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FEATURE | |
Back to Facility Manager
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Creating a “wow” factor is what sign and billboard industry professionals say facility managers should reach for when communicating with their customers. Displays that depict sharp images, brilliant color and larger-than-life pictures are necessary to grab the attention of sports fans, concert goers and convention attendees who are hit by thousands of messages a day. Additionally, breakthroughs in technology bringing high quality images on home television sets have raised expectations of people who make decisions on how best to spend their money as well as advertisers who want to ensure their messages are received.” But more than communicating a message, signage and lighting can help identify a building or gathering space. Historically, scoreboards, lighting and signage have been purpose-driven, primarily focused on supporting the event. Now, an increasing part of signage and lighting design is in using these technologies to create a visual identity for the building. “Each facility, because of its functional design, has its own personality,” says Charley Hobgood, president and chief executive officer of Exhibit Systems, Inc. “As a result, like people, the way a facility carries itself or projects its brand will in many ways determine the products it requires to operate or carry out the services it offers.”
Banners and flat-paneled signs illuminated with fluorescent or neon lights are the leading forms of signage used in facilities to advertise a sponsor, announce an event or direct patrons. And while those products are effective in conveying a message, Hobgood says there are ways to create a greater impression as well as generate more revenue. Flexible LED signs that can be attached to or molded to the façade of a building and using high definition technology will become the hot trend, he predicts. Similar to the brightly lit signs seen in New York’s Times Square, the Las Vegas strip and inside major league sports facilities, this form of sending a message catches the eye of visitors and passers-by and creates a strong impression. And the beauty of such technology is that it can be configured in some fashion to fit any size space as well as meager and massive budgets. “The day of the static sign is gone,” says Stuart Reynolds, senior consultant for Acoustic Dimensions in Dallas.
High Tech Simplicity Lawrence Metal Products, based in Bay Shore, New York, is mostly known for creating crowd-control devices that blend into a facility’s atmosphere. Recently, the company has created Who’s Next, a combination of an electronic display unit with audio speakers to alert customers to the next available position. While customers wait for a position to open, the display unit continually scrolls illuminated, customized messages that can inform and entertain them. It could also be used as advertising space for event sponsors.
The other positive to such signage, D’Angelo says, is that the audio component can be programmed to sound a male or female voice as well as send multi-lingual messages. “It’s something that catches people’s attention,” she says. Major League Technology While simplicity works for most facilities, the true wave is for large, bright and colorful displays using LED screens that can do something as small as flash a logo to provide high definition action of a game-saving play. The only drawback at this time, Hobgood says, is the high cost of installing the technology, but if used effectively it can pay for itself rather quickly. “In public facilities, managers have to generate revenue because the public dollars are not paying for everything,” he says. “So, naturally, the facility manager is going to look at this and say he can’t do it because of the cost, but I keep hammering him over the head with the potential revenue it could generate.” Electronic signage used as a structure’s focal point can run in the millions of dollars not only for the display screens but also for the high-tech means of relaying the message through state-of-the art control rooms.
As HD television becomes more commonplace in peoples’ homes, clear, sharp and almost three-dimensional images are going to be necessary to grab their attention. High definition signage is primarily useful to facilities that want to broadcast their message using video or live feeds. Whether in a sports facility or on a marquee displaying highlights of a performance or an advertiser’s commercial, a high-definition display catches the eye of the intended target because of its sharp images. Mitsubishi’s latest high-profile effort in this area is MTV’s high definition billboard in Times Square. The display that went into service in November 2004 includes a screen that is 21 feet 5 inches high by 37 feet 9 inches wide. The screen area is about 800 square feet, making it about 80 times bigger than the largest home televisions. “There is so much in Times Square that competes for attention and MTV wanted something that would stand out with quality,” Foster says. “Your eyes are drawn to the screen more so than the others because it is of such high quality.” Through its new display, MTV can broadcast music videos, news, content from their web site and live events taking place in their studio and elsewhere. The brilliant images are made possible by the inclusion of more than 2 million light-emitting diodes (LED) making the product one of Mitsubishi’s most technologically sophisticated screens. “In the past, people looked at LED displays more so as up-scale scoreboards,” Foster says. “The trend is now toward high-quality video. There has been little movement by facilities to adopt the high-def standard in largescale displays, but this will come fast.” Mitsubishi is completing a major project at Turner Field, home to Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves, featuring the largest high-definition video display in professional sports and a wrap-around LED fascia video display. The high definition upgrade is among more than $15 million Braves officials have spent in renovations on the stadium during the off-season. It is estimated that the high-definition video display and technology to control it cost as much as $10 million. The Braves’ Mitsubishi Diamond Vision high-definition display measures approximately 72 feet by 80 feet and is located in centerfield. It is designed for maximum viewing from all angles of Turner Field and will integrate live video, scoring information and animations onto a single full-color screen to display game content in vivid detail. A second Mitsubishi high-definition video display will be installed in the Fan Plaza.
