Grand Hotel Leicester: Conference AV for 8 Function Rooms

Line array sound in the Kings Hall, laser projection, a MAXHUB touchscreen and wireless presenting across eight conference and event rooms.

Corporate

Completed May 2026

Project leadDerek Pyle, Operations Director

Quick reference: Conference and event AV upgrade across eight function rooms at the Grand Hotel Leicester: a Q-SYS Core 8 Flex with JBL CBT column line arrays and an Epson laser projector in the Kings Hall (up to 350 theatre-style), laser projection and Extron control in the Queens Hall and Charnwood Room, a MAXHUB 75 inch interactive display, and Airtame wireless presenting plus Cloud zoned audio in every room.

Eight function rooms, from a 350-seat hall to small meeting rooms

The Grand Hotel Leicester runs conferences, banquets and weddings across a suite of function rooms, from the Kings Hall, which seats up to 350 theatre-style, and the Queens Hall next to it, to smaller meeting rooms: the Alexandra, Charnwood, Cromwell, Empress and Tudor Rooms. Strive AV upgraded the AV across eight of these rooms through Streamline Technology Consulting. Each room got equipment sized to how it is used, with the same wireless presenting and audio controls in every room so event staff and guests find the same thing wherever they are booked.

Grand Hotel Leicester: Conference AV for 8 Function Rooms gallery 1

Grand Hotel Leicester: Conference AV for 8 Function Rooms gallery 2

The challenge: one hotel, very different rooms

The rooms range from a 25.8 metre-long hall used for banquets and large conferences to small meeting rooms, so one specification would not fit. The Kings Hall needed clear speech and music over its whole length without feedback; the mid-size rooms needed large projected images; the smaller rooms needed simple screens and sound. The hotel had to keep trading, so rooms were upgraded around bookings, and where existing screens were still good, in the Empress and Tudor Rooms, they were kept and integrated rather than replaced.

Key Requirements

•Clear speech and music along the full length of the Kings Hall
•Large projected images in the mid-size halls
•The same wireless presenting in every room
•Simple volume control for event staff
•Reuse of existing screens where they were still good
•Installation around live bookings

Sized room by room, with the same controls everywhere

In the Kings Hall, a Q-SYS Core 8 Flex drives four JBL CBT 70J-1 column line arrays, each with a CBT 70JE-1 extension, so sound is steered at the audience along the length of the room rather than at the walls and ceiling. An Epson EB-L790U laser projector fills a 3.66 metre Sapphire screen, two LG 65 inch displays on trolleys provide extra screens for breakouts and stages, and a Q-SYS touch panel controls the room. The Queens Hall and Charnwood Room each have an Epson laser projector (EB-L690U and EB-L630U) on a ceiling pole with a Sapphire tab-tension or Screenline electric screen, eight Cloud ceiling speakers, a Kramer HDMI wall plate and an Extron TLP Pro 525M touch panel with an IPCP Pro control processor. The Alexandra Room has a MAXHUB XBoard V7 75 inch interactive display with a built-in Windows PC; the Cromwell Room an LG 75 inch display on a trolley with an Audac soundbar; and the Empress and Tudor Rooms reuse their existing displays with new Audac soundbars. Every room has an Airtame 2 for wireless presenting from any laptop, Cloud speakers on a Cloud mixer amplifier with an RSL-6 wall volume control, and a Bluetooth audio input for music.

What went into each room
Room	Audio	Video	Control and presenting
Kings Hall (up to 350 theatre)	Q-SYS Core 8 Flex, 4 JBL CBT 70J-1 column line arrays with 70JE-1 extensions	Epson EB-L790U laser projector, 3.66 m Sapphire screen, 2 LG 65 inch displays on trolleys	Q-SYS touch panel, Airtame 2
Queens Hall (up to 250 theatre)	8 Cloud CS-C6W ceiling speakers	Epson EB-L690U laser projector, Sapphire tab-tension screen	Extron TLP Pro 525M and IPCP Pro, Kramer HDMI wall plate, Airtame 2
Charnwood Room	8 Cloud CS-C6W ceiling speakers	Epson EB-L630U laser projector, 2.7 m Screenline electric screen	Extron TLP Pro 525M and IPCP Pro, Kramer HDMI wall plate, Airtame 2
Alexandra Room	4 Cloud surface-mount speakers	MAXHUB XBoard V7 75 inch interactive display with Windows PC, on a stand	Airtame 2
Cromwell Room	Audac 3-way soundbar, 4 Cloud speakers	LG 75 inch display on a Unicol trolley	Airtame 2
Empress and Tudor Rooms	Audac 3-way soundbar, 4 Cloud speakers each	Existing displays reused	Airtame 2
Every room	Cloud mixer amplifier, RSL-6 wall volume control, Bluetooth audio input		Airtame 2 wireless presenting

Featured Solution

Kings Hall Line Arrays

Q-SYS Core 8 Flex with four JBL CBT column line arrays steering sound at the audience, plus laser projection.

Laser Projection and Control

Epson laser projectors with Extron touch panel control in the Queens Hall and Charnwood Room.

Interactive and Flat Screens

MAXHUB 75 inch interactive display, LG 75 inch trolley screen and Audac soundbars in the smaller rooms.

Same Controls Everywhere

Airtame 2 wireless presenting, Cloud audio and wall volume control in all eight rooms.

Products used

QSC Core 8 Flex
Crown DCI 4|1250DA
JBL CBT 70J-1
JBL CBT 70JE-1
Epson EB-L790U
Epson EB-L690U
Epson EB-L630U
Extron TLP Pro 525M
Extron IPCP Pro 250 xi

Show all 18 products

Kramer WP-580T
MAXHUB XBoard V7 V7550
LG 75UN640S
LG 65UR640S
Audac IMEO2
Cloud CS-C6W
Cloud RSL-6
Airtame 2
Netgear M4250

The result

Project Success

Kings Hall, Queens Hall and six meeting rooms upgraded
Same wireless presenting and volume control in every room
Installed around live bookings, reusing good existing screens

Questions about hotel conference AV

What AV does a hotel conference and event suite need?

At the Grand Hotel Leicester it came down to matching the kit to each room and keeping the controls the same everywhere: line array sound and laser projection in the main hall, projection with touch panel control in the mid-size halls, flat or interactive screens in the meeting rooms, and the same wireless presenting and volume control in every room so event staff are never caught out. More on AV for hotels.

How do you get clear sound in a long hotel ballroom?

Use speakers that steer the sound. The Kings Hall is 25.8 metres long, so Strive AV fitted four JBL CBT column line arrays driven by a Q-SYS Core 8 Flex. Column arrays aim sound at the audience rather than the walls and ceiling, which keeps speech clear at the back of the room and reduces feedback from microphones.

Can a hotel AV upgrade reuse existing equipment?

Yes, where it is still good. In the Empress and Tudor Rooms the existing displays were kept and paired with new Audac soundbars, Cloud speakers and Airtame wireless presenting, so budget went to the rooms that needed new projection and sound.

Which wireless presentation system suits hotel meeting rooms?

One that works the same in every room and with any guest laptop. The Grand Hotel Leicester standardised on Airtame 2 in all eight rooms, so a speaker who presents in the Kings Hall in the morning and the Alexandra Room in the afternoon uses the same steps. See wireless presentation systems for meeting rooms for how the options compare.