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 The simple sign, a fixture in every attraction, is transforming into an engagement point to attract, entertain, and inform visitors in ways not possible before, thanks in large part to advances in LED and LCD technology.
“The future is here,” says Joe Pantel, CEO of Pantel Corp., a supplier of weatherproof digital sign monitors in Garden Grove, California. “With this next generation of signs and advertising you can provide an interactive guide with information on attractions, the weather, films of rides, and the path there, based on location.”
Joel Brennan, electrician and primary operator of the digital sign system at Kennywood in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, agrees: “You couldn’t do all this with traditional signs. It’s a great delivery system for park-related information and advertising to a captive audience, and you can easily vary content for different areas of the park.”
 Both are referring to LCD signage, the monitor systems poised to become the standard for multimedia marketing. That’s part of the story in new solutions. The other is LED lighting, which replaces fluorescent bulbs in menu-boards and backlit signs.
Driving Forces
Economic and operational efficiency are encouraging the switch to these digital platforms, experts say. “With LED lighting, graphics can really pop, for a more upscale look,” points out Monique Brown, marketing manager of Impact Menu Systems in Carson City, Nevada. “The cost up front for an LED system may seem more, but over time LEDs pay for themselves in energy savings.” Also, unlike conventional signage that requires retouching every few years, digital signage need little maintenance.
Rick Farrell, CEO of LED Concepts/EcoTek Lighting Solutions in Lake Forest, California, says an LED system requires half the energy of fluorescent lighting.
“As ‘going green’ becomes an important concern, LEDs offers several advantages,” he says. “An LED system saves energy and requires much less maintenance.”
In some food courts, Brown reports LED backlit menu boards promote standard fare and set pricing, while her company’s PopVision LCD signage system highlights menu changes and mealtime specials and promotes other parts of the attraction. “A moving screen always captures people’s attention,” she notes. “An LCD system gives operators more control over the sign and message, and colorful graphics to promote whatever you want.”
Digital Signs: The New Standard
Digital signs are proving even more effective when situated throughout a park or attraction. Providers of LCD solutions report many operators have already invested in a digital signage solution or are actively considering it.
“Are there things you’re doing now that could be done more easily and effectively with a digital signage system?” asks Romney Stewart, director of new business development for Texas Digital in College Station, Texas. The company, and its overseas arm, Texas Digital Systems Europe in the Netherlands, supplies digital sign solutions to destinations around the world. Its VitalCAST system is a turnkey solution for creating and delivering customized content to a network of displays.
Stewart says digital signage empowers operators to create a multimedia mix of content pushing signage to the next level: “It’s a great way to make visitors aware of new food items, services, or attractions, or promote parts of a park that may be underutilized.”
 At the Clarion Resort Waterpark in Kissimmee, Florida, Director of Technology Benny Fresco saw instant results from announcements on his digital signage system. “Restaurant revenue grew 15 to 20 percent the first month once we started promoting [food] on our screens. Sometimes people need to be told or reminded of things before they take advantage of them.”
He subscribes to the web-based Strandvision system to create and deliver announcements to TVs in 200 rooms and 27 monitors situated throughout the resort. “We already had the TV network and cable channel, so all we needed was a system for content,” he notes. “We feature music, weather and news feeds, and slides I create to promote events, schedules, our attractions—whatever might interest our guests.”
Michael Strand, president of Strandvision Digital Signage in Menomonie, Wisconsin, sees the flexibility of a digital signage system as a primary benefit. “Some will time schedule messages to drive customers toward exits as it gets near closing time,” he offers as an example. “They might display a special promotion a half hour before closing to migrate people in that direction, followed 10 minutes later by another promotion that drives them closer to the exits.”
Multimedia Mix
At Kennywood, Brennan notes the mix of music videos, film clips, advertising, and promotions running on the park’s eight LCD stations keeps guests distracted during occasional delays. “There’s always going to be some down time,” he explains. “Before we had this system in place, people could start to get antsy right away if a ride needed attention. Now they’re being entertained, so it seems like they don’t get irate as quickly.”
When the company first invested in digital signage four years ago, the goal was to cross promote Kennywood attractions and affiliated attractions IdleWild and Sandcastle. “What we found, though, is people don’t really pay attention unless you are entertaining them. So, we’ve tried to concentrate on that, with some special offers and paid advertising thrown in.”
