McCarran Invests In Digital Signage To Engage Las Vegas Travelers

In addition to providing wayfinding, digital displays also are a great option for delivering other important information to travelers. McCarran uses displays at each gate for real-time flight information along with weather forecasts for Las Vegas and destination cities. These displays present iconic photo backgrounds of travel destinations. To remind travelers of the excitement of Las Vegas, synchronized advertising videos are set to play at the top and bottom of the hour on video walls at every gate in T3, which includes video of falling die and active slot machines.

Another key factor that has to be considered for a digital display installation is the rigorous demands an airport puts on the monitors. Just like the casinos Las Vegas is known for, McCarran operates 24/7.

These demands aren’t something that a typical consumer TV can handle, and it is very likely that if installed, they would reach the end of their useful lives within a year. Displays used in an airport setting have to be commercial-grade units that are durable and can be depended upon for the long haul.

Before selecting the types of displays that will be used for an airport installation, aesthetics and maintenance also have to be considered.

At McCarran, Bourgon and his team decided on using displays that could be installed with single-board computers. The computers reside in the expansion slots of the units, and having the ability to house the computers inside the displays helps reduce labor costs.

Ordinarily, the source computers for flight information displays are mounted high on walls or in the air on pedestals. The single-board computer is a compact device that is entirely removable, which means the entire display no longer needs to be removed. IT administrators also can handle diagnostic tests, install upgrades, and view and control digital display content remotely.

In terms of appearances, the computers eliminate the need for an external PC, cabling, mounting and power supplies – video, stereo audio and power are all passed internally from the display to device. The result is that there is very little cabling necessary for these units, so there is no wiring to be hidden. In fact, the only cable necessary is the power cord.

Terminal 3’s addition to McCarran Airport is a bold project set to help make Las Vegas a top tourist destination in the world.  Digital signage technologies are helping pave the way.

Clark Brown is Senior Vice President, Sales at NEC Display Solutions (www.necdisplay.com). He can be reached at cbrown@necdisplay.com.

Clark Brown will be a Digital Signage Expo 2013 speaker presenting this topic in the Vertical Industry Discussion Group on Thursday, 2/28: www.DSEnow.com.