by Neil Felton, FESPA Managing Director, Exhibitions & Events
Throughout history, new technologies have often needed ambassadors and evangelists to highlight key benefits and demonstrate best practise examples to enthusiastic - though uninitiated - potential users. This has certainly been the case with digital signage, but the work of various industry bodies is now showing signs of bearing fruit. The industry is moving into its next phase of maturity, as events such as European Sign Expo (ExCeL London, 25-27 June 2013) start to address issues such as system integration, convergence with other media, and ensuring that systems are robust and easy to manage.
The emergence of new digital signage techniques and products is not slowing, and there are many innovative and exciting new ideas that need to be explored and understood. In the past social media has generally been regarded as fringe or trivial aspects when integrated with digital signage. More recently, however, successful campaigns have shown how they can be used to encourage audience participation and enhance the ability of digital signage to support engaging real-time communications. Accordingly, mobile and social-media integration has been moving into the mainstream over the last couple of years, and is probably one of the most important developments in digital signage today.
Today’s consumers, who are familiar with multi-touch smartphones and tablets, now tend to expect almost any type of screen to be touchable. Consequently, multi-touch capable digital signage is emerging, enabling communicators to mimic phone-like controls that invite interaction from viewers. Similarly, Near-Field Communication (NFC) is another technology from the mobile industry that is likely to feature prominently in digital signage campaigns of the future. NFC provides a channel for communicating with mobile devices and is easy to use, offering an enjoyable experience for consumers. It can allow communicators to extend the level of engagement with their target audiences, as well as capture data for purposes such as measuring the effectiveness of their campaigns. Widespread use of NFC in digital signage will, of course, be contingent upon the uptake of NFC-enabled phones reaching a critical mass.
Digital screen media also brings opportunities to integrate sophisticated technologies that are not directly linked to the mobile world. Facial recognition is one example. Over the last few years the technology has moved from scientific laboratories into real-world applications, and offers benefits for certain types of campaigns such as those involving advertising or a call to action.
There are, of course, simpler ways for communicators to grab the attention of their focal public, as demonstrated by the steadily growing adoption of displays that enable creatives to work outside the confines of the 16:9 box. These include videowalls and other displays built using panels with the latest ultra-thin bezels, as well as display systems that can be built into concave and convex curves allowing the construction of videowalls of almost any shape or size and enabling deployment in challenging or unusual locations.
Overall, the technical developments currently emerging, or about to emerge, demonstrate how digital signage provides extra flexibility and new opportunities for brand owners to satisfy their core goal. This is, and has always been, to draw the attention of their target audience by standing out against the host of other factors competing for attention.
The increasingly widespread use of digital signage, and integration with other digital technologies to enhance the effect of campaigns, provides evidence that understanding of the medium is growing. The role of industry associations and other not-for-profit organisations, in presenting the case for digital signage, has been significant in enabling such growth. It is critical that their initiatives should continue and become even more effective in showing potential adopters how to enter the arena and contribute to further advancement.
Digital screen media is still a very new and rapidly evolving field, bringing numerous opportunities. It is also subject to few restrictions. In such an environment, it can be difficult for communicators to set targets and establish strategies to achieve them. This is why knowledge sharing is vital; the industry needs effective platforms such as conferences, educational programmes and awards schemes that create a suitable environment to encourage information sharing and industry networking. Knowledge sharing is critical to realising the full potential of this sector, and this is a role that associations such as FESPA continue working hard to fulfil.
The huge opportunities that are now becoming apparent mean that digital signage is today an extremely highly energised sector drawing in developers, vendors and end users characterised by a tremendous thirst for learning. One striking aspect is the positive response from among those working with established communication technologies such as print and signage. Printers and sign-makers are seeing the potential that digital signage offers when combined with their existing service range, and are keen to find out more about the technologies and the opportunities it can bring them. Registrations for this year’s European Sign Expo include a significant number of attendees from the graphics sector, who will be visiting to see the latest developments on display in the exhibition and to learn how to get the most from digital signage by attending the free content programme.
The topics to be tackled by the various conference threads at European Sign Expo show how the digital signage sector is maturing. Leading practitioners from developer and end-user communities will present on important practical issues; for example, how digital signage comes together with other media channels such as mobile, social and online, and how signage can be designed to work effectively with the surrounding built or natural environment. There is also a special thread on Digital Signage Integration, which will discuss how the many techniques and products now available can be combined to create a solution that is both robust and easily managed. Other threads, such as Signs & Stores, will look closely at how digital signage is being used effectively in specific industries like retail.
The fact that the industry is having these types of discussions, led by experts who are accomplished and highly regarded in their respective fields, shows that digital signage is transitioning successfully into a serious visual communications medium.
Neil Felton is the FESPA Managing Director, Exhibitions & Events. Neil joined FESPA in May 2011 as Managing Director in charge of exhibitions and events.
Neil is a highly experienced exhibitions director. He held a variety of senior exhibition roles prior to joining FESPA, culminating as executive director at William Reed where he presided over a three-fold growth in event revenues from his division.
Neil is a board director of the AEO (Association of Event Organisers), an influential organisation in the international event industry.
Go European Sign Expo incorporating Screenmedia Expo, is a dedicated signage event at ExCeL London from 25-27 June 2013. It provides a comprehensive demonstration of the latest developments in visual communication channels from conventional signage, digital signage and out-of-home media. During European Sign Expo visitors will be able to take advantage of free high quality educational information through two conference theatres on the exhibition floor. European Sign Expo is managed by FESPA. The exhibition and conference is free for visitors who register online in advance (£55 on the day).
Go FESPA Founded in 1962, FESPA is a global federation of 37 member associations for the large format print community. FESPA’s dual aim is to promote the industry and to share knowledge with its members across the world, helping them to grow their businesses and learn about the latest developments. FESPA adopts a Profit-for-Purpose business model, reinvesting millions of Euros into the global printing community over the last seen years to support its growth.
