Grace Point Church adds LCD displays to their communication strategy
Posted on Mon, April 20, 2009
“Without people, our ministries are not very effective. We can’t meet people’s needs if they don’t know what ministries we offer, or how they can be involved to help us meet the needs of others.”
That’s Steve Weir, Director of Technology Services for Grace Point Church in Newtown, Pennsylvania, explaining why he recently lead a drive to update and improve his Church’s methods of communicating with its members, which he views as a crucial ongoing function. “We wanted to further communicate the needs of our church to our attendees. We also wanted to further advertise the various ministries, and promote them, in hopes of getting more people involved here at Grace Point.”
His specific recommendation was to add digital signage to Grace Point Church’s communication strategy. “We had been relying on a weekly paper bulletin and PowerPoint announcement slides before each service. But not everyone is able to view those. This also meant that we were missing our mid-week visitors, and those who don’t receive a weekly bulletin.”
To ensure that Church messages and announcement are seen by everyone throughout the week, Grace Point hired Rise Display to install three new digital LCD signs. “We now have a new display in each of the entranceways to our church,” Mr. Weir explained, “and a third display on our Missions Wall. This third screen displays Missions-specific content, including missionary profiles and thought-provoking missions-related videos.”
The fact that they can include video and other rich content makes this new approach very useful to the Church and attractive to its congregation. “The more ways we can get information out to people, the better,” he said. “The displays are visually attractive and grab people’s attention as they walk past them. Information is getting out and we aren’t relying solely on the paper bulletin. ”
Mr. Weir said that reaction to the new media has been very favorable. “Thus far, our attendees have been rather impressed with the overall look of the displays. They do look great out in the lobby! The displays have really enhanced the aesthetic look and feel of both our lobby and our Missions area.
“The church staff have also been pleased with the new displays and the potential for ministry development and member participation. All of the feedback has been positive. Everyone loves the appearance of the displays, and appreciates the additional media through which they can now receive information.”
And demand is growing for additional uses for the signs. “I frequently receive requests to add more content to the displays. Our ministry leaders especially see the potential positive impact the displays can have for their respective ministries. They’re consistently asking to have their ministry featured on the various displays.”
To meet that demand, Mr. Weir uses Rise Display Network, the online digital sign content management software supplied by Rise Display that makes it easy for Church officials to change the messages on their own signs themselves. As he explained, “The website for uploading content is easy to use and very convenient.”
Overall, Mr. Weir says that his church is very pleased with the sign project’s outcome. “I have already recommended Rise to others as a premier digital signage solution. They seem to be at the forefront of the digital signage movement. With their impressive client list, I knew I could rely on Rise to deliver.”
Learn more about LCD Displays provided by Rise Display.
LED Ticker gives Chapman University’s School of Business a new presence on campus
Posted on Wed, April 8, 2009
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is one of the oldest and most prestigious private universities in the state of California. Attracted to its small classrooms and personalized service, over 6,000 students attend Chapman annually to pursue higher education in the liberal arts and a variety of professional programs.
Among those professional programs is the George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, situated in a “dream location” on the Chapman campus, a state-of-the-art facility known as the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Business & Technology Hall. With its computer labs, video conferencing capabilities and specialized debate rooms, the facility has everything it needs to support the School’s rigorous business curriculum.
What the School of Business and Economics didn’t have, until recently, was an adequate signpost to indicate its presence on the Chapman campus. That’s why School administrators decided to add a new electronic Ticker display to the building’s hallways. According to Associate Director of Operations Craig Williams, “We wanted something to label our area as ‘The Business School’. A stock ticker was a natural fit.”
They chose a ten-foot long stock ticker board, supplied and installed by Rise Display, a company with whom Chapman University started doing business a long time ago. “We selected Rise for our first ticker almost 10 years ago,” explained Mr. Williams. “Rise has given us good service over the years and we knew that a new board from them was the right way to go.”
To maximize the visibility of their ticker, they chose a strategic location that makes the sign – and the School that it announces – hard to miss. “We occupy the 3rd floor of our building,” said Mr. Williams. “The new ticker is at the head of the grand marble staircase that goes from the first to the third floor, which makes it visible to several hundred students a day.”
Its prominence allows it to act both as their new signpost and as a quick source of financial and School information for their students. “We list upcoming public events as well as Dow 30, Indices and Currency information,” explained Mr. Williams.
Asked about the success of the new ticker, he replied simply, “The new ticker board has much better capabilities than our old sign and is much nicer, giving us a better image. Everyone likes it.”
