suspected: Small meeting spaces are back. Though no one dares call them “huddle rooms” anymore, the core premise remains. Enterprises have historically underinvested in small rooms, and the market is once again racing to equip them with video conferencing solutions. The industry loves a good reboot, and this time it’s all about BYOD systems, AI enhancements and interoperability.

Small Rooms, Big Moves

At this year’s ISE, the biggest players in collaboration technology unveiled a flurry of products aimed at small spaces:

• Cisco introduced the Room Bar BYOD — essentially their Room Bar minus the touch panel. For about $1,500, it functions as a BYOD-only device but retains network management capabilities. Add the touch panel back, and it transforms into a full-fledged room system with a codec. A clever upgrade path for customers.
• Neat announced “Neat Select,” a feature that lets users remove the Neat Pad from their Neat Bar and Neat Bar 2 to create a BYOD-only setup while maintaining network management through Neat Pulse.
• Jabra unveiled the PanaCast 40 VBS, a more compact version of the PanaCast 50 VBS, targeting smaller rooms at a sub-$1,500 price point with a 180-degree field of view.
• HP (Poly) introduced the Poly Studio V12 USB Video Bar, a new compact device made from over 50% recycled materials, replacing the Studio USB / R30  to align with HP’s overall design and include AI enhancements across all video devices.
• Barco showcased deeper ClickShare BYOD integrations with Microsoft Teams, allowing an individual user’s PC to support such things as multiple speaker identification and usage of better room peripherals. They also showed dual content-sharing.

The sheer number of BYOD-oriented devices reflects a growing trend: enterprises want flexibility. They’re no longer satisfied with locking into a single ecosystem — or, in some cases, a pricey enterprise deployment. The industry has taken note, and the competition to be the go-to BYOD solution for small rooms is heating up.

Platform Wars

In another significant move, Google Meet announced that Logitech’s Android-based Google Meet hardware, including the Rally Bar, Rally Bar Mini and Rally Bar Huddle, will now support Cisco Webex and Zoom meetings. This effectively mirrors Microsoft’s Direct Guest Join, albeit with many of the same limitations — some features won’t be supported, and power users will likely still seek premium third-party interop solutions.

Speaking of Microsoft, Teams is shifting more certified Android endpoint manufacturers to MDEP (Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform). This latest MDEP firmware update (version 2024.4) expands support for IP phones, introduces frictionless provisioning workflows and integrates Fluent 2 design. Privately, Microsoft has hinted that transitioning all Teams-certified Android endpoints to MDEP is inevitable. With Crestron, Owl Labs and others joining the MDEP ecosystem, Microsoft’s grip on collaboration hardware is tightening. Still, there are no GA users of MDEP today. When I write about MDEP at Enterprise Connect in March, I expect that to FINALLY not be true.

AI and Audio: More Than Just Buzzwords

ISE 2025 wasn’t just about video — audio is getting its own AI-driven glow-up. Crestron’s Videobar 70 firmware update introduces aggressive noise suppression, promising to eliminate background distractions like typing, rustling and even hair dryers. Crestron also revamped its XiO management platform, making device management free for Crestron gear, now only charging for third-party devices.

AudioCodes stepped into the AI conversation with its Intelligent Virtual Agent (IVA) platform, emphasizing real-time meeting summaries at the room level — an interesting contrast to Microsoft’s user-centric Copilot model. Six months of the service come included with AudioCodes MTR systems, which could appeal to enterprises wary of the value of per-user AI licensing costs.

Meanwhile, Huddly and Shure announced a collaboration, with Huddly supplying cameras for Shure’s new IntelliMix Room Kits, certified for Microsoft Teams. Given Huddly’s AI-powered framing technology and Shure’s reputation in audio, this partnership could be a sleeper hit for Teams-focused enterprises.

Beyond Video Bars: Miscellaneous Innovations

While small-room solutions dominated ISE 2025, other notable product launches included:

• Zoom showed off its Workplace Reservation tool, which is clearly the best AI based hybrid workspace reservation system available today. It has the amazing ability to suggest what the best days are for you to come into the office based on the rest of your team and their plans, and then suggest desks and rooms that match the best proximity and your preferences.
• Logitech Spot, a battery-powered occupancy sensor that integrates with Logitech’s scheduling ecosystem (and aligns with Microsoft Places and Zoom Workspace Reservation).
• DTEN Vue and Vue Pro, AI-powered multi-lens cameras for dynamic meeting views.
• Maxhub and Yealink’s new Microsoft Teams-based all-in-one boards reinforcing the trend of integrated, touchscreen-centric room solutions.
• Nureva’s iOS app, which introduces a powerful acoustic check tool for large-room microphone system placement and optimization.

The Cycle Continues

ISE 2025 has made one thing clear: The AV industry, like Hollywood, struggles with truly original ideas. Ten years ago, we were debating the rise of huddle rooms. Today, we’re still talking about small rooms, just under different branding. But despite the recycled concepts, the innovation is real.

BYOD, AI-driven enhancements and interoperability are defining this next wave of small-room solutions. Vendors are recognizing that enterprises don’t want to be locked into a single platform, that meeting equity matters and that every space — no matter how small — deserves robust collaboration tools.

So, while history might be repeating itself, at least the tech is getting better. And who knows? Maybe in 2035, we’ll be back at ISE talking about the “return of the large conference room.” Stranger things have happened.