Education
The Juilliard School prefers Rise displays and software for their quality and ease of use
Posted on Wed, January 14, 2009
Business schools aren’t the only educational institutions that are turning to digital signage these days to help them get their messages out. For example, New York City’s famous Juilliard School, the country’s pre-eminent performing arts academy, recently updated their campus communication strategy by installing some large LCD screens in the central lobby of their main campus at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
A private performing liberal arts college, the Juilliard School has roughly 1,900 students in its College, Pre-College, Music Advancement, and Evening divisions.
According to Tunde Giwa, the school’s Chief Technology Officer, the decision to add digital signage to Julliard’s main lobby came about as part of their Juilliard/Lincoln Center Redevelopment Project, an ambitious undertaking begun in 2007 that involves some major renovations to more than 50,000 square feet of existing campus space, and adds an additional 39,200 square feet of new theatres, studios, classrooms, practice rooms and specialty spaces to the arts school’s expanding downtown premises.
“We wanted to add digital signage to our lobby as part of our redevelopment project,” Mr. Giwa explained. “We needed this to communicate to our internal and on-campus audiences about events, along with news and weather.”
After first trying a consultant’s recommendation, which called for a digital signage setup that Mr. Giwa characterized as “a very complex system”, the school sought out and contracted the services of the Rise Display corporation, mostly because they found Rise’s recommendations and software to be much easier to understand and use.
“This was our first foray into digital signage,” explained Mr. Giwa. “The system that a first consultant designed for us would have required a lot of people to have learnt a very complex software product, to allow us to design and schedule our digital signs. We did try to learn how to use it, but it was much too complicated.”
Simplicity then became one of the main requirements in their search for a better digital signage control system: “It had to be easy to use, and attractive.” Rise’s combination of high-end display hardware and web-based sign content management software – called Display Wire – fit the bill. In contrast to their confusion with the first consultant’s system, Mr. Giwa said, their experience with the Rise solution was much more rewarding. “Rise’s software was much easier to implement, and much easier to use. It’s a quality product.”
And the performing arts school’s new digital signs opened to rave reviews on campus. “In general everyone likes the Rise system,” continued Mr. Giwa. “Users comment on how easy it is to use, and members of the community seem to really like it. We’re very happy with it. Very satisfied.”
Rise digital signage software is a big hit at Dodge City Community College
Posted on Wed, May 13, 2009
Kansas’ Dodge City Community College has joined the growing list of schools that are adding electronic signage to their campus-wide communication strategy. Recently, the College installed two large LCD screens on campus to help them communicate college news to all students and staff. According to Rick Druse, Director of Marketing and Public Information, “We were looking for a way to display upcoming events on campus. At first we were looking at using a computer monitor and Powerpoint sitting in the window of our bookstore. But after some research, we found that Rise Display Wire offered what we were looking for plus a whole lot more.”
The Rise Display Wire that he’s referring to is a web-based method for controlling the appearance and content of digital displays. Subscribers log on to the Network from any computer via the Internet and have the ability to design, modify, schedule and monitor their signs from one central control panel.
Sign owners like Mr. Druse appreciate the simplicity and power of the Rise Display Wire software. “I’m the person that creates and controls the presentations on our new signs,” he said. “The Web based control of the signs has made it very easy to manage our signs.”
Among the many advantages of this approach are the system’s low start-up fees. “The cost of the service was competitive when compared with other display companies,” continues Mr. Druse. “The ease of the system and the amount of equipment we needed. We didn’t have to invest in another server just to run the displays.”
He says that Dodge City Community College has benefited greatly from their decision to add signs to their campus. “This is a great, cost-effective way to get our message to people. We now have two displays on campus and we are working on putting one in our local shopping mall.
“The display in the mall will be a great way to reach people that normally would not see a display on campus. The campus displays are a great way to communicate with students and staff about college events.
“I am very happy with our displays. Creating content and managing the system is very easy. I would recommend this system for any company that has a need for a digital display. It’s a great way to communicate to your target audience.”
