Meeting room AV in the UAE: what goes into the package

A meeting room AV package in the UAE has six parts: the display, the microphones and audio processing, the camera, the UC platform or codec, the room control system, and the network and cabling interface to the ELV package. Specify each one as its own line, with programming and commissioning separate, and every supplier prices the same room.

This guide is written for fit-out contractors, consultants and procurement teams buying meeting room and boardroom AV in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. It covers what each component does, what the RFQ has to state about it, and how to read the bids that come back.

What goes into a meeting room AV package?

Every meeting room package is built from the same components, whatever the brand. What changes between a huddle room and a boardroom is the size, the coverage and the depth of control, not the list itself. Fixing the list first is what makes supplier quotes comparable.

How do you specify the display?

Size the display to the room depth and the farthest seat, not to a standard size. State a commercial display rated for extended daily use rather than a consumer television, the resolution, and the mounting: wall, floor stand or ceiling. In larger boardrooms a dual display or a projector with a screen may suit better, and the RFQ should say which. Name the specified model and say whether an approved equal is allowed, so a substitution is flagged instead of hidden in the total.

Ceiling microphones and DSP: when are they worth it?

Ceiling microphone arrays cover a whole table from above, so the table stays clear and nobody has to lean toward a puck. They need a digital signal processor (DSP) for echo cancellation and tuning, which is labour as much as hardware. For a small huddle room a video bar with built-in microphones is often enough. For boardrooms, large tables and rooms with hard finishes, a ceiling array with a tuned DSP is usually the reliable answer.

• State the coverage required per room, or the seating layout, so suppliers size the array rather than guess.
• Make DSP tuning and acoustic testing a priced line, not an assumption.
• Ask whether the array is PoE powered and which network switch port it needs, because that lands on the ELV package.
• Flag hard finishes such as glass walls and stone floors early. Acoustics drive rework when they are ignored.

Which camera and UC platform should the RFQ name?

Decide the UC platform before the RFQ goes out, because the camera, the codec and the licences all follow from it. A fixed wide camera suits small rooms. A PTZ camera or a multi-camera setup with speaker tracking suits boardrooms. Ask suppliers to confirm platform certification for every device, and to state who supplies the licences and for how long, because licence terms are a common gap between bids.

What should a meeting room control system include?

A meeting room control system puts the room behind one touch panel: start the meeting, switch sources, set volume and camera presets. Integrated control can also set lighting scenes, lower blinds and show room booking. Most of the cost and most of the risk sit in programming, so specify the panel and processor as hardware lines and the programming, interface design and revisions as a separate line.

• List what the panel must control in each room type: AV only, or lighting, blinds and booking as well.
• Name the protocol for every interface to another trade, such as DALI or KNX for lighting.
• Ask for the interface design to be shown for approval before programming starts.
• State whether a central monitoring or management platform for all rooms is in scope.

Lighting control often runs through the same panel, so read the lighting control systems guide alongside this one on integrated fit-outs.

Where does the AV package meet the ELV package?

The network is the boundary most often left unclear. Modern meeting room devices run on the building network, so the RFQ must say who supplies the PoE switches, the VLAN and IP configuration, and the structured cabling to each device. If both the AV and ELV packages price it, you pay twice. If neither does, the gap appears on site. Write the split on both packages, and use the structured cabling RFQ guide for the cabling side.

Meeting room AV RFQ checklist

• A room schedule: how many rooms of each type, with seating and dimensions.
• One line per device per room type, with model references and the approved-equal rule.
• Programming, interface design, DSP tuning, testing and commissioning as separate lines.
• The UC platform, the licence term and who supplies the licences.
• The network and cabling split with the ELV package, in writing.
• Handover training, as-built drawings, the warranty period and the support terms.
• The commercial frame: AED pricing excluding VAT, validity, delivery window and deadline.

The first sample in the RFQ examples shows a meeting room and boardroom package written out this way, and the free RFQ template gives you the blank file.

How do you compare meeting room AV bids?

Compare per room type and per line, not on the total. Check that each bid prices the specified device or a flagged equal, that programming and commissioning are included on the same basis, and that the licence term matches. The full method, including how to treat substitutions and lead times, is in the guide on how to compare AV supplier bids. For budget planning before bids arrive, the AV system cost guide for the UAE sets out indicative ranges by room type.