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Nr 49 April - May 2016
Offering the Technological Experience during Congresses and Meetings The technological experience is now essential during meetings and congresses.
Hoteliers and other congress centres are on the edge to comply with these new demands from conventioneers.
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When Hotels Regret the Disappearance of “Room Phones” ... Alternatives? To the Beck and Call!
Your Ultimate Link Between Your Message and the World
Hotel chains revenues suffered from the disap-
More than ever, the success of a presentation depends on
If you use simultaneous translation services for your
Applications such as Skype and small personal
complex, the allocated meeting time is short, and the attention
looking box at the back of the room! But do you know the
appropriate audiovisual aids! The themes discussed are of the participants is assailed in so many different ways… that it becomes a quasi-competition.
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conferences and events, you probably noticed this funny
pearance of room phones. They were charging exorbitant fees.
Wi-Fi networks are now enough for their clients.
function of this indispensable piece of equipment?
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Sharing? One Single Click! Today’s meetings are completely different from yesterday’s meetings! Collaborators come equipped with their own
devices: the BYOD phenomenon is popular everywhere (it is estimated that 82% of participants go to meetings with their own devices).
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Employee Experience And The Future Of Work Page 8
Digital Signage Is More Than Publicity!
A Screen Without Content is a Dead Screen Page 14
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Offering the Technological Experience during Congresses and Meetings The technological experience is now essential during meetings and congresses. Hoteliers and other congress centres are on the edge to comply with these new demands from
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conventioneers.
obile tools to integrate, interactive screens to communicate and a comfortable bandwidth… which is now a necessity becoming more and more important, especially with the “geek generation” being in power of many businesses.
Time for Networking and Interactivity! The clientele of congresses and meetings evolves in its way of traveling and grouping up. What’s the current trend? A meeting must look like anything but a meeting! The “classical” meeting format is struggling; it is time to leave space for networking and interactivity. In these conditions, the technology has to follow, and even more, leave good memories in the mind of conventioneers! Evidently, the requirement for a quality Wi-Fi is primordial; it is the “essence of war” as underlined by Kovardky, senior vice-president of AccorHotels. The Wi-Fi must be free and the network must support a large number of connections, especially since the arrival of mobile devices. One person may need up to three con-
nections. Beefing up the Wi-Fi is not an easy task and takes relatively significant investments. Servers have to be changed, cables have to be added, software has to be updated, and optic fibre has to be adopted or thought about, since the technology leads the way in about 800 high end hotels in the world.
Everything Must Flow Naturally! Meeting rooms also require a solid lift. State of the art screens and videoconference equipment must be in place, as well as an extraordinary ease of use: everything must be conceived and setup for plug and play, it must all flow naturally as soon as the user opens his tablet, smartphone, or notebook. As we are evolving in a “smart room” focus, the ancient flipchart gave its place to the interactive
board that accepts every type of connection, and can even control the lighting of the room automatically. Of course, everything written on the board is automatically recorded, modifications are saved, and participants do not have to take notes anymore, everything can be given to them once they leave. Important detail, today’s rooms are more “open” to virtual participation. The distant participants can follow the meeting and intervene from their device (computer, smartphone, tablet). Steelcase
Translations and Signage
Of course, large organizations that spread their roots all around the world should have translator services in their offices, even if English is often considered as the “official” language of the business. Their interventions will be retrans-
Your Ultimate Link Between Your Message and the World The Importance of the Mobile Simultaneous Interpretation Booth If you use simultaneous translation services for your conferences and events, you probably noticed this funny looking box at the back of the room! But do you know the function of this
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indispensable piece of equipment?
n fact, its use is crucial for the progress of your conference. The simultaneous interpretation booth is used as a workspace for the interpreters. It fits conception and fabrication criteria issued by the international ISO-4043-1998 norm. This norm ensures that conference interpreters and equipment dealers can count on a few things: having a mobile structure with a fast assembly and disassembly, that is soundproof to the ambient sounds coming from the cabin, which allows the interpreters to work and focus more easily on the speaker while offering them comfort, work ergonomy, and a good view on the audience. Each booth has a work surface, a fan for fresh air circulation, a complementary light, an access door for privacy and discretion for users, as well as integrated pass-through holes for wires to connect the
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interpretation equipment. The flexibility of Congress® booths lets them be assembled in many configurations, either for two, three, or even four interpreter spaces. For dealers or managers of conferences, the Congress® booths are made of light but tough removable panels, and are stored in a solid transport container, protecting the panels during transport or handling. The Multi-Caisses Inc.’s Congress® booth is one of the most performant on the market, uniting lightness, efficiency, and acoustic performance that surpasses even the
norm ISO-4043-1998. Additionally, its unique Quick Latch® assembly system allows for one person to assemble the booth in less than 15 minutes. It is the choice of event managers and simultaneous interpretation service providers in more than 30 countries in the world, and it is used during the most important international meetings and conferences. In fact, the Congress® booth of class ES-12/PB is accepted by the general direction of interpretation of the European commission during its meetings and conferences. To learn more about our Congress® booths, we invite you to visit our website www.interpretation.com Multi-Caisses Inc. 350 rue Fortin Québec , QC, Canada G1M 1B1 Tél: 800-463-2549 - 418-527-2549 Fax: 418-527-5856 info@multi-caisses.com www.interpretationbooths.com
Keizershoevestraat, 26 2610 Wilrijk - Belgium Tel: +32 478 948951 Fax: +32 3 2397516 Email: jp.thys@cbsmedia.biz Website: www.cbsmedia.biz Publication Manager Jean-Pierre Thys Editor Jean-Claude Lesuisse Translation Babel Ophoff Vertalingen Printing Lowyck
Steelcase mitted, wirelessly, towards headsets where there will be a button to change language. It is largely proved that reactivity and retention are superior when we are in a frame with our maternal language. The speakers must not run into any problems of connectivity with their material. Smartphone, tablet, notebook, PC, or Mac, they must all show immediately on the big screen(s). Technologies exist and work properly; you just have to choose them well. Digital signage will be used in many situations of the event: signalization, schedule of the day, practical information.