UT’s fans get the real score with stadiums new LED 8-color ticker
Posted on Wed, October 14, 2009
On a busy Saturday at University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium, diehard Vols fans are now being treated to more than great sports action. With the addition of a new LED ticker inside the stadium’s prestigious West Club, patrons can keep an eye on all the other games that day with up-to-the-minute scores scrolling by.
Inside the West Club, the new Rise Display 60-foot, curved LED 8-color ticker is clearly the centerpiece. Scott Carter, Director of Capital Support for Neyland Stadium, knows all too well the importance of connecting with Vols fans, especially those donors and supporters who are members of the new, exclusive West Club. Of the Club’s 450 seats that overlook the west sideline, goal line to goal line, 430 of them are movie theater-style chairs under cover, with cushion seating and cup holders. Patrons, who enter through a private concourse, are treated to gourmet food and enjoy pre-game festivities. From a private patio overlooking the famous Vols Walk. Club members get a birdseye view of teams as they walk from a central point on campus into the stadium. These fans are also elite supporters of UT’s athletics, and the university knew they needed a unique centerpiece that would draw these enthusiasts together inside the new part of the stadium.
“We can customize when we have groups or philanthropic endowment events and can target that group, thanking them and welcoming them to the West Club,” said Carter, who controls messaging using Display Wire, Rise Display’s web-based software. Display Wire includes a live sports data feed, which provides real time sports scores. “We can use it for wedding receptions and functions too, tethering those messages welcoming those people. Having the flexibility and freedom to tailor and customize messages on there and then have real time scores as well has been nothing but complimentary from everyone.”
OU’s new trading lab uses video wall with ultra thin bezels
Posted on Tue, October 20, 2009
Student’s at OU’s Price College of Business now have a state-of-the-art finance lab to simulate the workings of a real life trading floor on campus. To help create the atmosphere the finance faculty worked closely with Rise Display to incorporate a 8 color LED ticker along the back wall to show the latest market updates of the DOW 30 stocks with their corresponding company logo along with a couple of 46” LCD displays to show the latest news and market information. At the front of the room is a 2x2 LCD video wall using the latest technology from NEC Display Solutions with ultra thin bezels (only 7.3mm between each screen) to create the main focal point of the room.
Digital Signage Example Gallery
Posted on Wed, October 28, 2009
One of the most common requests I hear from clients is for photos of installations. While they aren’t always easy to get, we push our installers and sales team hard to make sure they have cameras with them and get photos whenever possible to show digital signage in action.
We have been steadily improving our website over the past few months and we now have over 500 images of actual installations and content examples for visitors to browse through. If you have a moment visit our Examples section and send us feedback, or better yet if you are an existing Rise client and have a great picture you would allow us to share please email it to us at sales@risedisplay.com.
University of Tampa installs Tri-color LED ticker display
Posted on Thu, October 29, 2009
The University of Tampa recently installed a 14 foot long tri-color LED ticker in their college of business. The scrolling ticker is located in the hallway and designed to attract attention to the finance lab where students work in simulated market conditions. The Rise Ticker is unique in design because the “smarts” are built in thus allowing the university to simply connect the LED display to their network and update it via the internet - no dedicated computer is required. From the web, professors at University of Tampa can easily type in welcome messages to visiting donors or potential new students along with hand selecting the stocks and indexes they want to show.
The LED ticker is simply the best way to create a financial atmosphere and attract attention for students and donors alike at the college of business.
Digital Directory Display at Northeastern University
Posted on Thu, October 29, 2009
The new digital signage system at Northeastern University has multiple components from a 2x2 video wall, digital signage showing events, and digital directory displays. Historically printed signs or the white stick on letters were used for building directories, but as the cost of digital signage continues to drop and software advances why would any new building not go digital.
Think of the benefits:
1) unlimited flexibility to change the look and background
2) the ability to incorporate news and weather
3) if you reassign rooms no need to reprint
4) wow factor - impress visitors
5) for important events direct traffic
These are just a fraction of the reasons so if you are building a new building and you are thinking static, think again. And if you are thinking digital signage, go one step further and think interactive digital signage, because users are becoming more savvy and they are expecting your displays to be touch enabled.