“The key for any content – whether it is a banner or a large-scale video screen – is to give people a reason to look at it,” Foster says. “Quality of that impression is what you’re looking for. You want to capitalize on that impression.” Mitsubishi has also used the technology at Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. The mega church has two HD displays in the main service area that flank the stage. They also created HD displays used for Celine Dion’s live shows in Las Vegas.
The “Wow” Factor The Chicago White Sox, for example, have recently added a new video screen to its outfield but are not ready to convert their entire system to high definition, Foster says. The White Sox screen is also much smaller than the one installed in Atlanta – only 27-feet tall – but once the team decides to incorporate high definition it will have the same effect as the larger screens. “If a facility manager is looking at changing his display screen, then he should make sure to get one that has the ability to transmit this kind of technology when the time comes,” Foster says. “The good thing is that these new screens have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, so at some point it can be changed over easily.” In the meantime, LED technology is becoming more widely used, though the new wave is increasing the size of displays. LED displays can be so clear that many people may think that what they are seeing is high definition, Reynolds says. “In sports, LED is an absolute these days,” he says. “The positive thing about LED signs as opposed to traditional, static signage is that it can be changed to fit any event that is taking place in the venue. ” Signs can be changed by simply reprogramming the LED boards in the facility’s control room. Concerts, conventions and sporting events sometimes come with their own advertising riders, Foster adds, and with LED technology they can be changed with no problems and without changing the aesthetics of the facility. Another advantage of LED displays is that they can be designed to fit any size and shape of space. Once the technology and equipment are in place, the cost of displaying information or a sponsor’s advertisement can become less expensive, thus paying for itself in a short period. Acoustic Dimensions is in the process of completing an overhaul of Dodger Stadium including a 1,000-foot LED banner that wraps around the entire stadium. The new system not only will give baseball fans a new feature to enjoy but will change the overall look of the stadium itself, Reynolds says. The possibilities for using LED displays are limitless. Displays can include a mixture of LED, neon and theatrical fixtures to create an overall feel. Plus, the price for such technology is decreasing fairly quickly making it affordable to small- and mid-sized venues that may not have the large budgets professional sports venues do. It is a form of advertising and information space that can be used for large hotels, convention centers and churches – any place that is competing with television to grab the attention of the masses. “So much of our lives are spent watching TV and as technology improves and more and more homes have high definition televisions in them, then it’s going to be a greater challenge to create that ‘wow’ factor elsewhere,” Reynolds says. “The goal is to create an experience and wrap what is going on live with what is taking place on the screen.” fm Kelly Pedone is a freelance writer in Houston, TX. Kelly Pedone is a freelance writer in Houston, TX. |
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Hobgood,
a facility management veteran who now works with facilities and vendors to
create compact signs that can be moved easily, says the future in grabbing
the public’s attention is in making displays bigger, brighter and splashier. 
“We
think it’s perfect for a concert venue or a convention center or anywhere
that people have to line up in a queue and wait for an available window,”
says Suzanne D’Angelo, Lawrence marketing coordinator. “It’s more efficient
than a regular line because people can’t see what’s available and this cuts
down on the need for additional personnel to point guests to an available
window.” 
Mark
Foster, general manager for Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc., the
Diamond Vision Systems Division, says his company has been busy creating
signage and video boards using images projected in high definition. 