The Revolution of Apps and Beacons! The revolution starts way before the event. Special apps
are given to organizers so they can choose the ideal configurations to reach their objectives. For example, choosing between “celebrating”, “deciding”, “training”, “brainstorming”, “networking”, “promoting”, etc.… Other apps offer virtual concierge services, in direct link with the hotel personnel or the congress centre. These software programs offer practical solutions to participants: schedule of the event, biography of the speakers, notes on the interventions, live polls, creation of a personalized agenda, contact
info of participants, etc. The beacon technique is also to the rescue. What is it exactly? They are small terminals that communicate in Bluetooth to smartphones. They are used more and more in airports to guide travellers and they are making their appearance in congresses. Besides the welcoming messages Marriott Hotel they can send to conventioneers, these terminals can also verify if a person entering a session is signed up properly, and if they went to the wrong room, redirect the person
Publisher Jean-Pierre Thys Keizershoevestraat, 26 2610 Wilrijk - Belgium Communications Business Solutions is published 5 times a year. Online registration forms on our website will be considered for a regular free copy. Subscription Print: 55 € (Belgium) – 60 € (Europe), 85 € (other continents). All reproduction rights reserved for all countries. Reproductionof the texts (even partial) is prohibited without permission of the publisher. Member ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) Communications Business Solutions is available in print in french and dutch and online in english, french and dutch.
to the right location. Of course, organizers can also have data on the most viewed sessions, which allows them to correct some things, for example, making more attractive the conferences that were slightly left behind.
ICCA
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When Hotels Regret the Disappearance of “Room Phones” ... Alternatives? Hotel chains revenues suffered from the disappearance of room phones. They were charging
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exorbitant fees.
pplications such as Skype and small personal Wi-Fi networks are now enough for their clients. Hotels are brainstorming to find new sources of interest to compensate for their lost revenue source, and also search for new breakthroughs that would incite clients to take immediate buying decisions.
Geolocalisation The GSM changed their lives, but, even more, this device transformed itself into a small computer that is the centre of integrated communication of each individual. It radically changes the way we interact with each other as well as… the way hotels can interact with their clients and generate new revenue sources. Clients use mobile technology more often than ever to find hotels, verify for room vacancy, check prices, and read ratings and comments. Once they have
their room, they continue using their devices to stay connected with their loved ones and their business relationships, as well as entertain themselves. On this last point, it is important to say that Netflix, for example, beats the hotel’s “pay TV” more often than not. Today, thanks to geolocalisation and tags technology, it is possible to reach clients directly with messages and service alerts concerning activities of the hotel, or close to the hotel.
Offer More Hotels are investing more in this direction by creating apps that group all of these offers in one convenient place. The app lets you reserve rooms, automatically check-in and check-out, and use your smartphone as a room key. It can also be used to discover local attractions, to make restaurant reservations, and to order tickets to local
events. Other services can be found on the app, such as laundry service, room service, and “premium entertainment”. Sometimes, it is even possible to order plane tickets. Screen-casting is also strongly appreciated by travellers. It is a technology that allows the client to watch his own content on the hotel room TV screen by sending the image of his smartphone or his tablet via the hotel network. The Wi-Fi signal strength is often critiqued by travellers. Generally, there exists “mute zones” that considerably bother users. Business travellers do not understand that they can access their emails from their room, but not from the bar or the restaurant for example. The network speed is also questioned. You need to ensure that what is offered meets the increased demand (increasing the bandwidth and making sure the network coverage is satisfactory). Interesting financial lead: a two speed Internet. 53% of travellers say that they would be ready to pay for higher Wi-Fi speeds and a better coverage.
To the Beck and Call! More than ever, the success of a presentation depends on appropriate audiovisual aids! The themes discussed are complex, the allocated meeting time is short, and the attention of the
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participants is assailed in so many different ways… that it becomes a quasi-competition.
n these conditions, rare are the managers that can take pride in being able to attract attention by the simple magic of their words!
Real Genuine Shows Fortunately, the projectors can rapidly be setup to help brilliantly! They are easily connected, sometimes even wirelessly, in most conference centres and auditoriums. Additionally, today’s software has the capability of realizing professional presentations with special effects. Basically, everything is ready for a real show. Is the Pleasure Now Complete? Yes, if you add the PerfectCue from D’San Corporation to this array of tools. But what exactly
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is this technology?
For Demanding Clients PerfectCue is a visual and acoustic signage system conceived for demanding clients. It is solid, reliable, scalable, and has a reach of more than 100 meters. In its “Pavlov” mode, it allows for a speaker to send signals to an operator in charge of the media. It can also directly control a software with the commands “Next”, “Previous, or “Black Screen” by using a wireless controller. It can also automatically synchronize the playback from two computers, or more if necessary, since PerfectCue is easily scalable. Finally, it is compatible, without configuration, with PowerPoint, Keynote, and Prezi. The com-
mands are editable to adapt to different software. One PerfectCue unit is composed of a HF receiver of visual and acoustic signage, which lets you automatically control two PC or MAC, a HD transmitter that the speaker uses to send signals by using a wireless controller with a reach of more than 100 meters. Depending on the model, the unit can be equipped with a pointing laser. The PerfectCue family comes in three models – PerfectCue BP, PerfectCue Mini & PerfectCue Micro – and is complemented by a choice of controllers and accessories. CREATION OF DSAN EUROPE FOR THE CENTRALISATION OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRIBUTION CIRCUIT AND THE CARE OF SAV DREAMTEAM Services 6, Rue Alfred de Musset 94800 Villejuif France Tél: 00/33/1/53 14 37 11 E-mail : dts@dreamteamservices.com - dts@dsan.fr Website : www.dsan.fr - www.dreamteamservices.com
The Great Classic of the Insufferable Meeting Talking about useless meetings, or even insufferable ones, is a great classic. It is however true that many
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meetings lead to a huge waste of time and do not contribute to anything concrete.