Content Design: Balancing Live Data with User Messaging
Posted on Wed, November 4, 2009
Incorporating live data such as financial market updates, sports scores, news headlines and local weather into your digital signage content is a great way to make your display a destination and keep your visitors entertained every time they pass by. Check out the enclosed graphic showing a creative design utilized by one of our university client to help them convey their message along with a nice mixture of real-time information to capture attention.
Many users question costs for licensed data because they can go grab similar information for free from Google or Yahoo. Why is that data free? Because those websites are trying to attract your traffic in pursuit of pay-for-click or advertising revenue. While those data services may be free to visitors someone is ultimately paying for the rights to display the information and if you read the website user terms many of them specifically say it is for personal use and not allowed for public display. Another concern with using “free” data from the web is that it could be unreliable or go away at any time. What is to prevent that website from changing their design and removing the data service you are using.
In summary using live data is a great way to make your display stand out, just make sure you use an authorized source so you don’t wake up to find a key element of your content is missing.
Roger Williams Finance Lab - Video Wall installation
Posted on Mon, November 9, 2009
Roger Williams has been a Rise client for many years originating with our 3 color LED wallboards through an upgrade 3 years ago to a LCD Video Wall. Video Walls come in all shapes and sizes and for their finance lab we utilized NEC monitors to create a 3x1 wall that acts as the focal point to the room showing all of the latest market information from around the world.
This picture was taken last week during a service visit and as you can see after over 3 years the displays still look very sharp. While the displays may not have the ultra thin bezels and sleek look of the video walls we are installing today, the effect is still the same when people view the room for the first time - the displays definitely attract attention.
Digital Signage Addition to the Main Lobby at Dodge Hall
Posted on Wed, November 18, 2009
The school of business at Northeastern University recently added a 2x2 LCD video wall and two 46” LCD digital signs to the main lobby area of Dodge Hall.
The video wall shows the latest market updates and news to keep students updated with the happenings in the financial markets and provides a focal piece for all visitors to building.
Each 46” NEC LCD display is mounted in portrait mode with one showing a building directory and the other one showing all of the latest events within the college.
The end result - a dynamic atmosphere that uses technology to communicate with students each days as they pass through the halls.
Traditional Bulletin Board verses Digital Signage - Which Do You Think Attracts More Attention?
Posted on Fri, November 20, 2009
Some people have the misperception that you have to be a big school in order to consider, let alone install digital signage. Fulda Public Schools, a small school in MN with less than 500 students and tight budgets made the strategic decision to investigate innovative ways to communicate with their students.
For years they have used traditional bulletin boards, but with the information overload between Twitter, text messaging, blogs, banner ads, etc, etc they decided to try a new approach by installing a 46” LCD screen to dynamically and digitally connect with students. While the display is still relatively new and they are still experimenting with the best ways to use the technology one thing is for sure - the display gets a lot more attention than the static bulletin board below it.
LED Tickers in High Schools
Posted on Thu, November 26, 2009
In the late 90’s we saw a trend of colleges and universities starting to investigate finance labs for their business schools. In the last 2 years we have seen more and more community colleges expanding their curriculum to have these specialized rooms and classes. Now we are seeing a movement at the high school level.
James Bowie High School in Austin, Texas became our latest client in the K-12 arena to install a LED ticker display to help create a financial atmosphere for their students.
Digital Signage at Bergen County Technical Schools
Posted on Thu, November 26, 2009
In my previous post about Bowie High School I talked about the advancement of LED tickers and digital signage in high schools. Here is another example of a financial services lab installed at Bergen County Technical Schools in New Jersey.
The new program capitalizes on the school’s proximity to New York City, the financial capital of the world, and strives to interest and prepare students for careers in the financial services industry. The curriculum touches upon topics common to commercial banking, investment banking, brokerage, trading and investment management. Learn more about their program by visiting their website.
