Prevent no-shows in meeting rooms with practical tips and smart solutions. Learn how data and occupancy insights can help improve space usage and prevent waste.
Marwan el Morabet
Managing meeting rooms in offices and campuses is a well-known challenge. No-shows – meetings that are booked but where no one shows up – lead to inefficient space usage and frustration for other users. In our new Living Lab meeting room, we offer an innovative solution: with PLEQ, sensors from Elsys, and a Busylight indicator, we can detect no-shows with an accuracy of 99.5%.
This solution not only provides insight into space usage but also makes it possible to automatically free up meeting rooms based on behaviour patterns. In this article, we delve deeper into how this technology works and how it has a positive impact on space usage.
Space Management: From Towels to Smart Sensors
A common phenomenon on campuses is that students or employees claim meeting rooms, for example, by leaving personal items such as towels, without actually using the space. This behaviour leads to inefficient use of valuable spaces. Research shows that spaces remain unused on average 30-40% of the time, despite often being reserved.
With PLEQ, we introduce a solution that addresses this inefficiency: spaces are only marked as occupied when both movement AND heat are detected. This means that no-shows are accurately recognised and meetings are released when no one appears.
How Does It Measure No-shows in Meeting Rooms?
The Elsys sensor first detects movement upon entry. However, this is not always sufficient: for example, someone might forget something quickly and walk back without using the room. Therefore, the system adds a second layer of detection: a heat or infrared sensor.
Detecting movement: Upon entering the space, the sensor activates.
Detecting heat: When someone remains still or seated without movement for a longer period, the system switches to heat recognition. This prevents false reports.
The sensor, mounted on the ceiling, offers a detection range of 5 meters and has a field of view of 60°. For optimal range and accurate measurements, it is important to position the sensor correctly.
Within 30 seconds, the system can determine whether a space is actually in use. Since the data is sent via LoRaWAN, there is no interference with wifi networks. The sensor reports only when a status change occurs, ensuring a secure and energy-efficient data flow.
Automatic Release of Spaces
If the PLEQ solution detects that no one is actually present, the meeting room can be automatically released via the software. This process is fully configurable: for example, by setting a time threshold whereby a space is freed up after 20 minutes of inactivity for others.
The Busylight indicator plays an essential role here:
Green light: The space is free.
Red light: The space is occupied and there is an active reservation.
Orange light: The space is reserved, but verification is needed (for example, because someone is late).
This orange light provides extra flexibility: if no one arrives within 20 minutes, the room can be automatically made available to others. The remaining time of the original reservation is then displayed in the frontend so that others can still book the space.
Impact and Results: 20-40% More Efficient Space Usage
Our initial results show that the use of this smart technology has a huge impact on efficiency:
20-40% improvement in space usage thanks to the combination of sensors and the visual feedback from the Busylight indicator.
99.5% accuracy in detecting no-shows, providing reliable data and better space management.
Moreover, the solution offers excellent value for money.
Flexible and Secure Space Management with PLEQ
The PLEQ solution is ideal for campuses and offices where efficient space usage is crucial. By combining motion and heat detection with smart software and a visual Busylight indicator, meeting rooms can be better managed. No-shows are accurately detected, and spaces are automatically freed up, allowing everyone on campus to make optimal use of available facilities.
Benefits at a glance:
Automatic release of spaces after certain thresholds.
Visual indication with the Busylight: clear and user-friendly.
99.5% accuracy in detection with LoRaWAN sensors.
Easy-to-set policies for reservations and no-shows.
Improved space utilisation of up to 20-40% [1]
FAQ
How does the heat and motion detection of the Elsys sensor work?The sensor detects movement and switches to heat measurements when someone remains still, to prevent false detections.
What happens if someone arrives late for a reservation?The Busylight indicates orange light, signalling that verification is needed. If no one shows up, the room can be released after X minutes based on a flexible space policy.
Can the system automatically release rooms?Yes, based on a flexibly configurable policy, rooms can be automatically made available when no-shows are detected.
What happens to the data?The data is sent via the sensor to the organisation's own Azure environment for storage and analysis. Access and security are managed via the internal Azure Active Directory (AAD). This guarantees full ownership and compliance with security and privacy guidelines.
