LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Advisory Board of the Digital Signage Association met yesterday in Las Vegas on the eve of Digital Signage Expo 2009.
David Drain, executive director of the association, said there were more than 40 people in attendance and that it was "a full room," which was a testament to the ongoing buzz surrounding digital-out-of-home media.
Drain told attendees that, as of the end of January, the association had 238 members; 129 members have joined in the last five months, 80 of which are deployer members, including retailers, hotels, restaurants and banks.
"I think it's a pleasant surprise to people that we have members from 30 countries; 17 percent of our membership is from outside North America," Drain said. "It makes the point that we are truly a global association."
Among the new board members was Chris Borek, senior manager for in-store digital marketing for Target.
Topics discussed at the meeting included:
- An upcoming supplement on digital signage that will be published in USA Today on March 20. The Digital Signage Association partnered with Media Planet to provide editorial direction for the piece, which was edited by Lyle Bunn, principal and strategy architect for BUNN Co.
- The association's plans to roll out a speakers bureau, which would provide opportunities for speaking engagements for interested members. Members will be polled to gauge their interest in participating in the bureau, as well as their individual expertise.
- The next generation of the Association's Web site, which will launch by the third quarter of this year.
- The success of the first DSA webinar, which was held on Jan. 29. Approximately 860 people from 60 countries registered for the webinar, which was titled "Content Best Practices for Digital Signage Networks." That webinar is now available on demand at www.digitalsignageassociation.org.
- The appointment of Jeff Porter, executive vice president of Scala, to the executive committee as vice president representing vendor members.
- Plans for the Content Best Practices Committee to release three more white papers focused on content at the point of sale, the point of wait and the point of transit.
The board also heard a presentation from Bill Collins, a principal of DecisionPoint Media Insights on digital signage research. The topics of launching committees related to digital signage education, ROI and environmental responsibility were also discussed.
Drain said he felt the meeting remained focused on the association's mission.
"In discussing the goals and plans for 2009, I feel confident that each goal relates to the three pillars of the association, which are advocacy, education and networking," he said.
