A connected campus experience with NowSignage
A connected campus experience
Client:
University of Chester
Project
Discover how NWUPC member, University of Chester, uses a 100+ screen digital signage network across its Chester, Warrington and Birkenhead campuses to improve student communication, wayfinding and engagement…
Video Case Study
The Client
The University of Chester is one of the UK's oldest higher education institutions, tracing its origins back to 1839. Today, the university operates a network of campuses and learning centres across the region, including major sites in Chester, Warrington and Birkenhead. Supporting thousands of students across undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes, the university combines a rich educational heritage with modern facilities and a strong commitment to student experience, innovation and community impact.
Project Overview
The University of Chester has built a digital signage network spanning more than 100 screens across its campuses in Chester, Warrington and Birkenhead, helping improve communication, wayfinding and student engagement.
Working alongside ourselves and digital signage partner NowSignage, the university uses screens throughout teaching spaces, communal areas and catering outlets to deliver student communications, campus updates, wayfinding information and live event broadcasts.
Originally introduced to improve internal communications, the network has evolved into a university-wide tool supporting both central messaging and localised content across multiple locations.
A connected campus
Operating across multiple campuses presents challenges when communicating consistently with students and staff.
The university wanted to ensure students received the same core information regardless of location, while still allowing individual campuses to share content relevant to their own audiences.
Today, students across Chester, Warrington and Birkenhead receive a mix of university-wide announcements alongside local updates tailored to their campus.
Supporting Communication
The screens are used throughout the day to display student communications, including Student Union events, open day information, student voice testimonials, surveys and campus announcements, as well as timetables, building maps and wayfinding information.
They also support livestreaming of major university events, including graduation ceremonies, which allows students, staff and visitors to engage with events even when venues reach capacity. This has helped extend the reach of university events while creating a more inclusive experience for students, staff and visitors.
Digital signage has also expanded into teaching spaces, enabling departments to communicate directly with students during periods when attention levels are naturally high.
Giving departments control
As the signage network has grown, individual departments have been able to take greater ownership of content management.
Using the NowSignage access tags functionality, teams such as catering can view and manage only the screens, playlists and schedules that are relevant to their role.
Daily menu updates, promotions and campus announcements can all be managed without relying on specialist technical support, while the communications team retains visibility across the wider estate.
Looking ahead…
The university is continuing to expand its digital signage estate with the introduction of several new applications across its campuses. Most notably, our first external LED wall installation - situated outside the refurbished School of Education building at the historic Exton Park campus. As the home of the UK's first purpose-built teacher training college, founded in 1839, the School of Education occupies a significant place in the university's heritage. Recently transformed through a major sustainability-focused refurbishment, the building now features a range of modern learning spaces and direct access to the Seaborne Library.
The addition of a prominent outdoor LED wall complements this investment, providing a highly visible communications platform capable of delivering dynamic signage content, celebrating student achievements, promoting events and supporting live event streaming. Positioned at one of the university's most recognisable buildings, the display extends digital communications beyond indoor environments and creates new opportunities to engage students, staff and visitors across the campus.
Alongside this flagship installation, digital signage technology has also been incorporated into other recent developments, including the new FinTech Lab at the Queen's Park site. Designed to support specialist teaching and collaboration, the space demonstrates how digital communications and visual technologies are being embedded into contemporary learning environments across the university.
We will be updating this case study in the coming weeks with photography and further details from both the School of Education outdoor LED installation and the new FinTech Lab, showcasing the latest additions to the university's growing digital signage network.
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