The University of Nottingham Enhances Campus Communication with Xibo

The University of Nottingham is a leading UK research university, founded in 1881 and part of the prestigious Russell Group. Ranked among the top universities globally, it serves over 45,000 students and is renowned for academic excellence, innovation and its international outlook.

The Challenge

With a diverse range of departments spread across multiple campuses, the University of Nottingham needed a modern, scalable way to deliver timely, relevant content to students, staff, and visitors. Communication was fragmented - some teams relied on printed materials, others on outdated PowerPoint slides, and many lacked any signage altogether. As student operations grew more complex, the university required a centralised system to unify messaging, reduce manual work, and adapt quickly to both planned events and urgent communications.

The Solution

In 2010, the university began its digital signage journey with Xibo, initially deploying six screens to display real-time computer availability. As the network scaled, the university transitioned from an on-premises installation to Xibo’s cloud-hosted platform. Since then, their Windows network has grown to more than 267 displays across five campuses, with ongoing expansion.

Over time, Xibo became integral to a wide range of use cases. In catered halls, it replaced manual delivery of daily menus with dynamic, scheduled content that could be updated instantly. In the student union and academic schools, it enabled departments to promote events, achievements, and research with ease. For campus open days, Xibo’s scheduling functionality ensured that relevant content took precedence across all screens. In the case of sport events such as the World Cup, it was effortless to livestream to their four meter outdoor LED dubbed the Portland MegaScreen. Elsewhere, Xibo’s calendar functionality helped biology students navigate to the correct biohazard lab zone thanks to schedules displayed outside.

Finally, in rare but critical cases - such as following a campus tragedy - the university used emergency messaging functionality to pause all other content and communicate respectfully and effectively.

“We moved to the hosted platform to take overhead off our team. Managing our own servers and SQL instances just wasn’t sustainable - especially as we reduced the number of DBAs. Xibo’s cloud-hosted platform let us grow without adding complexity” - John Milner, Team Leader (AV), University of Nottingham

The Benefit

By implementing Xibo, the University of Nottingham now manages a centralised digital signage ecosystem that supports a wide range of users - from marketing teams and school administrators to catering managers. The solution saves time, enables remote device management (especially crucial for campuses up to 30 miles apart), and empowers non-technical staff to schedule and update content confidently. Xibo’s granular user permissions and content scheduling have allowed the university to maintain control and flexibility at scale. Ultimately, Xibo has become more than just a tool for communication - but a strategic asset supporting agility, community, and operational efficiency across the entire university.

“For us, it’s about centralised support and flexibility. Xibo allows us to meet the needs of a wide range of departments without needing to manage everything manually. And the price point? Nothing comes close” - John Milner, Team Leader (AV), University of Nottingham

Why Xibo?

The University of Nottingham chose Xibo for the following reasons:

• Affordability
• Scalability
• Ease of Use
• Reliability

If you’d like to find out more about how Xibo is helping other businesses advance their digital signage networks please get in touch