As the New Year dawns for the intake of students at the University of Salford’s iconic MediaCityUK building, proAV has received praise from a forward-thinking client who has set new standards of innovation for the creative and education sectors.

The University’s Audio Visual and Event Co-ordinator, Andre Davies, thanked proAV for its part in the successful and timely opening of the prestigious venue, for working with the University to install its next phase of high-standard teaching facilities especially developed for MediaCityUK practices and for progressing the current standardised audio visual equipment used in teaching spaces.

The University of Salford’s new 100,000 sq. ft. facility at MediaCityUK is home to 1,500 students and is acknowledged as an ambitious project that’s already changing the face of the media sector. As Mark Thompson, BBC Director General, confirmed: 'The University's presence alongside key parts of the BBC means MediaCityUK will be one of the places where the future of the media industry will be shaped.'

Stephen Wild, Managing Director of MediaCityUK, said: 'The fusion of industry excellence, such as the BBC and ITV, with academic talent from the University, is a key ingredient to delivering an environment where talent can network and prosper.' This is a view supported by Mick Horan, the University of Salford’s Operational Director at MediaCityUK, who commented: 'Students can now benefit from our fantastic new facilities and they'll also be able to rub shoulders with some of the best creative and technical minds in the country. We're now concentrating on widening the circle of partners we have, increasing opportunities for students, and ensuring the wider business community recognises what the University can offer in terms of research and innovation.'

“Students can now benefit from our fantastic new facilities and they'll also be able to rub shoulders with some of the best creative and technical minds in the country.”

A new way of teaching the UK’s future digital creatives

At the heart of this project sits some of the world’s pioneering AV technologies, which are now driving the University’s world class news and digital media teaching facilities. Newsroom workshops, video processing and editing suites and media technology labs sit alongside collaborative teaching and presentation areas, lecture theatres and specialist digital media and exhibition spaces that have created a new way of teaching the UK’s future digital creatives.

As Heidi Roper, Education Account Manager at proAV, revealed: 'The University of Salford had the vision to see this project as ‘a community where collaborative relationships can grow and flourish…in a brave new world which will require talented people from different disciplines to work together’. And, today, our AV technologies are inspiring and educating a new generation of creative students in an environment where interdisciplinary relationships and groundbreaking teaching methods will really thrive.'

proAV was awarded the contract to equip the prestigious digital learning, teaching and research space by main contractor, Overbury plc, and the new building was formally opened in October 2011 when the first undergraduate and postgraduate students embarked on courses including Audio Technology, Journalism, Animation, Computer and Video Games, Digital Broadcast Technology and Creative Technology.

For more information about the University of Salford’s new facilities at MediaCityUK, please visit http://www.salford.ac.uk/MediaCityUK.

Read the University of Salford's MediaCityUK case study.

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