The Entertainer

United Kingdom

21

Communication spaces deployed

170

Stores connected to head office

4–50

Capacity range across spaces

43″-75″

Samsung display range

Overview

The Entertainer’s new HQ needed to work as hard as its 170 stores.

The Entertainer is the UK’s largest independent toy retailer, operating 170 stores nationwide. When the business relocated its head office team to a purpose-built space in Amersham as part of its strategic growth plan, the brief from the board was clear: the technology had to match the move. A vibrant, branded workspace deserved communications infrastructure to equal it.

IUF was brought in to design and deliver a Microsoft Teams Rooms estate across all 21 communication spaces, from a four-person meeting room to a 50-person video conferencing suite, connecting HQ to stores, clients, and partners through a single, consistent system.

The project ran through the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than a setback, the disruption became an opportunity: requirements were refined in real time, the solution was strengthened, and by the time staff returned to the office the system was more capable than originally specified.

The result was 21 spaces, one experience. Technical support calls fell. Technology adoption rose. Paper consumption dropped significantly.

Journey & Experience

Walk into any room, pick up where you left off

For a retailer with 170 stores depending on head office for direction, consistency across the workspace isn’t a preference, it’s operational. Staff needed to move freely between any desk, any room, and any meeting format without changing how they work. The system had to flex around people, not the other way around.

The format ecosystem is built for the floor:

Logitech Room Solution for Microsoft Teams — deployed across all 21 spaces as the all-in-one hub, with configurations scaled from small to large rooms, delivering identical functionality regardless of capacity
Samsung displays, 43″–75″. specified proportionally to each room, ensuring consistent visual quality from a four-person meeting room to the 50-capacity video conferencing suite
Intelligent cameras and soundbars, installed across all spaces for high-quality video and audio in every environment
Table microphones, fitted in boardrooms and larger spaces to maintain audio clarity at scale
Crestron AirMedia, integrated across the estate for wireless content sharing, removing the friction of cables and dongles for teams sharing large files
Room booking system with schedulers, mounted outside each space, giving staff clear visibility of availability and driving consistent, respectful use of the meeting estate

The 50-capacity video conferencing suite is the centrepiece. Designed for high-stakes sessions, board presentations, all-hands, client calls, it operates within the same Teams ecosystem as every other room in the building. No separate system. No different experience. The same environment, scaled up.

Technology Architecture

One certified Microsoft Teams ecosystem, 21 rooms, zero variation in experience.

Core Infrastructure

Microsoft Teams (certified) – connecting all 21 spaces and personal devices. Staff take their profile with them from desk to room, no reconfiguration needed.
Logitech Room Solution for Microsoft Teams – an all-in-one system, fully Teams certified, scaling from small rooms to large boardrooms.
Room booking system – real-time availability across all 21 spaces.

Hardware Ecosystem

Samsung displays (43″ to 75″) – sized to match each room for a consistent visual experience throughout.
Intelligent cameras – clear, high-quality video for in-room and remote participants.
Soundbars and table microphones – consistent audio at every room scale.
Crestron AirMedia – wireless content sharing, no cables required.

Support Model

Centralised monitoring – IT manages all 21 rooms from one platform.
Training – delivered to IT at launch for full independent management.
Pandemic-adaptive delivery – when COVID-19 shifted requirements, the team adapted and delivered a stronger solution than originally planned.

Implementation

Delivered during a live pandemic with evolving requirements.

Phase 1 – Design and Specification

Full audit of all 21 spaces, from four-person rooms to the 50-capacity suite
Logitech Room Solution selected and configured per space
Display sizes, Crestron AirMedia, and room booking system confirmed

Phase 2 – Installation and Adaptation

Full installation across all 21 spaces: video, audio, wireless sharing, and room scheduling
COVID-19 changes incorporated in real time and used to strengthen the solution
End-to-end testing and hybrid session validation completed before handover

Phase 3 – Training & Handover

IT team trained on all room systems and centralised monitoring
Full independent management handed over via single platform
Support calls fell significantly after launch

Outcomes

One experience across 21 spaces

Staff move freely between any desk and any room with no change in experience. Their personal Teams profile travels with them, no reconfiguration, no friction. The system behaves the same whether the room holds four people or fifty.

Technology adoption, up. Support calls, down.

As staff returned to the office post-pandemic, technical support calls fell significantly. Having worked on Microsoft Teams from home, the certified in-room system felt familiar, driving immediate uptake and reducing the IT team’s burden from day one.

Centralised control for IT

The IT department now manages all 21 rooms from a single platform. A complex, multi-room estate is monitored and maintained centrally, faster to diagnose, faster to resolve, easier to scale.

Testimonials

[IUF] has been incredibly flexible with us from the start. As a result of the pandemic, our requirements kept adjusting, but Steve and the team were open to our needs and offered their knowledge to help us to navigate to the result we required.

Two pieces of kit we initially thought we’d not require have turned out to be the most used. The room booking system has become essential to our business, and the team are incredibly respectful of its usage. Secondly, staff love the Crestron Airmedia; it saves a lot of time for our teams who often share big files.

What [IUF] has provided us with is a futureproofed solution. As staff returned to the office, the call-outs for technical support have reduced significantly, and we’ve seen an uptake in teams using the video conferencing system. Staff are provided with precisely what they need and have the same high-quality experience whether working at their desk or in a meeting room.

The level of service from the team was phenomenal. Our IT department now has a centralised solution to monitor all rooms. [IUF] has expertly built a complex system but simplified the output so all staff of all skill sets can use it.