The Brief (and the Backstory)
Miller Insurance had a Town Hall space that, on paper, was decent. Designed in 2014, lightly retrofitted for Teams a few years later, and big enough to seat 120 people. But once remote collaboration stopped being optional, the cracks started to show; spotty audio, limited layout flexibility, and legacy kit that just couldn’t keep up with the pace of modern meetings.
A full upgrade was needed - something flexible, intuitive, and properly built for hybrid. The kind of setup that wouldn’t fall over mid-call or require a technician lurking in the background. The space had to serve multiple formats while delivering consistency, clarity, and ease of use.
Designed for Flexibility
The system was reimagined with a Q-SYS Core as its foundation, allowing AV and control to sit cleanly on the same network infrastructure. This wasn’t about adding bells and whistles - it was about building a system that could quietly handle complexity behind the scenes and stay reliable under pressure.
Key elements included:
-
Shure MXA910 Ceiling Mics replaced outdated handhelds, offering wide pickup and voice lift for full-room sessions. Their unobtrusive design also kept the space visually clean. Upgraded goosenecks remained in place for presenter-led sessions where direct speech clarity was key.
-
Q-SYS NC Series PTZ cameras were deployed with positional audio tracking tied to the ceiling mics. That meant automated framing based on who's speaking, creating a smoother experience for remote attendees without manual intervention.
-
A Crestron Flex UC engine was used for native Teams integration, while BYOD capability gave the system the versatility needed for non-Microsoft workflows.
-
Barco ClickShare CX enabled seamless content sharing, helping to cut down those awkward silences while someone hunts for the right cable or dongle.
-
A Netgear AV Line switch was configured to support clean AV-over-IP distribution, while keeping control traffic separate and stable.
Infrastructure & Troubleshooting
In our industry, the fun doesn’t really start until you’re under the ceiling tiles, figuring out why mic coverage is patchy in the back corner or why the old CAT5 runs were crimped like someone had used their teeth.
The infrastructure was stripped back and rebuilt. Signal paths were redrawn. Cabling was relabelled properly. Several key issues needed to be resolved along the way:
-
Ceiling mic lobes had to be tuned to suit multiple seating layouts - U-shape one day, theatre-style the next.
-
Camera transitions were smoothed out to avoid jarring jumps mid-call, especially in automated tracking scenarios.
-
Compatibility between Q-SYS, Shure, and Crestron components was rigorously tested under real-world loads - including simultaneous Teams calls, BYOD usage, and recording workflows.
Documentation was treated as part of the solution, not an afterthought. Cable schedules, rack layouts, signal flow diagrams, and UI mockups were all compiled and made available to on-site teams.
The Talk of the Town (Hall)
All in, the project ran for about 14 weeks from design to commissioning. Final setup included:
-
Custom Q-SYS control interface (simple enough for Facilities, powerful enough for IT)
-
Live tuning with real users in the room
-
Redundant workflows for recording and content sharing
Since the refit, Town Hall bookings have increased by around 40%. Meeting recordings are now routinely published on the company intranet within minutes of each session. The system doesn’t just perform; it welcomes use, even from less technical users.
Following the success of the project, further support was requested across 33 additional rooms, along with design input for two upcoming installations.