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You’re walking down the hall, passing company offices left and right. You’re on your way to an important interview, but you can’t find the office you’re looking for.

You start to panic as some of the office doors are labeled with suite numbers, others with the company name, and some companies have failed to properly identify their office with a useful display.

Finally, after a few minutes with an elevated heart rate, you come to your destination. You can’t help but wonder, how much easier your search would have been if the company had a proper display outside their office?

Signs, displays, and labels are things that we take for granted. They’re everywhere we look. It’s only when they’re missing do we think about them.

A conference room schedule display is no different. It’s something that’s extremely useful, but not something that we think a great deal about. Only when it’s missing does it cause problems for your office.

Even though these displays are valuable to each office, they’re not standard when you move in. Like your internet, it’s a necessity that must be installed by your team.

If your office is looking at installing a conference room reservation system with a proper display, here’s our recommended checklist to review before purchasing a meeting room scheduling tool and its accompanying display.

What Are Your Conference Room Schedule Display Options?

Installing a custom conference room reservation system is cost prohibitive for the majority of the companies in the world. If your company is growing and you anticipate transitioning to a larger office space in a few years, it may not be worth the investment to install such a system. But there are more cost effective solutions your team can implement.

A cloud based reservation system has become a popular options for companies, and only requires minimal hardware and installation. These programs work with any consumer tablet, including iPads.

To get started, you just need to choose which conference room reservation system you’d like to use and then which tablet your team is comfortable with.

We recommend using an iPad Mini because their size is not too overbearing, but large enough to easily navigate the display without frustration. iPad Minis also have a lower price point, which makes them especially attractive.

What Are the Costs?

The costs associated with your conference room display are two-fold. First you need hardware (like an iPad) and then you’ll have to pay the on-going, monthly fee of your conference room reservation system.

The price for your reservation software largely depends on how many conference room you’ll need to support. But monthly plans can start as low as $20 for each conference room. This includes all software updates and support. You’ll pay less for this stress-reducing service than you will at Starbucks each month.

Your hardware costs are a one-time fee. If you divide these costs over your lifetime use, you’ll be spending just a few dollars a month.

As aforementioned, we recommend using an iPad meeting room display. The iOS operating system has features that work well with conference room displays, like sounds and Guided Access (the ability to password lock the iPad).

There are  three main options to acquire an iPad for your office. You can buy new, buy refurbished, or lease.

• Buy iPads New: iPads directly from Apple start at $269. iPads can be found on sale at stores like Walmart ($199) and Best Buy ($189). Older generations of iPads can drop the price even more.
• Buying Refurbished iPads: We recommend purchasing refurbished iPads from our affiliate, Gazelle ($169). But you’re also able to buy refurbished iPads directly from Apple ($229) as well.
• Leasing iPads: Apple for Business can set you up with iPad leasing plan. These could be as low as $7 – $10/month per iPad.

How to Mount Your Conference Room Schedule Display

Each office space has very different dimensions, which influences how your team might prefer to mount the tablet. There are four primary methods to mount a tablet outside of your conference room. Options #1 and #3 are popular, but again, it largely depends on your office and preferences.

1. 3M Command Strips – This option uses velcro and super easy to install. It’s the best option for glass walls.

2. HecklerDesign WindFall Frame – This frame is best used for a table display. It can be secured with a screw but still allows for your display to pivot.

3. Vidabox Frame Mount – Vidabox frames are beautiful, metal frames that are very secure. They are mounted on the wall and easily hides your tablet’s wires. Vidabox also offers a Power-over-ethernet to USB adaptor that works well. The adaptor is designed to sit in the wall behind the iPad and then the frame hides the cable.

4. Otter Products – Otter offers two great options, one for your wall, the other for a table. The 8″ shell + wall mount is perfect for your conference room wall, while the Dock sits nicely on any table.

As you’re installing your conference room display, there are several extra accessories you may want to consider.

• Extended Lightning Cable ($29)
• Speakers and Cable

A conference room management system can save your team numerous headaches. You’ll no longer have to worry about double booking a conference room and can always tell when a conference room is available. It’s a simple luxury that every office should have. Use our guide to choosing a conference reservation system and then follow these steps for mounting your iPad and you’ll be all set.