fter the painful slideshow of the boss, where most of the participants are daydreaming or become interested in their tablet, the impression given by the meeting lasts: we could have done something more productive
The “All Powerful Boss” Syndrome To take or leave, here are a few tips to try to exorcise the demons that render many meetings inefficient... The question of time is essential, since it is the main reason that make people hate meetings. The main idea should respect the fact that it is primordial that no participant “wastes his time”. It is a lack of respect to the participants to start a meeting late, same goes with stretching meetings unreasonably or calling for an impromptu meeting. Another observation: if a collabo-
rator is busy with an urgent and productive task, why would you take him away from it to make him assist a meeting? Don’t laugh, it happens very regularly that a collaborator is busy finishing an important task, trying to respect deadlines, when suddenly, he is pulled away from his productive work streak to participate into a meeting. We call this the “All Powerful Boss” syndrome. This boss deeply believes that his speeches (“strategic” as he calls them) are more important than actual field work (simple operational). After this copious waste of time, the collaborator will have to stay after hours (unpaid, since staff is easy to replace and overworked) to respect the deadline, barely make it, or again, accept to be late.
show you can puff out your chest. The hierarchy often has a tendency of organizing meetings to play “conductor”, show your “power” and flaunt your ego. It is highly unproductive when it comes to the employee level. Even worse are the pseudo-meetings that are only used to “settle the score” in public. Every meeting should at least lead to an action. You made a meeting to solve a problem, share information, or take a deci-
sion, so when the meeting is over, it is time to act. If, for any reason, it is not possible to act, the participants will tend to consider the meeting to be inefficient. A meeting that is meant to tighten the relationships between collaborators should have an environment that promotes exchanges and informal interactions. It is now considered “networking”, as we call it today. A friendly atmosphere is a must, nothing better than sharing a drink, even if there is a sub-theme to it. To make work meetings dynamic, interventions should be prepared and use modern communication mediums. Video projector, Internet, video and sound systems, everything that may add to the exchange should be used. The goal is, of course, to add dynamics to the meeting and avoid monotony.
Showing Your Power, Flaunting Your Ego? Unproductive! No meeting should be attended by people who do not have a direct interest in the subject of the day. Meetings are not done to
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Valuable business opportunities, great connections and fresh thinking All at IMEX in Frankfurt this year David Dubois, Immediate Past Chair of the Convention Industry Council and President & CEO of IAEE, is set to deliver the keynote at the opening ceremony of IMEX in Frankfurt, launching
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three days of business opportunities, networking and a comprehensive education programme.
he show, taking place 19 – 21 April at Messe Frankfurt, has been developed following feedback from buyers and exhibitors and is designed to address some of the hot topics in the meetings and events sector.
ica. Many established exhibitors have expanded their stand space, including Qatar Tourism Authority, Sri Lanka, Serbia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Portugal; and hotel groups – Hilton International, Maritim Hotels and Preferred Hotels.
More for Hosted Buyers More than 20 new hosted buyer groups from around the world are set to attend IMEX in Frankfurt this year. These include buyers from the USA, Poland, China, South Africa and South America, plus UNICEO – the network for corporate event decision makers. ISES (International Special Events Society) is also bringing their Global Event Summit to the show for the first time. Revised group appointment timings will give buyers more time to explore the show floor, discovering new exhibitors, education and networking opportunities - the show will now open at 9.45am, with no group appointments scheduled before 11am or after 4pm. Buyers can meet numerous new exhibitors such as Sardinia, Catalunya Convention Bureau, Wyndham Hotels, Condor Airlines, Variety Cruises and ESA Central & South Amer-
Topical education With over 180 education sessions at IMEX in Frank-
Trends and Research. CMP/CEU and ISES Points can also be accrued at many sessions. New for this year is a series of short and snappy talks focused on ‘Trends and Future-Think’. These TED-style talks, brought to IMEX in Frankfurt by the Swedish Network of Convention Bureaus, promise to introduce an ‘innovative Swedish interactive learning experience’. The sharing economy is a hot topic at the show this year, explored through the comprehensive education programme including a panel session of sharing economy pioneers discussing How can we work with the new sharing economy? Senior representatives
David Dubois furt this year, visitors are sure to find sessions that match their needs. The Inspiration Hub, home to all the show floor education, will host experts exploring Business Skills, Creative Learning, Diversity, General Education, Health and Wellbeing, Marketing/ Social Media, Personal Development, Sustainability, Technology, from MeetingRooms.com, VizEat and Maritz Travel Company will detail their experiences and explore how the ‘old’ and new economies can work together for mutual benefit. Jean-Michel CEO and co-founder of VizEat, the European leader of social dining, will further explore the shared economy, particularly food tourism and authenticity, in his session The unexpected power of shared meals. Business is Personal is another major area of focus with sessions designed to help buyers and exhibitors to grow and develop both professionally and personally. Business Skills and Personal Development educational tracks explore this theme with sessions on leadership skills, developing confidence and fostering strong connections.
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Dedicated features As part of the show’s comprehensive education programme, PCMA Business School is bringing its prestigious Business School to Europe for the first time alongside IMEX in Frankfurt. Hosted by Congress Center Messe Frankfurt, this free of charge programme is open to all and offers executives the chance to develop core business skills and learn from an MBA level professor. Exclusively Corporate @IMEX is a dedicated education and networking event solely for corporate meeting and event planners. Leading business strategist, Dr Kaihan Krippendorf, will deliver a keynote on how to develop ‘mental agility’, sharing insights from his study of over 200 successful innovators. At a Mock Trial, new for this year, participants can turn their hand to becoming prosecution and defence lawyers exploring a real, ethical scenario in an authentic courtroom setting in an engaging, entertaining educational session. A dedicated education and networking event for exclusively for association executives, Association Day, attracts around 300 professionals from 40 countries each year. This year’s collaborative programme has been developed in response to issues raised by participants at last year’s event – how to remain relevant. Charles Leadbeat-
er is set to harness this in his keynote address. As a leading authority on innovation and creativity, he has advised companies, cities and governments across the globe and is regarded as one of the top management thinkers worldwide. Finally, the renowned Politicians Forum brings together up to 40 politicians and political influencers with around 80 industry leaders to discuss building and sustaining a
successful meetings industry. This year the keynote speaker is Hon Minister Stuart Ayres, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events for New South Wales detailing How Meetings and Events Can Fulfil Political Optimism. IMEX in Frankfurt takes place at Messe Frankfurt from 19 – 21 April 2016. For further information and to register as a visitor go to www.imex-frankfurt.com
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Employee Experience And The Future Of Work
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By Jacob Morgan
hen was the last time you spent your own time and money on an experience? It could have been splurging on a restaurant, going on vacation, sports tickets, or a number of other things. Chances are that you spend resources on experiences multiple times a week if not daily. So clearly this idea of experience is one that we all find to be valuable and important. But what about experience at work? How is that we spend our own resources on creating experiences but oftentimes when we show up to work it feels as though this concept of experience is a complete after thought? Over the past few years we have started to see the rise of the employee experience. This is something that HR, people, and talent executives around the world are not starting to focus on. Similar to the customer experience, the employee experience is what happens when an employee interacts with your organization. It starts with how they first find and apply for a job at your company and ends with how they leave and includes everything in between. What’s particularly fascinating is that a few decades ago nobody cared about the employee experience. There was no emphasis on creativity, engagement, inspiration, empowerment, workplace flexibility, open offices, or getting rid of annual reviews. Work was about utility, it was about this idea that employees need to show up and today work is about creating an organization where people want to show up. So what makes up the employee experience? Three things as seen below.
