- by David Keene
- With just a week left before Digital Signage Expo’s Pre-Conference Program (on Feb. 23) my friends, Lyle Bunn, and Alan and Jonathan Brawn, are gearing up for their respective digital signage training. And registration is still open–but the classes are filling fast. Anyone attending the DSE show in Vegas next week, who wants intensive, immersion training to succeed in digital signage should look hard at the the Brawns with their Digital Signage Experts Group certification program; and separately, Lyle Bunn with his “SPEED” Digital Signage Training Program. Both programs will take place the day prior to the show floor opening.
- Launched roughly the same time, in late 2008, the DSEG and the SPEED programs compliment each other well. The Brawn’s approach focuses more on the nuts and bolts of digital signage– gear (both hardware and software), network issues– and they go in-depth. SPEED training has a more strategy and deployment models focus. Of course, both delve into all aspects of digital signage, but it’s a good distinction both camps have made.
- “SPEED” is the acronym for “Structure for Planning, Explaining, Excitement and Deployment.” The 4-hour program offers practical, real-world perspectives, templates and information to move digital signage projects forward with Speed. Private presentations can include private consultation or facilitation of project or marketing planning. It is very valuable for suppliers seeking rapid market entry and success. The full SPEED program comprised of eight modules is 4 hours in duration, and shorter programs can be structured based on time available and training focus. All programs are structured to allow end users and suppliers of digital signage to better plan objectives, timelines and budgets, and define key elements of a digital signage initiative leading to technology selection, deployment, growth and successful operations.
- An accompanying Digital Signage Planning Manual includes templates and guidelines to assist in network planning.
- SPEED has been developed for everyone involved in the supply or use of Digital Signage including:
-End Users in Retail, Consumer Services, Campus and Corporate Environments.
-Providers of Consumer and Staff Communications Services.
-Suppliers of Audio/Visual and Information technologies.
-Environment and Customer/Patron Experience Designers.
-Advertising Agencies.
-Media Planners and Buyers.
-Brand Management.
-Suppliers of Technologies and Services applicable to Digital Signage.
-Publishers
-Broadcasters
-Cellular Service and Media Network Providers.
-Systems Integrators - Sales and Account Management.
-Commercial Audio-Visual Providers.
-Rental, Staging and Event Providers.
-Signage Suppliers.
-Graphic and Digital Print Providers.
-Content Producers and Providers.
-Web Design and Media Creators.
I-nvestors in Dynamic Media.
Register for SPEED training at: http://www.digitalsignageexpo.net/DigitalSignageExpo/SpeedDigitalSignageTrainingProgram.aspx
The Brawn’s DSEG program now has two separate tracks… here are the details:
Digital Signage Certified Expert (DSCE) Program, Feb. 23rd, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Register at: http://www.digitalsignageexpo.net/DigitalSignageExpo/DSEGCertificationDay.aspx
The DSCE Program is a one-day certification course that includes essential digital signage classroom instruction followed by a test to earn the DSCE Certification.
The DSCE course will focus on the following areas essential to an understanding of the digital signage industry:
1. An overview of digital signage along with the individual market segments that make up the industry.
2. A detailed look at the digital signage market growth
3. The 7 Key elements of digital signage
4. Understanding digital signage customs
5. The fundamentals of a digital signage system design
6. Digital signage hardware (displays, mounts, players)
7. Networks (wired, wireless, cellular)
8. Digital signage software and selection processes
9. Content and content creation
10. Business and service models
11. Digital signage ROI and ROO
12. Selling value in digital signage
Participants will complete a test at the end of the course to earn the DSCE certification.
Also, Tuesday, 2/23/10
Digital Signage Display Experts (DSDE) Course, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Register at: http://www.digitalsignageexpo.net/DigitalSignageExpo/DigitalSignageDisplayExpertsCourse.aspx
In order to address the growing need for a more thorough understanding of displays and how to properly adjust them in an expanding array of digital signage system applications, the Digital Signage Experts Group (DSEG) has announced the launch of the Digital Signage Display Experts (DSDE) program, the industry’s only comprehensive training program designed exclusively for digital signage displays and calibration.
Presented and led by industry veterans Alan and Jonathan Brawn, with the cooperation of leading display companies and the Digital Signage Expo (DSE), the DSDE program addresses the subject of displays as a key component in a digital signage system. The program recognizes that the displays are the “windows to the world” representing the digital signage message and that accuracy in transmitting images is directly related to impact and effectiveness.
It is a fact of life that video display devices never perform at their peak as they are delivered from a manufacturer. Proof of this is the patchwork quilt of images that you will encounter in any big box store or video wall display. Proper calibration is a must and goes beyond “simply” adjusting some settings on a display.
Each display type has its own “personality” and responds to inputs and environments in different ways. Understanding the nuances of each technology and how to address them to provide the “perfect picture” is a requirement. The bottom line is that one size does not fit all.
The mandate of the DSDE program is to understand each display technology and the key elements that can be adjusted/calibrated in concert with one another relative to the environment in which the displays exist. By adopting calibration standards and understanding the methodologies involved in the calibration process, we can address an infinite number of applications and environments and never have the need to settle for the mediocre or inaccurate.
In short, a company’s color logo should look like the proper logo and people should look like people and not caricatures of themselves. By certifying that standards and proven methodologies are understood and employed, we will bring forth a group of digital signage display experts dedicated to creating the “perfect picture” and in the process pay homage to the creators of the digital signage content by displaying it as it was intended.
