UK
Ireland
Scotland
London
Pensdown, the electrical people, have launched a new information campaign targeting a challenge that is quietly costing UK businesses time, confidence and authority in critical meetings.
The campaign, #PowerTheRoom responds to the growing reality that decisions at board and executive level are increasingly made online, yet the spaces supporting these discussions often fail when they are needed most.
As hybrid working and digitally led decision-making become the norm, many UK companies are struggling with meeting environments that are not fit for purpose. Poorly integrated AV systems, unreliable technology and fragmented communications can disrupt senior discussions, delay critical decisions and erode the confidence of teams and clients alike.
Hybrid meetings are now overwhelmingly common in UK workplaces. It has been estimated that around 91% of meetings in the UK now include at least one remote participant, yet only a small proportion of companies have updated their tech to support hybrid collaboration effectively. This highlights a gap between how organisations work and how their meeting spaces are equipped.
A recent HR News report also found that almost 80% of workers have lost time due to technical difficulties, with many spending an average of seven minutes per meeting just getting technology working. For teams holding five or more online meetings per week, this adds up to significant lost productivity.
These figures illustrate that hybrid and online meetings are now routine, yet many organisations are still not equipped to support them effectively. Inadequate technology, poor room design and unreliable setups are not minor inconveniences - they cost time, disrupt collaboration and erode confidence in how meetings are run.
According to Pensdown, it's a situation that continues to happen because many organisations still treat boardrooms and meeting spaces as static, physical rooms rather than dynamic digital environments. As a result, issues such as unreliable audio, poor camera positioning, inconsistent connectivity and fragmented system design continue to disrupt meetings that carry financial, legal and reputational weight.
"Critical decisions are increasingly being made with some people in the room and others on screen," said a spokesperson for Pensdown. "When the technology behind that interaction is not designed properly, it changes the tone and effectiveness of the conversation. The risk is not just technical failure - it's weakened decision-making," said Phil Wiltshire, operations director at Pensdown.
The #PowerTheRoom campaign is intended to reframe how businesses think about power, AV and communications infrastructure in senior spaces. Rather than focusing on equipment or specifications, the campaign highlights the operational impact of well-designed, reliable environments where meetings start on time, hybrid participants are fully present and conversations are not interrupted by avoidable technical issues.
Industry observers note that the cost of a failed meeting is rarely measured in isolation. Delays, misunderstandings and loss of confidence can have a knock-on effect across projects, governance processes and external relationships. Despite this, responsibility for meeting room performance is often split between multiple suppliers, creating gaps in accountability.
Pensdown's approach brings electrical infrastructure, AV, data, lighting and communications together as a single, coordinated system. The company says this end-to-end control is increasingly important as boardrooms evolve into high-stakes communication hubs rather than occasional meeting spaces.
"Hybrid working has raised expectations," added Phil. "Senior teams expect meetings to work seamlessly, regardless of where participants are located. The room now plays an active role in how authority and clarity are perceived."
The campaign arrives at a time when many UK organisations are reassessing their workplaces, not to reduce space, but to improve how it performs. With investor calls, governance discussions and leadership briefings frequently taking place online, the reliability of meeting environments has become a business risk rather than a technical one.
#PowerTheRoom will be supported by a series of case studies, industry commentary and practical insight focused on the real-world consequences of poorly designed meeting spaces. The aim, Pensdown says, is to encourage more informed conversations about how rooms support decision-making, rather than how they are fitted out.
By addressing the challenges between technology, space and leadership, Pensdown hopes the campaign will prompt UK businesses to look more critically at the environments where their most important conversations take place.