Content Design: Washington & Lee University
Posted on Mon, November 30, 2009
How do you connect with the Xbox - Ipod - Twitter - Facebook generation? They are bombarded with information every second of every day so sticking a static poster on the wall won’t even get a glance. On a college campus the best way to connect with students is to embrace technology and use digital displays to communicate. The graphic in this posting is an example of how Washington & Lee University mixes their dynamic messages in with the latest headline news on large format LCD screens strategically located around campus.
Rise Display Installation: Metropolitan Community College
Posted on Mon, December 7, 2009
The Maple Woods campus for Metropolitan Community College has expanded their digital signage network of 46” Samsung LCD screens powered by Display Wire.
Administrators rolled out 3 screens before classes started in 2008 and further expanded their network by adding 2 more this fall to effectively communicate lunch specials, campus events, and other administrative announcements. In addition to campus communications they also mix in current sports scores, weather, and headline news to help make the display interesting and engaging to students and visitors.
Digital Signage in Education: Johnson & Wales Finance Lab
Posted on Wed, December 9, 2009
The Johnson and Wales University Providence campus was Founded in 1914, JWU’s first and largest campus hosts more than 10,000 students from all 50 states and more than 60 countries in the fast-paced urban center of historic Providence, RI.
Rise is proud to have taken part in the addition of a finance lab within the college of business to provide a focal point to their program. The system includes multiple LCD screens both inside the classroom and in the hallways to create awareness for the financial markets along with a long, custom full color LED Ticker display to create a unique atmosphere.
The display technology combined with industry-trained faculty, working in small classroom settings, brings a blend of traditional business education and real world experience.
Digital Signage in Education: Acuff Financial Markets Center
Posted on Wed, December 16, 2009
On October 2, 2009 the Mason School of Business at William and Mary University officially dedicated the new Alan B. Miller Hall.
The new facility boasts: 166,000 square feet of space, over 500,000 bricks, 1,260 tons of steel, 350 windows and a state-of-the-art electronic trading classroom. If you would like to learn more about this exciting project I would encourage you to visit their website to see more facts, watch video reactions of students first impressions, and some of the videos from Rex’s unplugged diary as he brought the building out of the ground and into reality.
The Acuff Financial Markets Center is one of the highlights on the tour utilizing the latest in digital signage technology including three 57” LCDs, and two 2x2 LCD video walls all showing the latest market information, graphs, news, and video from around the world. In addition to the trading lab the school has strategically placed over 20 LCD screens throughout the building to keep students informed of the latest events along with live market data to create a high energy business environment.
Rise Creative Services Example: Ag Country 2x1 Video Wall
Posted on Fri, December 18, 2009
Ag Country recently donated dual LCD configurations to both NDSU and University of Minnesota to help keep students informed about the latest job openings and news in the farming community. Since the displays are posted in each school’s college of business they also wanted to post the latest commodity prices to create awareness for the futures markets that help drive Ag business.
The end result if a very graphical and visual design that helps helps provide valuable brand recognition to Ag Country while communicating with students on both campuses.
Digital Signage in Education: University of Minnesota
Posted on Wed, December 23, 2009
Last week I posted a content example from the recent installation at University of Minnesota Morris that was donated by Ag Country. (view posting)
To supplement the post I am happy to share a photo of the final installation.
Digital Signage in Education: UMKC
Posted on Wed, December 30, 2009
What is better than using digital signage to communicate with students? Doing it at very little to no cost to the university.
While may schools explore the option of selling advertising space to local businesses many find that it is becomes a full time job to sell the space, produce the content, and figure out the rate schedule. A much easier option is to follow what the sports stadiums have done - sell the naming rights. Each college within a university has distinguished alumni and partnerships with local businesses that recruit graduates. Why not leverage these relationships to get secure a sponsorship and place a static plaque recognizing that key donor.
Enclosed in this post is a photo of the digital signage installation at the Bloch School of Business at UMKC. Great example of a business school leveraging their partnership with a local business to bring state-of-the-art technology to their students.