Cultural Environment We have all heard of corporate culture and the many ways to describe it. Some say “it’s what happens when the manager leaves the room,” others say culture stems from the values, attitudes, practices, and the mission of the organization, and some say culture is controlled by the CEO and the executives. Regardless of what you believe culture is or where it comes from, the one thing that is common is that culture is about feeling. If the physical environment is about the one that you can see, touch, taste, and breathe, then the cultural environment is the one that you feel; it’s the “vibe” you get when you walk in the door and it’s the mood and the tone that the workplace sets. It’s the leadership style, the sense of purpose your employees feel, the organizational structure, and the people that make up your organization. It’s not written and it’s not stated yet it is one of the most important elements of creating and designing the employee experience. Typically corporate culture is what energizes us or drains us, it motivates us or discourages us, it empowers us or it suffocates us. We all experience the corporate culture of our organizations every single day, whether it is positive or negative.
Physical Environment The physical workspace is the one we can see,
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touch, and taste, and smell. It’s the art that hangs on the walls, the office floor plan, the demographics of the people we work with (old, young, diversity, etc), and any physical perks we might get such as catered meals in a beautiful cafeteria, an on-site gym, or a lounge area that employees can use to unwind a bit. Before reading on think for a minute about your physical workspace and how it makes you feel. Do you get excited and energized or do you feel as if you are walking into a hospital or doctor’s office? As a work futurist part of my job is to tour offices at
cess to. This also includes any apps, software, e-learning tools, and user experience and design elements that impact how employees use these various tools. Technology is the central nervous system of the organization and most concepts and themes related to the future of work are not possible without technology. It’s not hard to see why technology is such a big part of Jacob Morgan the employee experience. If you show up to work and are forced to use technologies that were considered “cool” in the 90s then clearly you’re going to be a bit frustrated with getting your job done. Using outdated and poorly designed technologies will: make it harder for your to communicate and collaborate with employees, drastically increase the amount of time it takes you to get your job done, and create an environment that sees you being frustrated, angry, and unproductive instead of being engaged, happy, and productive.
Technological Environment
The future of work is all about the employee experience and this is something that organizations around the world are realizing and investing in. When thinking about your organization ask three things: Do employees have a sense of purpose, worth, and fairness? Do employees have access to modern tools that allow them to be more engage and efficient? Do employees enjoy working in the physical environment that has been provided to them? What kind of an experience are you creating for your employees and how are you doing it?
The technological environment of the organization refers to the tools employees use to get their jobs done. This includes everything from the internal social network your company might use to the mobile devices that are approved to the laptops, desktops, and video conferencing solutions that employees have ac-
Jacob Morgan is a best-selling author (most recently of The Future of Work), keynote speaker, and futurist. He is also the co-founder of The Future of Work Community. To learn more visit his website or subscribe to his weekly newsletter.
organizations all around the world to see how they are designed and perhaps more importantly why they are designed in certain ways. Many people believe the offices are actually are going to become exciting but I am seeing the exact opposite trend: “The Office Space Isn’t Dead, It’s Making A Comeback.”
Jacob Morgan
ISE 2016 - record attendance confirms exhibition as world’s largest AV and systems integration show The organisers promised ‘More 4 You’ and produced the most for everyone ! AMSTERDAM, 17 FEBRUARY 2016: The first four-day Integrated Systems Europe exhibition came to a close on 12 February with a final count of 65,686 registered attendees. This represents a 6,338 (10.7%) increase on the 2015 edition and officially positions ISE as the world’s largest AV and systems integration tradeshow.
Mike Blackman “ The volume of attendee traffic and its spread over the four days confirms our belief that the extra day was necessary and that it adds value for visitors and exhibitors,” stated Integrated Systems Events Managing Director, Mike Blackman. “I’m delighted to say that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and I would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed.” W ith 1,103 of the world’s leading AV manufacturers and service companies filling the RAI’s exhibitions halls, visitors had a unique opportunity to view the latest products and technologies. ISE’s co-owners, CEDIA and InfoComm International, both reported their huge satisfaction with ISE 2016 and with the high levels of interest from attendees in their onsite educational programmes. These sessions attracted record at-
tendance numbers. David Labuskes, Executive Director and CEO, InfoComm International, said: “Yet again I can say how proud we are to be associated with ISE and the unique position it holds today.” He continued: “Our InfoComm Conferences, MasterClasses and FlashTrack education sessions drew excellent delegate numbers and offered ISE attendees an opportunity to experience a little of what InfoComm International can offer.” ISE 2016 also contained the busiest and most comprehensive event programme produced at its 13 editions. There were also numerous visitor and exhibitor initiatives that ran as part of ISE’s designated FRDY@ISE programme. This was designed to ensure that the new fourth day of this year’s ex-
hibition offered a unique and rewarding experience for attendees. In addition to manufacturers hosting their own meetings and networking events on Friday 12 February, ISE organised a ‘Meet the CEO’ initiative to connect visitors with senior exhibitor executives; a manufacturer to
Dr. Michio Kaku distributor (M2D) business networking reception and an AV/IT Seminar Programme. A n undoubted highlight of the final day was the early-morning Closing Keynote given by Dr Michio Kaku, the leading physicist and futurist. He spoke to over 700 attendees and presented an exciting vision of a technological future, where the internet is ‘everywhere and nowhere’ and artificial intelligence is woven into every aspect of our lives. Looking ahead to 2017, exhibitor and stand re-bookings for next year’s show are at 47,131 square metres of sold space. This represents 102% of the total space sold for the 2016 edition and 95% of the total space available for 2017. The addition of a new hall in 2017 will coincide with a new hall numbering system, which will be introduced into the RAI. The next Integrated Systems Europe will take place from 7-10 February 2017.
