DSF To Deliver Digital Signage Day At New Commercial Integrator Expo Next Month In Denver

August 23, 2023 by Dave Haynes

The Digital Signage Federation has worked with the events company behind the new trade show Commercial Integrator Expo to deliver a full day of industry education and networking in Denver on Sept. 7th.

Digital Signage Day is positioned as a full day of education built around material from the DSF’s online micro-credential course catalog.

The new event is self-described as “a focused trade event that brings together an exciting exhibit floor, an engaging conference program, and powerful networking opportunities. All are designed to center on the needs of the commercial integration channel service providers and growing verticals like corporate, higher education, hospitality, retail and resimercial.”

Resimercial, groan. Someone, somewhere, finds that clever.

Anyway, this first-time event is co-located with the well-established CEDIA Expo, which focuses on home technologies. The show is run by the business events firm Emerald, which also owns the print and online publication Commercial Integrator, hence the name.

One curious aspect of this new event is that it seemingly competes for attention and dollars with InfoComm, which is owned and run by the trade association AVIXA. CEDIA, also a trade association, is a joint owner of Integrated Systems Europe.

This expo gets into the same Q3-Q4 time and budget window as Digital Signage Experience, which is early December in Las Vegas.

The Digital Signage Day agenda seems to be organized to take people through the life cycle of projects, starting with the basics and leading all the way through to deployment.

Foundations of Digital Signage | 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM

A strong foundation is critical for supporting your growing knowledge of digital signage. In this course, you will get a broad overview of the basics of digital signage. What is digital signage? How is it used? Where do I put my displays? How do know if my deployment is effective? Who do I need on my team? How do I get content on my screens and set a schedule? You’ll be introduced to these topics and more before moving on to deeper dives in the other sessions.

Fundamentals of Planning | 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This adage is particularly true in context to digital signage. This course helps the user better articulate the reasoning behind a project and helps frame the much-needed commitment by signage operators in relation to goal and objective setting, content planning, sourcing and funding. Establishing realistic and measurable KPIs against audience deliverables is also covered in this session, so the marketing criteria meets the practicalities of how and why a network needs to perform in function of those goals. Cheat sheets are provided to ensure users cover the critical elements of the digital signage planning process.

Choosing the Right Partner | 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM

Digital signage projects require an array of products and components created or provided by third-party OEMs who manufacture it, or service partners who support and deliver. Selecting the right partners so they are correct fit of your project is critical to successful deployment and support moving forward. Participants will learn the basics of choosing partners for their digital signage projects, including hardware, software [CMS], content/creative, installation and support services — with tips on how to evaluate competence, resources, financial status and a host of other important criteria that can impact the smooth cohesion and success of a project. If you’re faced with an RFP that might require collaborating with partners to win a project, this session is sure to enlighten you on what to look for — but also how others will be looking at you.

Designing Content | 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM

Digital signage is only as effective as the information it provides to the audience — as content is clearly King. In this course, you’ll learn what content is and how it is created, and how to evaluate its efficacy and impact. Upon conclusion of this course, you’ll understand what drives digital signage deployments, how to develop a content strategy, the purpose of creative briefs, how to select your creative team, what types of content are available and the process for getting your content produced. The key to any successful digital signage project lies in the content and its ability to engage with clear communications and contextual relevance. With this session, you’ll be on your way toward content excellence.

Selecting the Right CMS Platform | 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

The CMS is the heart of the digital signage system. Displays may be the most obvious technology, and media players a consequence of the CMS, but the CMS marks the most critical component that contributes to the success or failure of a digital signage network second only to content and messaging. In this course, you will learn what makes up a CMS, the functions of its various components, how it operates, and we will review how to evaluate and choose a CMS vendor. We will also discuss what to look for in after sales support — after all, how things work on an ongoing basis is nearly as important as your content refresh schedule! Selecting the right CMS is a true critical component to building a successful digital signage network, but with the right product (and partner) you will be prepared to successfully deliver your message.

Choosing a Display | 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

There are a multitude of display options for digital signage. In this session you’ll learn the types of displays available, pros and cons of different technologies and how to choose the right display type for your project. You will also learn the difference between consumer and commercial grade displays, common display resolutions and how to choose the right display size for your application, environment, venue and viewing distance. Confused about terminology, what Direct View LED means and what’s trending now and next? This session will definitely help clarify terms and show you what’s possible and practical for your purposes.

Understanding Profitability in Digital Signage | 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

Today, in our industry, we have reached an era of parity as many products and services appear to be the same and of equal value. This is especially true in commercial AV and digital signage, where this has impacted profit margins; it can sometimes appear to be very difficult to maintain high margins in the face of this commoditization. This then begs the question of how to stand out and be profitable in these conditions. In this course, we will explore the problem of commoditization, identify the elements leading up to it and suggest ways to address them. We will show the importance of adding value and discuss the opportunity of selling through understanding, collaboration and problem solving. We will demonstrate how selling peripherals and services as a part of the total solution sale will provide added value to the customer, but also added profit for your company.

The Basics of Installation | 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM

You’ve made your plan, chosen the right partner, developed your content strategy, selected the right CMS, chosen your display and selected your media players. This is the final step. This session provides an overview of the entire implementation process for digital signage.

There is an end of day cocktail party, as well.

If you are going to the broader event anyway, it appears the digital signage day is free to attend, using a code.

The expo itself does not feature many vendors actively involved in digital signage or, really, pro display. It is, indeed, much more focused on home AV, though there is certainly cross-over for the infrastructure stuff like mounting solutions and the little boxes and cabling that drive screens in homes or businesses.