Where is the Outdoor Electronic Sign Technician ?

Who doesn't Love a Nice Large L.E.D Outdoor Electronic Sign ?
I mean it has crossed your mind at some point
at trade shows
on road promotions
when in Vegas
at that big concert

Large L.E.D signs work, ESPECIALLY outdoors, they stand out and enforce brands, they lure your gaze and make an impact.

So you have decided to get one for your business, you have already found a space and you believe it would work wonders.. you can afford it so just like you've done with your other electronic equipment you call up a vendor make an order, wait for its arrival and anticipate your WOW factor.
The crates arrive with your sign and you receive instructions on the voltage it uses and how to put it together...?

It then hits you, clearly something is missing from the package this doesn't look at all like what you saw at the concert/in Vegas etc..

You then have to pay more for them to send technicians to come and put your sign together and show you how to update it with content.

Your sign runs for a couple of months and due to some unforseen issue you notice a section of the sign isn't showing ... hmm you dont really recall what the technicians did when they visited so you have to call them again.

Thats right folks when your getting an Outdoor L.E.D sign my suggestion is to have a technical team there request a team be sent from the supplier to assist with the install and train your technicians you HAVE to ask because contrary to popular opinion, technicians are not shipped in the crates with the Sign.. you either have to request a team from your supplier to run regular maintenace, contact a specialist in your area, or have your suppliers train a technical member of your staff.
For those wondering for the physical maintenance of the sign I recommend someone with knowledge in electronics who will repair the power supplies when they eventually give out (changing capcitors and fuses etc..) and an electrician that can read electrical diagrams VERY important.

Why Site Visits Are Important

The site visit 

 It is surprising that this simple task is overlooked. It may be based on the assumption that Owners of buildings still remember the structure and have the floor plans on file.. , or common knowledge of the location of power sources and overhead fixtures etc.. would be easily ascertained. Lets not forget some companies have high staff turn overs and in this information age the regular staff doesn't really pay attention to detail their days consist of mundane routines of heading towards the workstation, to the lunch room, to the workstation and then out the door. I've been in buildings and asked where is the fire extinguisher.. no-one actually sitting on the floor knew and they passed it everyday , they had to ask the maintenance guy. I remember my rookie mistake of assuming the building manager could answer a simple question about the building they worked in, I had received info on the location of power for a L.E.D sign installation , details about access to their network connection but I kept asking one question.. what is the structure like for the building ? are you certain ? I was repeatedly told that she knew what she was doing.

I can honestly say as A/V guys we should always do our needs analysis and Site Survey, we may find things the floor manager never knew about and possible obstructions they overlooked because it wasn't a part of their day to day activities.

So I plea ... Don't forget the importance of a Site Visit.It saves ALOT OF TIME AND RESOURCES

The Future of Digital Signage

Since I saw the movie minority report especially the scene below I was excited about the potential of digital signage and communication overall for the future, The epic Minority Report mall scene where after a retina scan from about 8feet or more away information on past purchases and coupons/offers specific to you are greeting you as you enter the Mall. 10 years after the movie I've witnessed gesture controls through the xbox kinect so controlling a kiosk without touch is possible, amazon for quite sometime has been collecting information on buying habits and presents very accurate suggestions for items you may be interested in, since 2009 (atleast to my knowledge) we even have 3d mapping projectors that are capable of bringing buildings to life (seemingly so).
Forthcoming is the google glass project which is basically a transparent OLED pc built into your glasses lens which accepts voice commands, I must admit i'd prefer communication between my glasses and readers at the mall over retina scans any day, but thats my personal preference.For now we only require the price of these products to drop for us to realise the scene below, (I'll also add the 3d mapping projectors video for those that haven't seen it as yet and the google glass project)

 Minority Report Mall scene


Google Glass project


3d Mapping Projector