New regional tourism hub near Montreal has digital everywhere

May 11, 2011 by Dave Haynes

Arsenal Media has been working for at least a year on a new regional tourism centre in the Montreal area, and the facility is now open and the content firm can make some hay about their work inside.

The new Maison du tourisme de la Montérégie (MTM) at Quartier DIX30 in Brossard (attention hockey fans, this placed is near the Montreal Canadiens practice facility) has a multimedia lounge for tourists that features 23 screens, seven of them interactive.

“We wanted to update the concept of the tourist facility and transform it into a more dynamic, engaging space by capitalizing on digital signage and experience-based technologies,” said Éric Fournier, Executive Director of Tourisme Montérégie. “The Arsenal Media team has supported us in our efforts to align these solutions with our marketing strategy and our approach to the people we serve. The result has received compelling feedback from the 385 member organizations of Tourisme Montérégie as well as the general public.”

The facility is described as  the nerve centre for tourism operations in the Montérégie region. It provides information on local culinary, recreational and tourist highlights, a zone for booking accommodations, dining recommendations, interactive displays on themes of interest, and a wide range of reference material on the Montérégie area, as well as other regions throughout Quebec.

Étude de cas : Maison du tourisme de la Montérégie from ARSENAL MEDIA_DEMO ZONE on Vimeo.

There are screens and interactive stations located in five separate zones: four in the front lobby, six in the multimedia lounge, seven in the culinary discoveries section (featuring local products such as cider, wine and maple products), two at the Réservation Montérégie counter, and four in the hallways and restrooms.

The multimedia and digital signage elements were developed while the initial concept for the facility was in the planning stages. “Tourisme Montérégie deserves tremendous credit for their vision in this project. Because they made teamwork among partners a priority, we were able to focus on the optimal integration of the layout of the space, the marketing approach, and the digital signage strategy. These are the new standards for creating commercial space in today’s market,” says Denys Lavigne, President of Arsenal Media.

The digital content celebrates the area’s main attractions: bicycle touring, cider-making facilities, business tourism, maple products, apple orchards, summer getaways, weddings, and wineries. It’s rounded out by information on the history of the Montérégie region, profiles of accommodations and events, and vignettes showcasing the natural beauty of the landscape.

Arsenal Media also worked with the tourism region to establish digital content standards, produced several videos and did soundscapes.

The other forms involved included Genesis Intégration for installation services, M’Pact for software management, Exposition TCD for the kiosks and structures, and NEC for displays.

A nice-looking project. My little piece of disclosure is I do work here and there for Arsenal, and Lavigne has been telling me about this project for a while.