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Jargon: Help or Handicap? Every domain disposes of a vocabulary that is proper to it. Think for a moment about sports,
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football, tennis, Formula 1, or even cycling.
ne step further, imagine the beginner, the uninitiated, hearing terms such as “corner”, “match point”, “pit stop” or “bonk” …
Double Zero for Efficiency It is the same for businesses and their multiple departments. Marketing, research, and human resources all have their “language specificities”. In fact, everything is great as long as the public is “from the same race”, or shares the same specialization with the speaker. In these conditions, jargon speeds up the conversation by a lot: instead of using circumlocutions, you only have to say a word to get the ideas rolling rapidly and then focus on the essential. Imagine a meeting of surgeons where all jargon would be forbidden... What a mess! On top of this, jargon creates a common culture between people of the same side, which is not negligible. However, jargon should be omitted in meetings regrouping people from different horizons and cultures. When we hear a word that we do not understand, our brain focuses on it, keeps guessing the meaning, and is incapable of understanding the rest of the sentence. Double zero for efficiency.
Don’t Forget Rhetoric, A Powerful Way to Communicate! If you want to influence and persuade people, you need to replace jargon by a clear lan-
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guage. The problem is not too hard... You just have to reflect a bit to reach a clear language without wasting too much time... if you understand exactly what a word represents. Sub rule: if you cannot define a jargon term, don’t use it! Another frequent weakness in speeches: overused introduction sentences such as “this is my opinion”, “I could be wrong, but”, “in fact”, “frankly”, “essentially”, “it is clear that”... Numerous psychologists have a lot of fun with analysing these introductions. They found that most of the time, a sentence starting with “it is clear that” has an idea that is all but clear, even flawed or highly arguable. The speaker begins his sentence this way to convince himself, in a way, and to “force the hand” of his spectators into believing him! Do not forget the precious help of rhetoric, this powerful way of convincing and communicating. Repetition, alliteration, antithesis, metaphor and others are strong, efficient tools that let you convince and speak with passion.
Example by Excellence Lights on a domain where jargon is rampant: the domain of high technology. In telecommunications and computing for example, during the recent years, the jargon has blossomed into a large amount of undrinkable phrases. Between technicians, once again, this kind of jargon speeds things up, but its impact on the end user is deplorable. We often say, and
for good reasons, that “only results matter” in the eyes of the user. Applications are king. Instead of speaking about quad cores boosted to X MHz backed up by SSDs of 512, why not simply say that the device is two (or X) times faster than the past because of new components? That we can load applications without “waiting” or “loading times”? That the feeling of “fluidity” has no equal? The same happens in videoconference sets and equipment for meeting rooms where we keep putting emphasis on technical specifications... that mean strictly nothing to the end user. The idea to follow? Stay simple: “to communicate with someone, simply press this button”, “if you wish to speak, speak and the microphone will go on automatically”, “write on the board and then press on this button to print its content on paper”, etc., etc., examples are endless. This supremacy of jargon could be explained in the past because the people who fabricated the technology were the only integrators of the jargon. But today, it is not integrators (fans of technical specifications) that make decisions, but CEOs of businesses. Don’t we say that we need to speak the language of the client? Especially when he’s in charge of the decisions!
Sharing? One Single Click! Today’s meetings are completely different from yesterday’s meetings! Collaborators come equipped with their own devices: the BYOD phenomenon is popular everywhere (it is estimated that 82% of participants go to meetings with their own devices).
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eeting rooms are also equipped to project documents, images, and video.
When Stress Shows Up... Then stress shows up... It begins way before the meeting, the theme is almost always the same: to do my presentation, I need to show slides, graphics, and videos. How will I be able to set up my computer on the room’s system? The anxiety is constant because for a presentation to be a success, it needs to happen without issues. We think about cables, we get stressed about anything and everything (“I have a Mac and businesses evolve in a PC world!”), we even start to give up (“my tablet doesn’t have a cable input, neither does my smartphone!”) or we get completely lost (“what adapter will I need this time?”) We dream of a perfect world, where we would only have to desire to plug something for it to plug itself. The ClickShare by Barco is made by dreamers that don’t want to dream anymore: it lets you connect immediately, in a “transparent”
way, without having to worry about the projection system of the business. With ClickShare, we share what’s on the screen of the computer or mobile device with a simple click. The principle is really simple. If there is a computer to connect, whether it is Mac or PC, we insert what we call a “button” in a USB port (see picture). After this, you only need to press and the button to mirror your computer’s screen onto the meeting room projector or flat screen. If it’s a tablet or a smartphone, simplicity is also important: you launch the ClickShare app (which exists on iOS and Android), and it’s in the bag. And Apple lovers can even use AirPLay for screen sharing.
When Stress Completely Disappears! Impossible to make any simpler, user friendliness is now part of the meeting! It is impossible to stress about it, since everything functions at the single click of a button. No need to worry about the screen being reproduced properly: what you see on your screen will be on the projection system, only bigger. No cables are present to block movement or to make the meeting room messier, everything is perfectly wireless. There is no software to load or install on the computers, and no setting up to do. The user only needs to allow the launch of an application that leaves no trace on the PC or Mac once closed. And you’re always certain that your aspect ratio will not be changed! No wonder that users are so enthusiastic: 93% confirm that ClickShare makes their meetings more efficient! And while we’re at it, here’s more numbers that tell another side of the story: 20% of overly long meetings were stretched because of connection problems! This new method of communication, simple and efficient, can also be used by visitors so they can instantly connect their devices and share their documents.
flavors. The CS-100 set, consisting of a base unit and 1 USB Button focuses on standalone meeting rooms (up to 8 users can be connected through buttons or apps). The CSE-200 set contains a base and 2 buttons, and is perfectly suited for enterprise environments (up to 16 users connected, two users on screen simultaneously) wherease the flagship CSC-1 model comes with 4 buttons and supports UHD resolutions (up to 64 users connected, and up to four users can simultaneously share their data on the projector).
