Digital Signage Expo (DSE) returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center on February 26-28, 2013. Themed “Innovation Inspires,” DSE 2013 invites attendees to “embrace new ideas, challenge existing precepts, embolden their vision of the future, and see how the newest technologies can capture customer attention to help their businesses succeed.”
The way such innovators see the future will be the Wednesday, February 27 keynote address theme of Dr. Peter Bocko, Chief Technology Officer for Corning Glass Technologies. The Thursday, February 28 keynote thought-leadership panelists will also offer forward-looking perspectives on the industry from the unique point of view of an architect, industrial designer, technology innovator and futurist. Innovation Inspires will play a large role in almost every one of the eight DSE 2013 seminar tracks.
Attendees will be able to attend thirty-two general conference seminars targeting clearly defined audiences and hear an outstanding faculty of peer professionals and industry specialists make presentations relevant to the digital signage and digital out-of-home marketplace. After proposal review and selection by educational oversight committees, relevant topics presented at DSE 2013 will be presented in tracks that cover the key elements of digital signage, including hardware, software and connectivity; network design, management and operation; content; and the business of digital signage and place-based advertising networks.
New for 2013 at DSE:
• Half-day pre-show conferences on Tuesday, February 26
- Digital Signage in Education
- Digital Signage in Restaurants
- SPEED ON…Digital Place-based Network Optimization Strategies
- Mobile Technology and Its Implications for Digital Signage
• Full-day pre-show conference on Tuesday, February 26o Design Directions: Digital Dynamic Environments
• Full-day post-show workshop on Friday, March 1
- Digital Signage Content and Media Expert (DCME) Program
• Interactive Technology Theater on Wednesday & Thursday, February 27-28
- 14 free on-floor workshops
In addition to the seminar curriculum, DSE 2013 will feature 16 pre- and post-show educational programs, 40 industry vertical discussion groups, an extensive offering of 42 free on-floor workshops, and a program of study to establish certification and ensure certification renewal in cooperation with the Digital Signage Experts Group.
It would not be a full conference without the Keynotes. Dr. Peter L. Bocko, Chief Technology Officer for Corning Glass Technologies, Corning, Inc. will deliver the Wednesday, February 27th Keynote address. Dr. Bocko, recognized as one of the foremost glass experts in the display industry and who has contributed to the design, technology delivery and commercialization of innovative new technologies at Corning, will present “Looking Forward by Looking Back: A Futuristic Retrospective on the Trends in Display & Digital Signage.”
Bocko’s remarks will address those key developments he believes have had the greatest impact on the digital signage industry, describe the compelling value propositions for advanced capabilities such as high resolution, interactivity, 3-D, transparent displays, and audio, and the innovative role each will play in the future.
And in the February 28 Keynote, entitled, “Digital Signage 2020: Eyes on the Future,” a panel of four prominent industry experts will share their vision of how technological advancements will inspire change and how these changes will shape the future of the digital signage industry, including their thoughts on the following:
Curt Bailey, President, Sundberg-Ferar, Inc. will speak on Product Design Evolution.
Tim Huckaby, Founder & Chairman, InterKnowlogy, will share thoughts on Interface Advancement.
Christine Outram, Creative Director, Re:Imagine Group, will explore Professional Skills Evolution, as part of the Digital Signage 2020: Eyes on the Future panel.
Jared Schiffman, Founder & CEO, Perch Interactive.• Curt Bailey, President, Sundberg-Ferar, Inc. will speak on Product Design Evolution: “Every product that has a control panel seems to be moving towards a digital touch display almost always associated with web or mobile device apps, connectivity and/or social media links. Screens are getting larger and processors are getting faster. Larger screens are driving changes to traditional form factors on products. User experience (UX) with products is a whole new game. At the same time, purchase decision criteria and product pricing strategies are changing as alternative revenue streams emerge.”
• Tim Huckaby, Founder & Chairman, InterKnowlogy, will share thoughts on Interface Advancement: “Multi-touch is now a prevalent method of interaction with digital content systems, but the next big thing is Natural User Interface (NUI), which is more than touch: It’s physical and virtual object interaction. Tracking full-body movement, facial expression and voice with motion-based interfaces that precisely capture common gestures will soon be commonplace followed closely by user interface and voice-capable systems that use multi-array microphones that can uniquely distinguish audio and voices. Within a decade, we will have true non-invasive, neural-capable systems manifested in conscious and non-conscious interfaces.”
• Christine Outram, Creative Director, Re:Imagine Group, will explore Professional Skills Evolution: “As all surfaces become interactive opportunities, a new set of place-based UX designers will be essential. This new class of professionals will integrate lessons learned from web-based UX design, architecture and trans-media storytelling to captivate, connect, delight and measure place-based audiences.”
• Jared Schiffman, Founder & CEO, Perch Interactive, Inc. will speak on Multi-Sensory Communication: - “In-store communication is a multi-sensory experience and ideally, those senses should align. The relationship between media and product is not always clear, but co-location makes it clear. The best interface is the one that already exists and strongly suggests that we should focus on natural interactions first.”
For more information, and to register: www.digitalsignageconnection.com
DOOH and the Changing Media Landscape
By Amy Vollet, The Integer Group
I will co-present the session “DOOH & the Changing Media Landscape: The Ad Agency Perspective for Success,” at Digital Signage Expo 2013 in Las Vegas on Wednesday, February 27, 9-10am. DOOH (Digital Out of Home) is an important market for digital signage, and its dynamics are important to understand for anyone reading Digital Signage magazine.
The media world looks different when viewed from an agency’s perspective (where I sit). Around every turn is a possible solution to a complicated problem they have been asked to solve by their client. A media planner or media buyer should be less concerned about placing each relationship into neat buckets of money with labels such as Television, Radio, Digital or Out of Home. Success today is about being more in tune than ever before with human behavior.
We once said that proper media planning was about the right message, at the right place, at the right time to the right person. Now we must all embrace the fact that the consumer is in control; therefore, proper media planning must always offer the opportunity for dialogue to exist. The consumer’s expectations are far greater that brands and corporations have richly developed communication strategies. This includes understanding the information and experience one expects from a smartphone versus tablet versus laptop.
This shift in expectations is having or will have a profound effect on the digital out of home space. Consumers will want increasing levels of engagement that they have come to expect from their hand held devices. This will continue to push the trend of customization and personalization. In turn, agencies and clients are demanding that solutions are more robust.
DOOH has the upper hand over its static next of kin. The key to leveraging this strength is in the way it is packaged and sold in. Those that are able to marry DOOH with mobile and social to bring measurable solutions will take the lion’s share of the available dollars. Those who continue to present themselves within a neat limited bucket of Out of Home will whither.
To be successful with an advertising agency, you must stop selling the medium and start asking what is the problem we are trying to solve. Use your time to showcase creative problem solving or brainstorm together. Paid, Owned and Earned continues to get a lot of airtime in agencies and with clients. The reason is simple. What assets do I already own that I can leverage with your paid media to ultimately generate more earned media value?
Everyone is trying to do more with less and do it in a highly measurable way. DOOH stands to reap benefits for many reasons. It brings together the best parts of several different media into one hard-working package. A well-constructed plan brings the potential of video, audio, two-way engagement, customizable, in a relevant environment with a measurable component. Bringing these pieces to life for an agency partner to present to a client shifts perception from an out of home vendor into a solution-oriented partnership. Once a partner proves they understand the challenges that an agency is up against, they will have a recurring place on the RFP shortlist. So, stop and see the media landscape from an agency’s perspective and I think you’ll agree the world is full of exciting opportunities to solve complex problems.
