I should note here that I am not certified YET, I must go write the exam which I will have the details on in the coming week.
Although I have some signage experience, I must admit that there is so much information to absorb. I would like nothing more than to take in other sessions. To name a few, Digital Signage and NFC, Digital Signs Hardware Details, and most importantly, the digital signage tour of Las Vegas (that I will have to do on my own tonight). However, since I am quite new to this world, I (and my work place Trapeze Media) rightfuly decided that this certification was the best bet.
My brain is full an tired now, but I am sure I have it in me to get this out there. Firstly, one of the most important things in planning a Digital Signage solution (here after I'll replace Digital Signage with DS, because I am lazy. There I said it!) is the 7 key elements. They are
- Hardware
- Software
- Connectivity
- Content
- Operations
- Design
- Business
You have about 3-6 seconds to capture the attention of your audience. In most cases they are in transit and will pass by an DS installation in said time. There is a large degree of psychodynamics here. But to be honest, content is not what puts the drive behind me personally, its the technology and making it all tick. But planners, be warned... content, content, content!
More interestingly, retail only makes up 1/3rd of the DS market space and is the most easy one to penetrate. Draw customers in to your message. There are many other applications of DS that most dont often think of. Such as industrial, and education. Education is one area where I can see it being of great and wholesome use! It enables a teacher with a class of more than 15 to help maintain that intimate interaction that they loose after you pass that 15 student barrier. Other areas of Signage that people often miss are security and healthcare.
Another area of focus is that of consumer technology vs. commercial technology. Many people opt to use the much less expensive consumer gear over the commercial gear. This can be a very bad mistake! Lets face it, commercial gear is more costly due to its solid construction, longer MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure) and environmental robustness! Moreover, warranty and support. With consumer, you have to take apart, and return the gear yourself whereas most manufacturers of commercial gear will have on site support, and fast too! So this is an area where many make their first blunder.
It seems that DS customers see DS as a commodity. They could not be further than the truth, if its done right, however the integration can be. When a DS customer works with the right integrator, with clear communication and a firm understanding of the customers objectives, the whole package from the customers idea to the working solution can be positioned as such.
Must of the last half talked about recognizing your value as an integrator, ROI, and ROO (Return on Objective) and was very much more business geared. Great stuff, and I have a lot of learning to do around it, but far beyond the scope of this blog.
Stay tuned as tomorrow, the expor floor opens and I get to see and maybe get my grubby hands on some of this gear. Until next time...
//Ian\\
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