Information Box Did you know that 64% of business leaders state meetings would be more efficient if they could get more than one person’s point of view on-screen. And when asked about collaboration they also stress the importance of BYOD and ease of use when it comes to true collaboration. To find out more about ClickShare, please refer to barco.com/clickshare.
ClickShare comes in three
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Choosing a Videoconference Style Adapted to Small Meeting Rooms
The notion of work itself is currently changing, and the same goes for collaborations and videoconferences.
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Collaborators do more and more telework.
eople that work in offices are often incorporated into shared open offices. When they feel the need to communicate with distant colleagues, they do so in the small conference rooms known as “huddle rooms”.
50 Million Rooms of This Type Good news, videoconference device manufacturers propose solutions that specifically target these small rooms. Remember that a huddle room is a small meeting room that can accom-
of large flexibility. They are quick, impromptu rooms that fit the work philosophy of today. They are so efficient that we expect an increase of huddle rooms of at least 20% in the next four years. Wainhouse notes that most huddle rooms have a small table, a few chairs, a phone, and sometimes a flipchart or a flat screen that can be connected to laptops. Huddle rooms that are considered “high tech” may include audio and videoconference solutions. Wainhouse pushes the notion that these small rooms should become “all inclusive” packages with decent lighting, along with audio and video systems, but not necessarily equipped with “high end” material.
A Large Untapped Market… And A Fair Warning!
modate up to six people. There are about 30 to 50 million of these rooms in the world. The huddle room is perfect for today’s work situation: people can meet “on the fly”, in a climate
It is in this vision that manufacturers propose videoconference solutions at interesting prices (usually around 2000 to 3000 $). The video is HD quality (1080p) and the panoramic camera has an automatic zoom mechanism. A wireless controller is available and it is sometimes possible to control the equipment via smartphone. The goal is to fill the gap between the costly and hard to manage solutions found in large rooms,
Steelcase and the PC based solutions that are not modular. Unanimously, manufacturers believe that today, the opportunity to establish themselves is only touching the surface of this largely untapped market. However, it is firmly advised to interested businesses to not have too many solutions quite yet. Effectively, this could reduce the adoption of the devices, since there would be too many available interfaces. Basically, people wouldn’t know how to use the devices. The advice to follow in this case: have one general solution; it will be more effective and save you money.
Which Type Of Videoconference Should You Choose? Cloud or Internal?
Videoconferencing is not a new technology, but technological advances and normalized prices makes it an interesting proposition for businesses.
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t is, in fact, a very efficient collaboration tool for all types of businesses.
Young People Advancing the Cause! Of course, there is videoconference and… videoconference. The platforms, just like the prices, are varied. Skype, web conference, FaceTime, and of course, dedicated systems for dedicated rooms. Telepresence needs to be added to this list, the cost of this one easily surpassing 100 000$.
business world. For them, using video is only logical, and even if they can’t (yet) buy the equipment in the name of the business, their influence is strong enough for businesses to feel forced to show a “sexy” side to attract young recruits. Another argument pleads in favour of the
However, these different platforms all have a common characteristic: they all offer the possibility to participate in meetings from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Of course, the quality will differ. Equipment dedicated to videoconferencing and telepresence deliver “high fidelity” images, excellent sound, and have options for file sharing. For example, data sheets, presentations, images, or explication files can be seen by all participants. The philosophy of using videoconference has been accelerated by the eruption of young workers (who have been addicted to technology since their youngest days) in the
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Steelcase implementation of videoconference. We all know it, and usually mention it first. It is the decrease in travelling fees. It is an important domain, and it has been proved that the higher the quality of the video and audio, the less we feel like we need to travel.
Cloud or Internal? As soon as we seriously think about investing in a videoconference system, we have
two choices. Either we choose the Cloud, an internal investment, or a mix of both, with the Cloud and the internal components that may already be available. Three types of businesses will be mostly interested in the Cloud: businesses that do not want to invest a large budget into videoconferencing, smaller businesses that do not have the means to manage this technology, or businesses that are spread in many different locations. The cloud reduces complexity and is the “easiest” solution. Cloud providers have browsers and applications for iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices. On the flipside, investing in an internal videoconference system may be interesting, since a large part of the material will be usable and used after the payback period, which will benefit the business. However, whichever solution you choose, you will have to take good care of your network! The video and sound quality are very dependent on connection quality. When it comes to using the technology, it will have to be promoted by the business, and have organized learning sessions. An important part of the adoption rate is making sure to choose the most ergonomical solutions.
The “Cloud”: The Perfect Tool for Videoconferencing in SMEs The evolution of techniques used by videoconference allows for new users to now adopt
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the system.
one are the days of large manufacturers making systems destined to be installed in dedicated rooms of a business, the videoconference market is now opened to a way bigger public, thanks to, notably, flexible “cloud computing” solutions.
The Cloud Has Reinvented Videoconference Traditionally, for many years, videoconference systems were installed in rooms of very large businesses and were based on proprietary material coupled to very costly devices. Meeting rooms were designed specifically with videoconference systems in mind and required specific levels of lighting, acoustic panels, and specially treated and dyed walls. A type of material could only communicate with the same type of material on the outside, and any added functionalities needed to be from the same brand (proprietary system). “Cloud computing” literally reinvented videoconference! Small and medium enterprises are heavily affected: they can finally accelerate their growth while maintaining or reducing costs. Small rooms, huddle rooms, and individual offices can be equipped with videoconference
technology without any preparations. Today, PCs, Macs, smartphones, and tablets are all capable of delivering high quality images with a sound to match.
