Background The National Composites Centre opened its doors 11 year ago with some then state of the art AV equipment in our main lecture theatres Johnson and Phillips.

The two rooms can be separated by a movable wall and as such each was fitted out identically with a wooden podium housing all of the AV kit and controls with a podium microphone.

Each room has a retractable screen (controlled from the podium) speakers, ceiling hung microphones to pick up ambient sound and a projector.

It was expected that an AV technician would assist with conferences and big meetings so the kit was installed with a view to having a semi expert setting up the room and then presenters being showed how to work the system to the level they would need during their session.

Fast forward 11 years and the AV kit is no longer fit for purpose and starting to fail - we do not have an AV technician; the fixed podiums feel old fashioned and the way we use the rooms has changed considerably particularly with the accelerated use of Teams and Zoom.

The room has no natural light, ceilings are black and lighting in the room is very functional and could do with being softened somehow.