Future of digital signs on display at Las Vegas expo

Manufacturers say digital sign technology has a bright future in the hospitality industry.

The new products spread over the Digital Signage Expo show floor Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center weren’t all screens, though. Companies showcased software, content production, touch technology and wall and ceiling mounts.

Megan Zeller, director of business development at Illinois-based Peerless-AV, said hotel chains such as Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton use the company’s products to mount TVs on walls in guest rooms.

Zeller said Peerless-AV’s other products, including touch-screen kiosks and digital signs, have a lot of potential in the hospitality field. “Throughout the entire property, you can send messages to your guests,” she said.

Kiosks can be used for maps, menus and advertisements. Digital signs can be changed at any time, Zeller said, so advertisements and restaurant menus can be updated without the need to wait for printed materials.

“If you want to change the daily special, you don’t have to cross it out or put a piece of paper over it,” Zeller said. “Everything stays neat.”

California-based Avery Dennison makes a film that can be applied to almost any interior glass and could be used for privacy in hotel conference rooms.

The film system appears translucent when switched off but becomes transparent when electricity runs through it, said Noam Assael, the company’s director of strategic business development and global platforms. When the system is off, the film can be used as a projection screen for presentations in a conference room or for advertising on a storefront.

Los Angeles-based Inhance Digital creates software and content for large touch-sensitive digital murals. The murals use points on a map or background that people use to interact with the wall, CEO Penn Arthur said.

“Once we create that whole back-end animated background, multiple people can interact with the wall and pull up hot spots,” Arthur said. Those hot spots may include video, text, and 3D models.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which operates the convention center, uses one of Inhance Digital’s murals to provide a “virtual Las Vegas” with information on hotels and casinos.

Arthur said the murals could also have practical applications in hospitals, universities and government buildings.

The expo continues through Friday, and the exhibit hall will be open through Thursday.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.