When St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School approached The Big Picture Group, they faced a challenge common to many educational institutions: a lecture hall that looked good but underperformed acoustically.

The front rows — where senior staff and guests typically sat — had noticeably poor audio quality. Their video conferencing system had also reached end-of-life, leaving staff without the Microsoft Teams integration they needed for hybrid events and remote learning.

The solution required more than just equipment upgrades. It called for addressing the space's underlying acoustic issues.

01 — THE STARTING POINT The Problems

Two issues, one room — and both were quietly undermining how the space actually got used.

02 — THE APPROACH Strategic Upgrades with Smart Design

Audio System

We carefully chose the correct speaker and positioned it strategically to solve both problems. Ceiling-mounted Tannoy VX 8 speakers, angled at 55 degrees with 90 × 90-degree dispersion, now deliver even sound coverage across the entire hall while minimising back wall reflections.

Video Conferencing

We strategically went with the HP/Poly MTR kit because we can add page flip with Extron control. This means we used the Poly MTR touch panel to run the Extron control with real-time feedback.

Staff control everything — page flipping, source selection, room functions — directly from the Teams Room panel they're already familiar with. Dual aVer AF-CAM520PRO3 cameras maintain consistency with the adjacent boardroom. Same USB switching strategy, no retraining needed.

System Architecture

A dedicated Extron DSP handles routing and processing for the lecture hall. We separated the control programming from the boardroom (previously one shared program), giving each space operational independence while keeping the same familiar interface.

The Kit at a Glance

Keeping the existing projector, confidence monitor, lectern, microphones, and Extron transmission gear integrated seamlessly. Antenna extensions for the OFE microphones maintained proper coverage. This saved budget and reduced complexity.

03 — THE RESULT The Outcome

No more dead zones at the front. No more back wall reflections. Modern Teams integration that staff can actually use. Everything works together through one familiar interface.

04 — THE BIGGER PICTURE Why This Matters

Educational spaces need to support increasingly complex use cases — in-room presentations, hybrid learning, recorded lectures, live-streamed events. When the technology fails, so does the learning experience.

St Aidan's now has a lecture hall that performs at the level their institution deserves. The audio is clear and even throughout the entire space. The video conferencing is modern and integrated with familiar Teams workflows. Staff can operate the space with confidence using a unified control interface. And when senior staff and guests sit in those front rows, they experience the same excellent audio quality as everyone else in the room.