DWP

The situation

The Department for Work and Pensions expanded its digital operations by acquiring a new 77,000 square foot site in Manchester. Senior management saw an opportunity to create a showcase space where they could run large events, demonstrate digital capability to stakeholders, and facilitate cross-team collaboration in a format that reflected the department’s ambitions.

The initial thinking was straightforward: install large TV screens around the walls. But a senior manager pushed back, asking instead if a unified communication system could deliver something more flexible.

What SCC did

Dave Travis, development manager at DWP Digital Group, brought SCC in to explore possibilities. Rather than installing a collection of standalone displays, SCC proposed and delivered a Crestron DigitalMedia system that unified video walls, display technology and conferencing capability across the space.

The approach meant that content could flow smoothly between different areas, groups could present to either local or remote audiences, and the space could be reconfigured for different purposes without requiring manual rewiring. SCC worked at pace to deliver the solution within tight timelines.

What changed

The Manchester site now functions as a genuine showcase environment. Events that once would have required multiple separate setups can be coordinated through a single integrated system. Remote participants experience the same visual quality and responsiveness as people in the room, making participation from other DWP offices far more productive.

What began as a facilities decision became a catalyst for rethinking how DWP Digital could host collaborative events and demonstrations.

What the client learned

DWP learned that questioning the initial assumption, screens on walls, and asking for something more ambitious produced a far more capable and flexible result. By involving a technical partner early in the conversation rather than at the point of procurement, the department got a solution shaped around what they actually wanted to achieve, not simply what was easiest to specify.