As the owner or manager of a retail store, school, events facility, or any other space that attracts a lot of people, you’ve no doubt considered implementing digital signage. You’ve considered all the benefits, heard countless sales pitches, and have reached a level of knowledge where you’re capable of making an informed buying decision. But undertaking such an important and business-changing capital expense is only the first step. Professional installation of your new display or displays, along with any associated content development and AV equipment, is also paramount to your digital visualization strategy.

In short, choosing the right team of integrators, engineers, and creatives who share your vision and will work with you to realize it is just as important as the purchase of the hardware. And you’ll gain greater peace of mind if they’re Certified Technology Specialists. Here are some quick tips on what to look for when selecting your integration team.

1. Each member of your team should find common ground by focusing on YOUR needs.

When either integrators or developers become mono-focused on their own element of a project, they overlook this step. It is vital that everyone on the project understands your vision before jumping to a solution. You are invested in a technological medium only in so far as it effectively helps you communicate your message, and any conversations involving potential issues and methodologies must be in human experiential terms, not technological.

2. Your team should collaborate as a forethought, not an afterthought.

Putting off communication doesn’t resolve differences; it just makes resolution and project success more difficult. Early collaboration between YOU, integrators, and other AV pros on your team is key.

The integrators and other AV pros must ensure the chosen equipment will deliver each of the content experiences you are expecting. Likewise, content developers must be able to ground your ideas in the reality of available technology and explain to you why.

3. Create long-term ROI with dynamic solutions.

Your integration team’s primary goal should be a return on investment for you. When developers and integrators fuse technology and content, they can create uniquely dynamic solutions. For example, some systems can track user interaction and customer demographics and shift content accordingly. Others recognize when a space is approaching its occupancy limit or when crowds bottleneck in one area and immediately display safety and wayfinding information. Today’s digital display tech is almost limitless. Knowing what you need is important. Having an AV team that understands it and helps you achieve should be your goal.

In Conclusion

When integrators and content developers effectively collaborate with you, they align the medium with the message, effectively immersing a viewer in the moment’s excitement. So before you begin your AV project, peruse the AVIXA Xchange and talk to several teams standing by to make your digital signage strategy a reality.

by Joseph Davis, Managing Editor, Content Creation, AVIXA