When it comes to video conferencing, 2021 was a year of innovation and experimentation. After the events of 2020 led to a huge uptick in video conferencing usage, there was no shortage of ideas and opportunities for innovation and development. Soundbars were reimagined, 4K super high-quality video performance was squeezed into a small, personal camera, and meeting content finally came to life with specialized content cameras.

With these new innovations, new trends became clear. Going into 2022, we’re looking forward to following these trends and seeing new ideas and innovations in the video conferencing space. Here are 5 of the most exciting trends to follow in 2022:

An unexpected trend for many, ‘gamification’ refers to the practice of businesses holding virtual meetings that involve a game element, making online meetings more interesting and engaging. These games come in many forms, from small breakout room mini games, to point scoring systems for accomplishing small goals. High-tech meeting gamification can integrate the game with the meeting directly, creating a more seamless and engaging experience. Take this progressing technology and pair it up with a high-quality video conferencing camera, and you have up to large conference rooms full of people all participating together, even with remote participants.

A lesson that many have learned the hard way, low quality video conferencing components such as budget laptop cameras and unclear microphones are by no means a long-term solution. A lesson learned for many using video conferencing, high quality video hardware has now been realized as a necessity for any reliable setup. Vivid and clear images allow you to pick up the communication you could in person, such as facial expressions and other nonverbal indicators, while at the same time eliminating the frustration of a low-quality setup. While most video conferencing providers do have high end options, as always, we suggest going with a trusted high-end video conferencing solution provider to ensure a smooth experience.

Following the explosion in video conferencing implementation in businesses over 2020 and 2021, the market is still steadily trending upward as the realization that video conferencing is worth the long-term investment sinks in. In 2021, the video conferencing market value grew to almost $10 billion USD, according to Yahoo finance. The uptake of hybrid working setups has also increased many times over, with CNBC reporting that almost half of the surveyed companies in the US plan a return to work under a hybrid office model, with businesses citing employee productivity and health and wellness as the primary forces pushing them towards it.

In the past, video conferencing wasn’t seen as much of a necessity so much as a luxury for those whose companies invested in it. While this concept was slowly changing as employees and employers slowly realized the huge benefits waiting for those who took the leap, video conferencing software was often simplistic and built with just one basic purpose. In 2021, with the massively increased usage of VC software, new ideas from users and developers were given opportunities for implementation. The now-classic feature ‘breakout rooms’ appeared in Zoom, and the more recent Content Camera Certification features appeared in Microsoft Teams, promising to once again revolutionize the way we meet online.

In 2021, there was one last discovery that has become a trend going into 2022. I am, of course, talking about hybrid offices. The realization that offices do not have to be black and white in their structures – in person or online – and that hybrid offices can take the best of both worlds, maintaining in-person offices for times when in-person interaction is a necessity, and online working is an option. For employees, this means true freedom and control over the way they want to work, and for employers it means better retention with happy employees who will be far less likely to take their skills and experience elsewhere.

Heading into 2022, we are looking forward to seeing how these trends develop, and even more than that, looking forward to see what new trends appear in the exciting video conferencing industry. To regularly hear updates about video conferencing trends this year, subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest!