The kiosks’ touch screens allow visitors to look up detailed information within each themed zone.
A built-in scheduler allows the tourism association to adjust its programming as needed. Seasonal videos, for example, are added and deleted easily, while content timing can be changed to match traffic flow conditions.
Each zone features an interactive information kiosk. Using a touch screen, visitors can select an area of interest, then ‘drill down’ to obtain more detailed information about different places and activities. In the history zone, for example,
they can find out about the battlefields of the past, museums and other related sites.
“Having the touch-screen kiosks makes finding information very convenient for many of our visitors,” he says. “They will come in and head right for one.”
Setting a new standard
The work was completed in February 2011. The following two months were dedicated to staff training and preparations for the new visitor centre’s launch in May.
“We had many dignitaries here for the grand opening, including the provincial minister of tourism, Nicole Ménard, as well as the mayors of the various towns in the region,” says Fournier. “They were all impressed by how well the venue showed off Montérégie. They really enjoyed wandering from zone to zone and seeing how we brought each to life.”
In addition, tourism groups from other provinces and from France have visited in recent months to see what the association has accomplished.
“When we started, there was nothing like this,” says Fournier. “Now, we have become the new standard of what’s possible. This is very exciting and rewarding for us.”
At press time, the centre was welcoming a few thousand visitors each month. After the power centre’s construction is completed, however, Fournier expects the numbers to rise, for a total of 100,000 visitors per year. The construction is slated to finish before 2013.
The completion of the building itself is not the only reason for his optimism. Future plans call for the addition of 15 more digital signs in high-traffic areas of the power centre, including a hotel. These screens are expected to help direct more attention to the visitor centre.
As Fournier explains, however, the use of digital signage ultimately complements the other standard requirements of a tourism information centre.
“Not everyone is comfortable using the kiosks yet, so we also have staff on hand to help walk them through the information,” he says. “No matter how technologically sophisticated we get, we never want to lose the human touch.”
Keith Yanke is marketing director for large-format displays and projectors at NEC Display Solutions. For more information, visit www.necdisplay.com.
