Sharp NEC Display Solutions client installation – Higher Education

Warwick Business School

An exceptional executive learning environment

Expanding its global outreach, Warwick Business School upgrades its London campus for improved remote learning using NEC Large Format Displays for high quality video conferencing.

Warwick Business School (WBS) has grown to become the largest department within the University of Warwick with a global network of over 53,000 alumni in more than 167 countries, aiming to be Europe’s leading University-based Business School.

In 2015, WBS established a satellite campus within The Shard to expand its reach and provide an exceptional learning environment for executive development in the Capital. With teaching spaces occupying the 13th and 17th floors, students benefit from world-class learning programs enhanced with breathtaking panoramic views across the London skyline.

The Challenge

To offer improved hybrid working and remote collaboration opportunities, WBS identified 19 meeting rooms to be upgraded with Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) solutions featuring the latest AV equipment to support seamless connectivity and the best possible user experiences.

Benefiting from an established relationship with GVAV, WBS appointed their preferred specialist integrator to supply and deliver the latest AV upgrade.

Warwick-Business-School-1

Acknowledging that technology is sometimes a barrier to engagement, ease of use is a vital consideration when implementing any new conferencing equipment. Matt Price, GVAV’s technical projects director explains:

“For some, video conferencing can be difficult and stressful without AV adding to the issue. We wanted something that could be easy to interface with, that the client could easily configure on their machine via a single USB peripheral.”

Another important consideration identified by GVAV is the implication of the glass construction of The Shard. At times, direct sunlight fills the meeting spaces creating a gloriously light filled space yet posing a challenge for visual displays.


The Solution

Currently in use across teaching spaces at the Warwick campus, WBS and GVAV selected the 65-inch NEC MultiSync® E Series of Large Format Displays for the newly equipped meeting spaces at The Shard. Providing continuity across the estate alongside user familiarity and proven quality and reliability, the UHD screens provide the vital visual anchor in each of the meeting spaces. The screen features a haze filter so even in the brightly lit meeting spaces the viewing experience is unhindered by reflections or glare.

Warwick-Business-School-2

Integrated behind the displays, enabling content sharing and casting, is the WolfVision Cynap Pure, another device which is in use at the Warwick campus and already familiar to staff. This solution allows multiple devices within the meeting room to connect wirelessly to the NEC MultiSync® screen for a seamless user experience for any number of presenters.

To simplify the system and reduce the overall complexity, GVAV worked with WBS to select a solution that was easy to use and took room suitability into account in terms of acoustics and size.

Rather than using individual USB peripheral devices such as camera and microphone, it was vital to be able to consolidate these features into one, easy to use, plug and play unit. The Jabra PanaCast 50 was selected featuring beamforming 8-mic technology and precision voice detection, three 13-megapixel cameras and 180° field of view, ensuring everybody in the room can be seen and heard with the utmost clarity.


The Result

With high quality displays, simple wireless presentation, room booking, and an all-in-one video conferencing solution integrated into each space, Warwick Business School has a comprehensive AV system to complement the prestige of their premium location inside the iconic Shard building.

WBS’ operations director, Toni Moyela, is pleased with the result:

“It’s been an easy-to-use solution, providing a seamless and standardised way for our users to work collaboratively and an effective solution for hybrid situations as well.”

The provision for remote users has opened up new opportunities to deliver learning experiences to those joining from outside of the classroom without compromise to the quality of the experience. The ability to enhance collaboration across the two campuses and to reach out to industry experts located across the globe has enriched the learning programs offered by the business school.

Warwick-Business-School-3