NEC Display Solutions Client Installation Education
CARDINAL NEWMAN COLLEGE
CREATING A CROSS CAMPUS VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS ‘WOW’
When Cardinal Newman College began searching for ways to enrich their students’ educational and social progression, they went about it in no small way with the determination to make a big impression. With Saville Audio Visual, NEC delivered a high quality, high impact display solution.
The Challenge
‘WE WERE LOOKING TO INVEST IN THE BEST TO MAKE A HIGH IMPACT’
Cardinal Newman Catholic Sixth Form College in Preston strives to be a centre of educational excellence for the community, seeking to nurture the gifts of individuals through high quality teaching and learning and dedicated pastoral care.
Stephen Pegg, Principal of the College describes the establishment as “a small and distinctive College which welcomes students of all faiths and has a real feeling of community. We are passionate about excellence, but believe that this can only be achieved if students enjoy their time here.”
With other educational establishments in the area competing for students to fill their course portfolio, Cardinal Newman’s appealing ethos must be strongly demonstrated if it is to attract the most fervent students. On this basis, the college initiated a refurbishment of the canteen and social areas within the campus.
Such highly visible public areas are crucial to forming a perception of any establishment and for young people this is of particular importance. A successful refurbishment would serve to give the college a competitive advantage in attracting student applications whilst enriching the experience of existing students, staff and visitors.
“We were really looking to achieve the WOW factor. From the furniture and coffee vendor to décor and IT installs, we were looking to invest in the best to make a high impact”, said Rick Boyce, Projects and Development Manager at the college. Rick went on to explain: “The canteen and student common room provide a multi-purpose facility which we use to host a number of events, so we we’re looking to get maximum usage out of our investment.”
The NEC Solutions
The college sought reputable suppliers through the education purchasing consortium and in terms of their IT requirements, began a dialogue with several AV providers. It quickly became apparent that whilst several were able to supply product, only Saville Audio Visual stood out as having the knowledge and confidence to provide a total service.
Saville AV were able to provide assistance from conception and design through to the final installation and as an authorised Solutions Plus reseller for NEC Display Solutions, they were also able to supply the product expertise direct from the manufacturer.
Cardinal Newman College were initially attracted to the potential impact of NEC’s 82inch LCD, however, after further discussion it became clear that a videowall solution would provide the flexibility they were looking for. First, considering a 4x4 configuration, the college went on to select a mammoth videowall made up of nine 40inch NEC P401 LCD screens for the student common room. They were certain in their conviction to make a big impression.
The college produce their own content with input provided by administration, staff and students aimed at increasing communication, informing students about courses, student services and events. Whilst networked, the installation allows for very simple transmission via a laptop allowing the videowall to be used for presentations at staff meetings and at events such as race nights with convincing race exhilaration conveyed by the huge display.
In addition to the videowall, the college selected a further three P401 displays for digital signage purposes and nine 32 inch NEC V321 displays installed along the canteen wall to display digital artwork further adding to the appeal of the public spaces and providing a fantastic medium to display student work.
The Result
To add to the anticipated WOW factor, Rick and his team decided to keep the refurb under wraps so that when staff and students returned after the Easter break they were blown away by the transformation.
‘WE WERE DELIGHTED BY THE REACTION, WE ARE TRULY SATISFIED THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED THE IMPACT WE WERE HOPING FOR’
Referring to the IT installation Rick went on to say: “Our students continue to suggest exciting ideas for content and it provides a cross curricular medium to enrich every aspect of their college career.” Cardinal Newman are looking at further ways of harnessing IT to enhance their students learning experience and are currently investigating 3D projection and digital signage for the reception area. The strong trust already established between the college and Saville AV has greatly assisted in the progression of plans whilst NEC Display Solutions offers a comprehensive range of product solutions from LCD desktop displays and projection to large format displays and digital signage.
Richard Topping, North West Sales Executive for Saville Audio Visual commented: “As an authorised Solutions Plus reseller for NEC we benefit greatly from a strong relationship with the manufacturer. NEC is able to get close to the end user to understand the complexities of the installation and therefore recommend the products best suited. The customer required the best and we were able to supply and install the best”.