Another lesson learned: Start slow. “At first we thought we could go whole hog, and do everything at once,” Brennan recalls. “The best advice I can offer now is to start with a simple system, and build on that as you become more comfortable using it.”
Stewart says one key to making a digital signage system work is to centralize control. “Have just one or two designated operators,” he advises. “We’ve seen installations with 15 people working on the system, and it just doesn’t work as well.” Once the signs are installed, the benefits occur now and later. “With a digital system, you’ll see an immediate improvement in operations,” he predicts. “Thirty seconds after you make changes to your signs they are up and accurate in every display, in every part of the park.”
Then there’s the appeal to visitors. “The overall experience someone gets at a park with a digital sign system, with its colors and graphics, is more exciting,” Stewart says. “There’s always something going on, something to watch.”
The Next Wave: Interactive Signs
Already the increased prevalence of digital systems is prepping the way for the next wave of sign technology, suggested in systems available today. Snibbe Interactive in San Francisco combines the same LCD displays used in digital signs with a 3-D camera and proprietary software to create an immersive interactive experience. Standing before the display, visitors can become part of the action by interacting with or controlling motion of characters on screen.
 Scott Snibbe, CEO, considers it a “new type of media” that can turn signs into attractions themselves. The technology has been used to garner attention at trade shows, including at a health care pavilion at the Beijing Olympics. The latest installation is an interactive exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
“When people walk by a billboard, the dwell time can be measured in seconds,“ points out Snibbe. “With an interactive solution, the dwell time is minutes, and people want to tell friends and family about the experience and where they had it.”
For that, there’s a viral marketing component that records video of each session for guests to post to social networking sites. “It’s been used for entertainment, education, and as a marketing tool, and some combine all three,” reports Snibbe, “We’re in the very beginning; people are just starting to see how powerful this could be.”
Another Approach Using … Cell Phones?
Another approach to interactive signage is the Get In Line games system from Evil Genius Designs, a Pittsburgh venture launched by recent graduates of Carnegie Mellon University. Josh Jeffrey, vice president, says Get In Line transforms an LCD sign monitor into an interactive game system, controlled from the cell phones of guests waiting in line. “It’s a way to take advantage of the digital signs already in place and give visitors a more interactive experience,” he says. “They dial an 800 number from their cell phone and can then participate using their phone as the controller.” The system can accommodate almost an unlimited number of players, based on screen size. At last year’s Penny Arcade Expo 2009 in Seattle, more than 6,000 guests used the system simultaneously.
Get In Line can also capture demographic information based on callers’ numbers and deliver special promotions or coupons for other attractions via text messages to players’ phones. “When someone accesses our system, we have web based analytic tools to map where they are from, where and how long they play the game, what coupons they use,” says Jeffrey. “When you combine that information with the interactivity and entertainment value of a game played on a digital sign, there are benefits for everyone involved.”
Michael Antoniak is a freelancer who writes and blogs about technology, business, and country living.
LCD & LED: Facts and Figures
If there’s a downside to new sign solutions, it’s the initial expense.
LED: For backlit light boxes and menu boards, LEDs (light-emitting diodes) cost more than fluorescent bulbs. That can be recouped over time, however, as they require substantially less energy to operate. With that, LEDs last longer, require less maintenance, and will highlight visuals in attention-grabbing ways.
Bottom line: If you have the upfront budget, an LED system will offset the purchase price by reducing operation costs. If you have to postpone the investment for now, prices will come down as this lighting technology becomes more popular.
LCD Digital Signage: Unlike LEDs, digital signage requires a system that includes LCD display panels, software to create and deliver content, a computer, and some type of network to deliver programming to the LCDs. Hidden costs can be in setting up a wired or wireless network, licensing fees for displaying proprietary content, and in the protective housing necessary for LCD monitors installed outdoors. A modest startup system can easily cost thousands and quickly climb, unless the display panels and network are already in place.
The return on investment may be well worth the expense, however. Fee-based advertising, mixed in with other content, can offset the purchase price. From one control center an operator can cater content and message for different times of day, or parts of a park, and make changes on the fly. Visitors will be better entertained and informed about everything available there.
Bottom Line: There are so many distinct benefits to digital signage. And, the price of these systems, too, will only come down.
—Michael Antoniak |
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