JADN announces plans for this season; revamps portal

October 28, 2008 by Dave Haynes

Denys Lavigne has been a huge booster of the industry in Quebec for the last few years, organizing the very polished JADN networking and conference series that draws people in from the area industry.

The events have also been a bit of a platform to promote his company, Arsenal Media, that does content production in the space. To his credit, that relationship has never been overdone.

It has been a few months since the last event, but the pieces are now in place for the next one, Nov. 18 in Montreal.

The inaugural event of the new season will take place at Galerie Gora on November 18, in downtown Montréal, and will focus on the distinguishing features of the new generation of digital out-of-home projects, like Wal-Mart’s new Smart Network, which launched in September. Event coordinator Line Bernier says: “This year’s theme is not only a logical follow-up to our programming over the past two years; it is emblematic of the state of the industry and the expectations of the market.”

The key event of 2009 will take place January 27 in Montréal; another event is slated for Toronto in the spring. The new season is being supported by a number of major partners, including official event Presenters Cisco, IBM and Transcontinental. 

Lavigne, in a press release, says the theme of the series this year is Think Tactical!, referencing the growing integration of this new technology into marketing and advertising strategies. 

“Many companies have networks of interactive displays and kiosks in their sights. Everyone acknowledges the potential, attractiveness and obvious added value of this new medium, but many companies have difficulty defining how to make it a significant lever in their respective business contexts,” explains Lavigne of Arsenal Media, which created the event in the fall of 2006 and has managed it ever since. “Using concrete examples and cost-benefit analyses, we’ll be taking things to the next level this year to help decision-makers get the most out of the digital out-of-home media. Beyond the enthusiasm, we have a booming industry. Specialists from here and around the world will be sharing observations and analyses on methods and tools that help generate operational efficiency, ad awareness, growth in sales per square foot and brand equity.” 

The JADN website has also been revamped and turned into something more of a portal, in both French and English. “With this portal, we are entering a new phase and becoming a more comprehensive reference source for everything to do with digital signage. Features of the new tool include links to a variety of resources and industry research, a Web TV zone and an RSS aggregator dedicated to digital out-of-home news from around the world.”

The site includes enbedded video, with highlights and interviews from the last all-day event. Click here if you want to see my aging mug and confirm I’m as dopey in front of a mike as I am in writing.