Volume 12, Issue 19 — October 15, 2020

rAVe DS [Digital Signage] — Volume 12, Issue 19

October 15, 2020 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 19

Hello, DS #AVtweeps! I hope you are all having a good week. I am pleased to announce that you’ll be having an even better week once you get to read a little bit of the news in this latest issue!

Columns: There are four great columns in here for your viewing pleasure. The first one is from Jeff Hastings on touch-free interactivity in retail. Don’t get me wrong, I was never a fan of public touch-screen surfaces — and now no one is. Jeff brings up a few good options to use instead of the good ol’ touch screen we know and (no longer) love. Scott Tiner also has a column here that essentially rounds up all the trade show news from September. There was a lot. September was quite the month. Also, check out Leah McCann’s wrapup of the first day of the DPAA Video Everywhere Summit! Wrapups of Day Two and Day Three are on their way — I just have to write/edit them, and I AM A BUSY WOMAN, OK?! Finally, catch Omar Prashad’s column on why offering free services to your clients isn’t always the best answer for your business — during the pandemic or otherwise.

Products: There are a lot of great updates in this issue. BenQ is shipping its latest interactive flat panels. Philips Professional Display solutions announced the release dates for its fall 2020 product lines. Visix has a safety message subscription service for digital signage solutions.

Industry-wide: Lots of non-product news in this issue as well! Check out our latest addition to the rAVe team, Mandy Beckner! Also included is news from Pearl Media, Planar, signageOS and more!

‘Til next time.

— Steph Beckett

COLUMNS

+ The Touch-Free Future of Interactivity in Retail [Jeff Hastings]

What’s old is new again, at least as it relates to interactive digital signage at retail. Years ago, when touch screen interactivity approached mainstream adoption in retail, customers were adapting to a new workflow. The progression of customers understanding, trusting and ultimately using touch-interactive signage took time. Fast forward to retail’s current pandemic recovery effort, and we’re at a similar crossroads.

+ September: An Interesting Month for Trade Shows [Scott Tiner]

In case you were not paying attention during the month of September, a few news stories broke regarding industry trade shows. This blog is my reaction to this information and my thoughts about what the next year will bring in terms of trade shows. Before I go any further, I want to be clear that I would love nothing more than to ship off to Orlando in June to attend InfoComm and see old friends. I would love nothing more than to see the live events industry come roaring back and give all our colleagues who have suffered so drastically during the past several months a chance to get back on their feet. Yet, I also believe that the responsible thing to do for us and our industry is to take a reasonable, logical approach to what is coming.

+ Meaningful Engagement During a Pandemic — a DPAA Video Everywhere Summit Recap [Leah McCann]

What do you do when a global pandemic prevents you from having your annual summit in person? You have it anyway — but online, through a digital event platform designed for an engaging audience experience, with both speaker and viewer dialogue rich in discussion on what’s next for DOOH (digital-out-of-home) advertising. That’s exactly what the DPAA managed to pull off this year as the organization — like so many others — sought to find a way to bring together its global audience despite the 2020 circumstances.

+ Three Reasons Free Isn’t the Answer [Omar Prashad]

One interesting strategy I have heard espoused by more than one of the knowledgeable sales leadership voices was that sales teams should be using this time to focus on strengthening long-term relationships with customers. It seems like sound and logical advice that’s always applicable. My issue is many of these people were suggesting the pathway to achieving this was through doing things for free or at no margin. When we give something to a customer for free, we’re really doing two things: We’re helping another company at the expense of our company, and we’re hoping (consciously or subconsciously) that doing this will leverage the very powerful psychological principal of reciprocity. Here are three reasons that’s a bad idea.