While the pandemic was running rampant, virtual museum visits grew in popularity. But museums are now working to draw visitors back into buildings. That’s just one problem area where digital signage can step up to help. The future of the past is here! 

Digital signage works to optimize exhibition traffic all while generating a lasting impression – it’s becoming more of an outlet for creative interactivity by the day. Self-ticketing kiosks and “smart badge” information systems provide rapid assistance. Many contemporary exhibit halls have gotten imaginative with their digital signage, utilizing displays through apps, augmented reality, in-museum devices, and motion-sensor technology to captivate museumgoers. Some of the ways digital signage can assist are with the following:

• Welcome messaging
• Wayfinding assistance
• "Smart badge" information systems
• Self-ticketing kiosks
• Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) posters informing people about upcoming exhibits and calling for donations
• Large video walls that can assist you in getting acquainted with the exhibits
• Touch screens that encourage visitor interaction
• Video installations used to enrich the visitor experience
• Walls for donor recognition and kiosks for digital donations

In positioning your digital signage, creating a visualization of the different journeys visitors may take and touchpoints they may encounter is a great starting point to generate a cohesive experience and put the visitors at the heart of that experience. Digital displays can even lead to incorporating digital donation points and donor recognition walls. But one of the most significant advantages of digital signage is its data. With quantifiable metrics gathered from digital signage, museums and art galleries can move closer to achieving their goals. 

A great tip is to take some time to observe how and when your clients are interacting with your screens. With this data, you’ll be able to match your content to boost audience engagement during prime times and schedule specific promos to run when those viewers are most likely to see them. With digital signage Content Distribution Networks (CDN) and Content Management Systems (CMS), it has never been easier. 

A few basic features of digital signage help to achieve digital signage ROI (Return on Investment). This includes signage scheduling or real-time marketing, which relies on variable recurrence patterns to respond efficiently to consumer trends and needs.

Learning the peak times of digital signage usage in your facilities can also be valuable when administering any sort of content that you want to make sure people see. Knowing peak engagement times is key to increasing views and enhancing interactivity. 

“You’re able to get analytics on what people are tapping at any location in a content delivery network,” said AVIXA Manager of Digital Product Operations @Leon Prather, who has previous AV experience working in museums. “Being able to see those trends is so beneficial. Some places may say, ‘well, we think our peak times are this for visitation,’ but what’s good to know is the peak time of use for signage applications. You can leverage those analytics. Then you can change the content at different times of the day.”

And it doesn’t stop there. Museums are increasingly using digital signage in the most creative ways. Here are just a few examples of museums around the world using digital signage inventively to increase engagement with their visitors:

• Victoria & Albert Museum - The V&A has an 8-screen chic and video wall, which allows guests to purchase and print their tickets on-site and receive information about events and exhibits all through digital signage. Each screen supports independent touch-sensitive foils under a protective glass linked with a computer, ticket printer, and card reader. The first to fuse art with technology in the UK, the V&A attracted a lot of visitors and media attention this way.
• National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan - The National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana, the country’s capital, is home to one of the largest digital signage installations in the world. Embedded on the floor, the approximately 5,650-sq.-ft. immersive LCD was created by assembling more than 900 individual, 46-in.-long floor-display units manufactured by Italian company Global Display Solutions. The screen required coated glass to endure the weight of visitors constantly walking on them while also providing an anti-slip, anti-scratch surface, and anti-glare qualities. The displays feature construction-grade glass and GDS’ “G-Bond” bonding treatment to provide efficient thermal management, eliminate dust or condensation between the front glass and LCD screens, and provide consistent viewing in all ambient light conditions. 
• The Museum of Art Pudong (MAP) - This museum along Shanghai’s famed riverfront features a massive LED video wall easily seen across the Huangpu River. The giant video wall of MAP is customized by LianTronics PH3mm LED displays. It features IP6X high protection grade, excellent heat dissipation, and ultra-low energy consumption (and more) to stand out as the most enormous outdoor small-pitch LED wall in Shanghai. Designed by Jean Nouvel, the facade of the Museum facing the Huangpu River is comprised of two pieces of “giant glass” curtain walls with the depth of 5 meters, a width of 55 meters, and heights of 12 meters and 6 meters.
• New York City’s Metropolitan Museum (The Met) - The Met’s Breuer building, created by legendary architect Marcel Breuer, uses digital signage because the museum staff can quickly add it without harming the building’s walls or features. Using digital signage, museums can display exhibition schedules, artist biographies, notifications of special events, and ticketing information.
• Toronto’s Yonge & Dundas Square - At Toronto’s Yonge & Dundas Square, digital signage was used to showcase art to the public. “These digital canvases have also created a new artistic expression medium for digital artists," said Marcos Terenzio, director of digital creative experience for Shikatani Lacroix Design, recalling a project he worked on a few years ago that was implemented in Toronto's Yonge & Dundas Square. “Part of the initiative included working with local traditional and digital artists and art students to share their works on the large spectacular displays. The art provided a cultural outlet, and the animated artwork surrounded the square and engaged audiences at a more meaningful emotional level."

Digital displays provide an avenue for getting creative when it comes to increasing interactivity with visitors. Data obtained from these displays permits museums to administer and schedule content purposefully at different times – which is a big help, ensuring your target audience sees certain content, such as upcoming events, when they’re most likely to be engaging with the displays.

There are so many ways that digital signage can be used to benefit museums and art galleries. What is one of the best AV additions you’ve seen in a museum or gallery? Let us know below!