International. One of the industry's most important business events, Digital Signage Summit Europe (DSS Europe) held its 50th edition at the Hilton Munich Airport in Germany earlier this month.
A joint venture between Integrated Systems Events and invidis consulting, the summit attracted digital signage leaders from across Europe to explore this year's theme: Engaging Experiences: Concepts, Creation and Content.
Sponsored by Google Chrome Enterprise, DSS Europe welcomed more than 350 delegates, exhibitors and speakers to enjoy two days of thought leadership, insightful panel discussions, industry overviews and the latest innovations from exhibiting brands.
List of inspiring speakers
This year's stellar lineup of speakers, including experts from First Impression, Futuresource, Google, M-Cube, Trison, Visual Art and ZetaDisplay and spanning a wide range of sectors such as media, retail and corporate, addressed the current market outlook and the impact of major trends.
Highlights included Dave Haynes, editor of Sixteen: Nine, and Mark McDermott, CEO of ScreenCloud, discussing "How to get the message across to your employees" and why software-agnostic solutions that integrate with other systems are helping optimize internal communications. While Daan Berends, creative director of First Impression Audiovisual, explored "Why digital solutions don't succeed without timely content" with practical advice on how ordinary content can be as engaging as digital shows.
Market trends and engaging content
During the first day of the summit, Florian Rotberg, President of DSS Europe and Managing Director of invidis consulting, presented a comprehensive overview of the market in which he revealed that global advertising markets have increased by 6% year-over-year, driven by DooH growth of 26%. Florian also revealed that the overall market forecast for 2024 appears to be flat.
He added that market growth in Europe is ahead of that in the US and Asia, thanks to a wider deployment of signage and intelligent digital experiences. The creation of unique immersive experiences in a physical space is increasing with the growing popularity of pop up and concept stores.
Content, canvas, and location are key elements in creating a distinctive physical journey that differentiates itself from an online retail experience. Factors that drive a successful implementation include content being relevant and memorable.
"There has to be a balance between the things you want to present and the stories you want to tell." Hubert van Doorne, Nexmosphere: on the ideal placement of displays and sensors in the retail space.
Other topics driving industry development include generative AI such as Adobe Firefly, sustainability, carbon credits, and cybersecurity. These topics formed the basis of many of the conversations, both on the main stage and in networking sessions, during the summit.
"Digital signage must bring something new and offer added value to businesses. Not just videos that loop." commented Christophe Billaud, Telelogos.
Best practices and key findings
On the second day, the invidis team opened with a keynote speech called "Wake Up Call," which highlighted the best and worst practices in digital signage, with examples from their recent world tour. These included common mistakes, including content that doesn't inspire (blank and poorly calibrated screens should be avoided), poor visibility, 24-hour power consumption, light pollution, and installation failures such as visible cables. Also, a plea to use only standardized APIs.
Delegates were also the first to receive a copy of the new invidis Yearbook 2023, widely regarded as the industry benchmark for exclusive insights and market trends. The latest issue presents key themes; Engaging experiences and eco-friendly signage.
Celebrating the best
Invidis also hosted its annual Strategy Awards, which celebrate excellence in the digital signage industry. Florian Rotberg and Stefan Schieker from invidis consulting GmbH presented the awards to the companies leading the digital signage strategy.
The winners are:
• Engaging experiences: TRISON
• Eco-Signage - PPDS - Professional Display Solutions
• Critical business – Xovis
• Innovation - Google Chrome operating system
• Rising Star - Audiovisual first impression
• Industry Leadership - PPDS - Professional Display Solutions
Rotberg concludes: "This year's edition with more than 500 visits was a resounding success with a host of market leaders and industry experts addressing the state of experiences and discussing trends and drivers for the coming year. These valuable discussions pave the way to unlock the potential of digital signage and yet-to-be-explored DooH. DSS Europe is a great opportunity for the industry to meet, explore and collaborate in a creative and effective way for a more sustainable future. See you next year!"
DSS Europe 2024 will take place in Munich next July.