Opportunity Cost Instead Of Travelling Fee Today, many manufacturers offer the necessary infrastructure in the “cloud”, which lets you use the device you desire, ensuring maximum flexibility. In the domain of videoconferencing, the quality and reliability of the calls are absolute priorities, along with the ease of use or user-friendliness of the system. The goal seems to be reached with, icing on the cake, this maximum flexibility that allows the user to
use the device of his choice. Of course, videoconferencing is not perfect. It does not replace every meeting, just like it doesn’t remove every travelling fee. However, it generates an “opportunity cost”, motivating the primary decision makers to hold meetings more often and with shorter delays (almost immediately if necessary), which increases productivity and communication. This is worth much more than saving on “travelling fees”.
A Well Adapted Office? An Office That Must Adapt, Instead! The concept of an office itself has changed. It is more often shared, and the chairs now have wheels to
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move around easily while sitting.
t the same time, the office is adapting itself to the wave of impromptu meetings. The space layout offers friendly space with bench or lounge seats, and huddle rooms (small meeting rooms that may contain from two to four people) are showing up everywhere.
The Personal Cave Has Been Vanquished! The concept of work itself has changed, the office followed suit and is becoming shared and “of passage”. It is the end of the office conceived as a personal cave. We had the era of large open spaces, it is now time to recreate small spaces… but still shared! The most efficient meetings are not planned ahead, they are born from an idea that needs clarification or more explanation on the go. Crime of lese-majesty, we see meetings where people are standing, on a high chair with a foot rest bar (yes indeed, just like the
counter of a cafe!) … A same surface has to be able to evolve rapidly and pass from a configuration to another, depending on the needs of the moment. The office, as a package, is adapting itself to the requirements of younger generations entering the business world with their own codes and standards.
The Relaxing Light of the Sunset… There are still some constants: the lighting, for example, has to be sufficiently distribut-
ed. We need to raise awareness about the fact that light strongly influences your biological clock. This means that a cold light, at the beginning of the day, is stimulating, while a warm light, like the sunset, is relaxing. Since everyone has a different biological clock, it is important to let everyone, with individual solutions, to choose the lighting that is the most beneficial to them. It is proven that an under lighting or over lighting reduces performance by about 10%. Collaborators must also be warned that a bad posture in front of their screen can generate back pain in the medium term. It is with this criterion in mind that you will have to choose ergo chairs that, however, respect the current trends (made with mixed wools for example). Since “sitting” time tends to decrease, the office chair is now seen as an oasis of comfort. It should be easily and rapidly adaptable to the morphology of each and, for example, will allow an “active seating” via micro movements. Before any operational decision, it is a good idea to involve users since they are the ones that are going to work with the result and Steelcase make it live!
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Take the Plunge and Opt For Telework? We talk about it a lot, and not only during the present days of large strikes.
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Telework is popular. Although, it does generate some questions. or the business, taking the plunge is not easy. Letting the collaborators work from their home is a huge change.
What Matters Is “What We Do” and not “Where We Are”! However, schools of thought are evolving. The notion of “work” is shifting towards what we “do” and away from “where we are”.
When leaders of the most innovative businesses ask themselves about the future, they realise that a virtual workforce has enormous
potential and can change the face of the business. Large businesses implement this system on such a large scale that it sometimes reaches the whole world. More than 80% of the 100 best businesses from “Fortune” magazine already have virtual workforces. If you don’t have teleworkers yet, here are a few reasons to seriously consider it. With telework in place, the space in the business devoted to offices can be reduced, which implies less general fees. In the case of businesses that are spread over many places across the world, telework generates more satisfaction out of customers by having better coverage over different time zones. Additionally, and logically, having telework in place allows businesses to have the best workers possible since it eliminates geographical restrictions linked to physical proximity to the business.
Innovation and Superior Creativity The rate of absenteeism diminishes and the engagement level of collaborators increases. This was demonstrated through a study done by Gallup in the United States. The virtual collaborator works, on average, 4 more hours a week and is more motivated than on-site workers (32% versus 28%) Of course, telework reduces the stress of going to work. This type of stress is the leading cause of resignations in the workforce. In correlation with this, travelling fees are eliminated or strongly reduced, which saves serious money on the side of the collaborator. The innovation and creativity are superior. According to a study done in 2014 by the Wall Street Journal, only 10% of on-site workers estimate to be able to focus on their work compared to 39% of teleworkers. Younger generations particularly appreciate this. Finally, the “personal life - professional life” balance is better with teleworkers. New generations especially appreciate this. Teleworking is not just a trend or a short-lived phenomenon: each year, the population of teleworkers in the world increases. A study done by Harvard Business Review estimates that in a medium term, 40% of the global workforce will be teleworkers.
Digital Signage Is More Than Publicity! Today, digital signage surpasses the domain of publicity and is increasingly establishing
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itself in businesses that desire to spread information.
igital signage is part of the arsenal of publicity tools, which means it is often seen in various places that are open to the public such as airports, train stations, shopping centres, and more. It has recently been introduced in businesses.
Guaranteed Effect: They Impress Every Time! We need to make a distinction between internal communication, directed towards the business personnel, and external communication, directed towards visitors of the business. For the latter, video walls, appearing in entrance halls, can display the different products the business has to offer. They can even have interactive functions that let visitors learn more about subjects they find interesting. They can also be setup as way finders to guide the visitors to their destination (kiosks). The effect is guaranteed: not only are these screens informing the visitors (it’s their direct role), but they also impress them, which positively impacts the image of the business’ brand. It makes the business seem young,
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modern, and in touch with the most recent technology. The client leaves the business with the idea that they can trust a performing business that knows how to use modern communication technologies.
sonnel to, for example, stream live speeches from higher management, and also, for more specific groups, check the state of the affair of a specific project. It is clear that it can also be used to animate lively meetings. An increasing number of businesses use Informing, Training, and Also Prevention! digital signage for training since it has a Digital signage allows the business per- memorization rate 30 to 50% higher than written information. In personnel cafeterias or hallways, digital displays can show interesting general information: the number of days without incidents or loss of time, productivity rate, or even reached goals. Since there is, strictly speaking, no necessary delay between information and its broadcasting, it can also be used to inform concerned personnel, in real time, about the management of imminent deliveries, by broadcasting the last relevant events. In workshops, the displays can be used to reduce security issues. For example, a motion detector is all that is required to relay a message reminding the employee that a safety hat is 3d-Berlin vr solutions Gmbh obligatory in the manufacturing section they are about to enter.
