Joé Lloyd is the director of global marketing for NanoLumens, a digital LED signage and display company based in Atlanta. The company’s products are used in airports including Hartsfield-Jackson International, Vancouver International, Detroit Metro, Miami International and Honolulu International.
Passengers have smart computers in their pockets and have expectations on the experiences they want to have in places like malls and airports, said Lloyd. “For example, if you went shopping on Amazon on Cyber Monday, you could see how it knew what you like to see and offer suggestions and keep track of what you need. Travelers are increasingly having those same expectations,” she said. “I recently landed in Miami from Mexico. There was signage that helped get you to where you want to go. If you’re traveling out of LaGuardia, you have no idea where you’re going.”
Digital signage provides a whole new experience, said Lloyd. “Statistics show that happy travelers spend more money, because they are spending more time in airports,” she said.
From an advertising standpoint, digital displays are a great opportunity to highlight what’s in an airport, said Lloyd. “Atlanta’s airport is opening new stores and restaurants at a rapid pace. What better way to show them off than through digital advertising,” she asked. “With digital signage, you can highlight more than one restaurant on a sign. You can also make changes or fix typos easily.”
Security is also a big issue in airports, and digital signs can help with that, said Almir DeCarvalho, NanoLumens’ vice president of strategic accounts. “So using digital signs for displays and notifications in airports is a tremendous value,” he said.
Airports trying to improve the passenger experience is a big trend, said DeCarvalho. “Travelers now go to the airport with the understanding that they will be waiting for at least one to two hours before their flight. Airports can use their common areas and incorporate technology that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provides needed information,” he said. “We fill that niche. We can build curved custom displays that can be turned into creative art pieces that give customers the information they need, but also allow the airport to sell advertising.”
There’s a big focus among airports are what each are doing to stay competitive, said DeCarvalho. “They’re asking if they had to choose between having a layover in Atlanta or Minneapolis-St. Paul, which one is more customer friendly? We’re not just saying that airports need digital signage. They need signage that is aesthetically pleasing and helps improve the customer experience.”
The industry is competitive and continues to change, so NanoLumens keeps up by listening to its customers, said DeCarvalho.
