The current state of the hospitality and entertainment industry is unique in its ability to leverage physical spaces to attract and entertain customers. These businesses, which include hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and other entertainment venues, have the advantage of being able to provide a tangible customer experience. However, with the rise of digital technologies, these businesses can now enhance that experience by utilizing projectors, dvLEDs, and big format displays.
In this guide to digital signage, we explore how these innovative technologies are transforming the hospitality industry. By incorporating these digital displays, businesses can create engaging and immersive experiences for their customers, leading to increased foot traffic and revenue.
Solutions for Digital Signage and Projection: An Overview
In the past, hospitality businesses have distributed promotions and announcements to their clients using
poster board items. When they were the only option, enormous paper signs may have been enough, but
large format screens and laser projectors now offer more adaptable and interesting solutions.
dvLED and LCD Screens
In the past, paper signage was not always reliable or practical for hospitality businesses due to wear and tear, exposure to the elements, and outdated information. However, with the advancements in dvLED and LCD technologies, digital signage has become a game changer for the industry. Hospitality businesses can now utilize digital signage in various ways to entertain, advertise, and enhance customer experience.
For instance, hotels can install TVs in rooms or above bars, while wayfinding displays can help guests navigate their way around the property. Self-service kiosks can feature screens that allow customers to browse menus, place orders, and make payments. Digital menu boards at reception or in the drive-through can provide up-to-date information on menu items and promotions, while video walls can create immersive environments for events and conferences.
Furthermore, indoor and outdoor panels can showcase a wide range of content, including branded promotions, interactive social media challenges, travel updates, current menus, and upcoming discounts. Real-time updates are also possible with digital screens, as opposed to paper signage.
By using digital signage, hospitality businesses can transform their walls into interactive and informative displays that engage and inform customers. With a wide range of possibilities, digital signage is an excellent way for businesses to enhance their branding, customer experience, and revenue.
Projection
Hospitality venues have a plethora of surfaces both inside and outside that can be transformed into immersive and personalized experiences using projectors. With laser projectors becoming increasingly popular due to their superior performance over traditional lamp-based projectors, projection has become a common option for many businesses. Laser projectors offer greater vibrancy, quietness, durability, and ease of maintenance.
Projection mapping is an innovative image technique that takes projection to the next level, enabling hospitality businesses to create spaces that are more captivating and interesting. Laser projectors are especially effective for mapping colors, images, films, and even 3D content onto uneven surfaces like the inside and outside of buildings.
To increase client engagement, here are some creative projection strategies that hospitality businesses can utilize:
- Project branded images or video content onto any wall for signage applications.
- Alter the surface's texture, from transparent to opaque, to create a unique experience.
- Broadcast an event on a projected surface to keep guests or customers engaged while they wait.
- Mount a projector at an odd angle to add color to an area.
- Change the ambiance of a lobby from daytime to something more appropriate for the evening.
- Use edge blending to integrate multiple projected images into one larger image, creating an immersive experience.
In summary, projection mapping with laser projectors offers hospitality businesses a creative way to transform their spaces and captivate their audience. With endless possibilities, projection is an excellent way to enhance the guest experience and add a unique touch to any venue
Things to Take into Account When Selecting a Digital Signage System
Consider your demands and the benefits of any new technology before implementing it in your
hospitality operation. The following are some of the most crucial factors to remember while thinking
about display devices:
Cost
Don't just look at the display device's pricing when evaluating cost because not all displays are made
alike. Think about the total cost of ownership you would incur if you made an investment in something
less expensive right away. Regular upkeep, fixes, and early signs replacement could end up costing you
much more in the long term. Don't overlook the price of installation and electricity.
Warranty
Commercial technology often comes with warranties lasting one to three years, while they are
occasionally available for five years. Longer warranty terms and quick repair or replacement assurances
are both important for protecting your investment and reducing downtime.
Durability
You can choose where to put your digital signs, but if your equipment isn't designed for those locations,
interior and outdoor placements can result in unfavorable situations. Consider making an investment in
tough, commercial-grade technology that can survive harsh conditions such as water, heat, and glare
(for screens). Consider your needs, the type of material you want to produce, and the audience you want to reach. Do
compelling signage or immersive projections make more sense?
Surfaces
Once you've determined the signage's purpose, consider the surfaces and mounts it will use. Keep in
mind that laser projectors can display images over considerably wider areas. Due to the fact that
projectors are placed out of harm's way and the projected picture may be seen on almost any surface,
they can also be less physically obtrusive than digital signs.
Time Intervals
Digital signage might not always be necessary. In some cases, you could require longer runtimes (like
venues in Times Square or Las Vegas that are open all day and night).
Your Establishment /Someone will be impacted by any new signage that is put up in or near your business. Is your kitchen
equipped to handle the increase in traffic if you're driving fresh promotions on an exterior display? If
you're throwing a spotlight on a new talent performing at the club, have you straightened out the
wrinkles in your sound system? Consider the future to make sure your new digital signage satisfies your
needs and workflows.
The Future of Signage
New digital display technologies have a lot to offer hospitality facilities. This persuasive marketing
approach:
- creates a more hospitable or interesting atmosphere.
- highlights new or unique features, events, and deals.
- provides real-time content and venue updates.
- increases customer spending and dwell time.
- enhances the ordering process' accuracy and speed.
- boosts revenue in a retail environment by increasing customer engagement through interaction
or keyed events.
Hospitality businesses can now transform the average everyday image or video into something truly
engaging and spectacular thanks to the incredibly distinctive ways that digital signage may be employed.