The Reasons of the Colossal Success of Digital Signage in SMEs We regularly write about it: digital signage has been growing at an incredible pace since many months now.
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t is so successful that small and medium businesses as well as retail stores started adopting the technology. What has changed?
Targeting of the Public and the Content
don’t want to learn complicated things like placements, connections, or technique. They can take in hand a simple software, but want, and obtain, continued support in managing the network, whether it is content or maintenance.
One of the essential reasons is the drop of costs on practically every element that constitutes a digital signage system. Think about the prices of flat screens that deflated, or think about the computers which, today, have powerful processors capable of treating video without difficulty and performing well in difficult work conditions. The evolution of software is one of the causes of the popularity of digital signage. The software has somewhat ripened and became “intelligent”. They can manage large deployments, and their management and maintenance are reduced to a minimum, which means their messages respect what’s really important: actuality and relevance. We are not happy with simply diffusing information and hoping it will be seen, we are now at the phase of “narrowcasting”, targeting the public as well as the content. Additionally, we are oriented, and it is normal, towards turnkey solutions of digital signage. People want to stay focused on their job and
Increasing the Client Experience Another reason: the behaviour and expectations of the public are ever changing. Not only do we need to diffuse relevant messages in stores, but we also need to integrate and use the new technologies of the con-
sumers. Additionally, the internet of objects helps a lot in obtaining actualized digital signage: for example, the possibility of using real time data in a large variety of systems (sales, stock, logistics) lets you actualize the messages precisely. The machine will not promote items that are out of stock, for example, and also will adapt the information diffused depending on the people in the store (based on sensors, tags, and customer loyalty data). The client experience becomes very improved, especially since digital signage can also open itself on their mobile devices (smartphones and other tablets). Finally, using digital signage is offering yourself the possibility of giving a better training and motivating your own personnel more efficiently than with emails or paper sheets.
Is content still king? The statistics behind experience-enhancing content are driving the implementation of digital signage, with 63 percent of people reporting that digital signage catches their attention and if given a choice, 42 percent would prefer to shop at stores where there is a video display.
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ut is content really king? Or are these statistics a reflection of a well-strategized digital signage installation?
Taking your content to the next level
Content isn’t king — strategy is Businesses across various industries are capitalizing on digital content to create endless opportunities for customer engagement. However, forward-thinking businesses don’t solely rely on content — they focus on the strategy
An effective communications plan does not solely rely on digital signage as an advertising platform, but instead incorporates it into the wider marketing strategy. By employing a marketing strategy focused around customer-centricity — which is in line with higher-level business objectives — organizations can then begin to deliver content that has purpose.
behind it, constantly reminding themselves of why, when and how content should be used to capture the needs of their audience.
Without this, it’s hard to capture and retain the interest of an audience. A brand is essentially the personality and philosophy of an organization, so keeping this consistent throughout all marketing content reinforces the message.
Content personalization has quickly become well established in retail. Technical advancements are making it easier than ever to deliver personalized, effective marketing strategies into the hands of the consumer or directly instore. There is an enormous amount of data available that can be integrated with digital signage, of which much comes from everyday transactions and third-party firms. Retailers are using the checkout process to present a range of product and event information based on this data. They are also using beacons to push personalized messages and manipulate the digital environment to suit the customer. With the scope of marketing technologies available, it is important to have a strategy in place — one which ensures that both content and technology is fit for purpose. It’s easy to forget about strategy when new and exciting technology, like digital signage, comes to the fore. But, in order to maximize the effectiveness of this technology, goals and objectives should be identified, the needs of the audience should be clear and content should be focused.
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A Screen Without Content is a Dead Screen Bad habit taken recently: “we will put a digital signage screen over here...” - “But what
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are we going to diffuse?” - “Oh, that’s secondary, we will think about it later!”
undamental error, thinking about the content should be the first step, since it could affect the placement of said screen, as well as its size, form, and resolution. The main question should be knowing what you want to display on it.
A Slogan, An Image? All About Value! It is also very important to employ people, specialists, for the creation of content, whether it is someone in the company capable of going through all the steps from conception to diffusion, an inside team that will be specialized in this matter, or an external office non affiliated with your business. ICCA And it’s not over yet: you will have to feed constant content updates to the system, which must transition as naturally and simply as pos-
Knowing your environment is one of the methods to determine relevant content. Is it an entrance hall where people come and go rapidly, or is it a relaxed location where people are available for longer? The possible exposure time to messages will be very different in those two cases. In the first case, the digital signage will have to be similar to a road sign on the highway: you need a slogan and an image, topped off with a QR code for people to scan with their smartphones if they wish to know more. In the second case, a longer exposition time can be planned, which means there is one absolute constraint: you will have to diffuse VALUE, something that incites reflection, to carry thoughts in your brain, that you will hopefully share with other people.
The “Pots” Technique
sible, and in the best of cases, should be processed automatically. The system’s management should be planned before the system is deployed. The information and entertainment diffused should give the spectator a need to watch the screen, and the only way to achieve this is to be permanently involved.
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An interesting way to think about the brain is to conceive the information is in pots of different content. This means we could have a pot for sales information, another pot for business culture messages towards collaborators, another one for research and development, etc. Thinking about it this way lets you create a cocktail that is adequate in function of the interesting information available: for example, 50%
for business, 30% for culture, 20% for R and D. You will also have to create “templates”, to save yourself the trouble of reinventing the wheel every time. An example? If we decide to diffuse people’s birthdays, just change the name, photo, and birth date (photo, title, legend). It will then be easy to change details such as the colour of the template. For aesthetic content reasons, you should avoid using too many cheap looking clip arts since they look... cheap looking! It is not necessary to waste crazy sums on high resolution images, there is services (iStock, GraphicStock) that have quality content while being affordable. Careful with social media integration in your content: while it motivates people to follow you, they may leave negative comments about your business in the comment section... Without any filters, it could be a terrible mess. Comments need to be filtered, but still posted as close as possible to the real time they were written, which means a team or a third party supplier needs to intervene.