Audi Forum Goes Multimedia

Printer-friendly version

Germany’s car industry recognised years ago that digital signage is an important tool in branding, as a means of making sure existing and potential customers remain attached to, or remain conscious of, their brand. More and more modern displays are appearing both in central offices and in local showrooms around Europe.
 
Audi has recently taken their next step forward with digital signage. In their completely refitted Audi Forum in Ingolstadt, the continually innovating German corporation has installed a digital signage system which reaches new standards in multimedia information and entertainment. The intention is to bring the fascinating history and current world of Audi to their thousands of visitors, in an emotional, informative and entertaining manner, irrespective of whether they are actually picking up a new car or just enjoying a family day out.

Audi was quick to realise that to meet these demands the digital signage system in the company’s prestigious Forum would have to provide far more than simply car pick-up information. The ensuing concept and project was therefore devised to combine the necessary pick-up information with entertaining multimedia elements, such as Audi’s own TV channel, marketing videos and live news.

The project inevitably faced various technical hurdles. The system had to meet the extremely high technical expectations of the Audi brand and also had to be installed, in a relatively short period of time, within the company’s existing IT architecture and security system. The system also had to be adaptable and variable, to meet individual content requirements within the different areas of the Forum, including a museum, shop, showroom, kids’ corner and restaurant. Last, but not least, the demanding lighting conditions in the building had to be overcome. As the building is predominantly made of glass, the light levels are very high.
 
Under these conditions, the appropriate choice of a hardware partner was especially crucial. After examining the industry, Audi chose Screen NT, a company based in Alzenau, near Frankfurt, to meet their criteria. The choice was based not only on the extensive experience the North Bavarian professionals brought with them in digital signage installations, but also because of the specialist technology featured in their Sunlight LC displays. The company’s 42” Sunlight LCDs provided a good solution to the building’s complex light conditions. This technology uses an internal reflective system to harness the power of the sun to increase the brightness of the display, so the brighter the surrounding light, the brighter and better the picture. The display’s standard backlight is regulated automatically, to meet the strength of the sun, in order to be more energy efficient. The whole system is protected by a UV and IR filtered armoured glass panel which, in combination with its internal cooling system, enables it to withstand long-term exposure to direct sunlight.
 
The complete multimedia project consists of eleven separate HDTV channels and 31 individual display positions, which Audi could chose without regard for the lighting conditions. It was successfully installed, according to plan, within just 10 weeks. The result is both impressive and effective; this project was one of the finalists in the Best Practice Awards presented at the Viscom Show in Frankfurt. With this informative, entertaining and visually stimulating trip through the world of Audi, the Audi Forum in Ingolstadt is definitely worth the visit, even if you aren’t lucky enough to leave with a shiny new car.