Hybrid Meetings that work in every room
Adanola is a women’s activewear and lifestyle brand, founded in Manchester in 2015 by brothers Hyrum and Josh Cook. The brand is built on a simple idea: activewear should work as well running errands as it does in the gym. Its minimal, neutral essentials are designed to be worn every day.
That simplicity has resonated. Adanola has become one of the UK’s fastest growing fashion brands, selling direct to consumers online and through a carefully chosen wholesale network that includes Selfridges and Equinox. With growing momentum in the US, the Manchester head office is home to teams working with colleagues and stockists far beyond the building.
For a brand that has built its reputation on getting the essentials right, the tools its own people rely on every day needed to meet the same standard.
Partner Challenges
Hybrid meetings had become part of everyday life at Adanola’s Manchester office, but the experience of running them was inconsistent. What worked in one room did not necessarily work in the next.
The people who felt it most were those joining remotely. Colleagues dialling in were not getting the full audio experience, which meant parts of the conversation were lost before they reached them. To make calls work at all, teams would often huddle around a single laptop, leaning in to be seen and heard.
It was workable, but only just, and it put the burden on people to manage the technology before they could get on with the meeting. Adanola needed meeting spaces that behaved the same way every time, so anyone could walk into any room and start a call with confidence, and remote colleagues could feel properly part of the conversation.
What AVM Did
AVM started by understanding how the spaces were really used. A full site survey looked at each of the six meeting rooms in turn, considering its size, layout and the kind of meetings it would host. That survey shaped a design for every room, rather than a single kit list repeated six times.
The guiding aim was consistency. AVM designed all six rooms around Microsoft Teams Rooms on Neat hardware, so the experience of starting a meeting is the same wherever someone is in the building.
Neat Center plays a key part in solving the hybrid problem. Sitting in the middle of the table, it captures people face on rather than from the far end of the room, giving remote colleagues a clear view of everyone taking part and a real sense of being at the table. Paired with room audio designed to cover the whole space, people dialling in now hear the full conversation, not just whoever happens to be sitting closest.
AVM supplied the displays and carried out the complete installation across all six rooms, commissioning each space so it was ready for the team from day one.
Delivery was only the start. Ongoing support has become a central part of the relationship, and Adanola has been impressed by AVM’s commitment and response times. When something needs attention, it is dealt with quickly, so small issues do not get in the way of the working day.
Partner Feedback
“The support element has been super fast, its been incredible. Everyone I have dealt with has treated me like a friend rather than a customer.”
Mark Waters, IT Technician, Adanola
Outcome
Meetings at Adanola’s Manchester office now work the same way in every room. Members of the team enjoy using the spaces, and there is no longer any need to crowd around a single laptop to join a call.
The biggest difference is felt on the other end of the line. Remote participants can now hear what is happening in the room, and with Neat Center on the table they can see everyone taking part. Hybrid meetings feel like one conversation rather than two.
With AVM providing ongoing support, the rooms are set up to keep working as reliably as they do today while Adanola continues to grow in the UK and beyond.
Solutions Provided
- Consultancy and Room Design
- Video Conferencing (Microsoft Teams Rooms)
- Displays and Installation
- Support and Maintenance