A strategic response to a fragmented situation
Just a few years ago, the audiovisual landscape at ULiège was a disorganized mosaic :

“We had up to 27 different brands across campus… It was horrible.”

Each department made its own technical decisions, often with little coordination. The result : a lack of control, complex maintenance and difficult-to-manage costs.

To fix this, the University created a dedicated AV department to centralize equipment management, ensure interoperability and better handle budgets. This ambitious shift was made possible through close collaboration between the internal AV team (most notably Laurent Stoquart and Arnaud Frederix​​​), the XLR Team and trusted integrators : ESI informatique, Wave Inside, Riva and Inytium. Together, they equipped numerous spaces across campus with premium audiovisual systems.

The team also values direct communication with manufacturers for technical matters, avoiding delays and misunderstandings. While commercial transactions go through public channels, technical exchanges (like driver development, integration or training) are often done directly with brands like Extron or Allen & Heath.

The installation philosophy has also evolved. Gone are isolated, standalone systems now replaced with intelligently shared resources. At the Opera campus, for instance, one DM-0 manages three rooms simultaneously. This approach rationalizes investment, enhances redundancy and simplifies support.

“We know a room is working well when no one calls us.”

This mindset extends to training : for over ten years, the team has continuously updated its knowledge with certifications, webinars and hands-on testing. Their expertise allows them to make wise decisions and avoid pitfalls with unreliable systems.

Allen & Heath AHM : Central audio matrix for Peace-of-Mind

Allen & Heath AHM processors are central to the University’s audio architecture. Primarily used as matrices, they allow for centralized audio processing across multiple rooms, resource sharing and simplified control scenarios. Their reliability, Dante compatibility and flexibility make them perfectly suited to demanding academic environments.

This technological choice has led to genuine technological peace of mind : systems run smoothly with minimal intervention. Despite having a technical three people team, there are no issues, even in remote lecture halls located in Arlon or Gembloux. The distributed, resilient architecture ensures service continuity across the University’s territory. The AHM-64, for example, is used to control several rooms at once (up to five in some buildings) reducing hardware needs while maintaining operational consistency.

In addition to the AHM series, the University also uses the Allen & Heath dLive DM0 mixing engine and the dLive C2500 mixing table for scenarios requiring advanced mixing capabilities. The DM0, a core component of the dLive ecosystem, is compact yet powerful and is employed in venues like the Opera campus to manage audio across multiple rooms simultaneously. The dLive C2500 offers a tactile, compact interface for precise real-time control, making it well-suited for both large and mid-sized lecture halls.

Together, these tools extend the flexibility and responsiveness of the University’s AV infrastructure, ensuring seamless coordination even in complex environments and supporting the institution’s commitment to technological serenity.

L-Acoustics : Performance, intelligibility and integration

These systems have won over not only technicians but also architects, academic boards and students. Initial skepticism about costs quickly dissipated in the face of results :

“It’s worth every euro.”

A benchmark campus in Belgium

Today, Liège Université is arguably the most technologically advanced academic institution in Belgium. Thanks to a carefully planned strategy, robust equipment and trusted partners the campus benefits from a unified, reliable and future-proof AV infrastructure.

• A shared and intelligently designed infrastructure
• A skilled, autonomous and responsive technical team
• Aesthetically integrated, robust and high-performance systems

Liège Université now stands as a model for AV management in higher education combining innovation, high standards and technological serenity.

Installations Inventory