The seminar has begun. The tutor plugs her USB stick into the PC underneath the screen and uses a video to briefly explain the task. Then the students split into groups and begin working on their laptop. When they’re ready, the first group link their laptop to the screen − quickly and easily − ready to present their results to the others.

The University of Groningen (UG) asked us to devise a solution for screens in smaller seminar rooms. The solution had to be free-standing away from the walls, as well as portable, so that work can be carried out flexibly in the rooms at all times.

We provided around 30 free-standing units of the Flexline mounting system, containing audiovisual control panels by Extron and Gira. This system allows tutors and students to have everything they need to hand: a socket, HDMI port and sound and source selection controls. One useful feature of the Flexline system is that all of the cables are neatly tucked away in the stand. An additional benefit of this all-in-one solution is that the person installing it is able to prepare practically everything in advance in his workshop, allowing him to install the system in the seminar room in no time at all. And this is especially good for the UG, of course, because it allowed them to use the seminar rooms again quickly.

The international University of Groningen is situated in the city of Groningen and dates back to 1614, which means that after Leiden, it is the oldest university that still exists in the Netherlands. It is also one of the biggest: around 30,000 students of 120 different nationalities take classes at the UG.