Reinventing the tourism centre

by Matthew | 20 February 2012 9:34 am

By Keith Yanke
A typical tourist information centre usually welcomes visitors with a non-descript room, some photos on the wall, an outdated map, a rack of randomly organized pamphlets, a take-away guide listing some local businesses and a small staff on-hand to answer questions. This arrangement certainly provides basic information and can be helpful for visitors who already have questions, but it does little to get them excited about new adventures that may be available. It is not very effective at selling them on any unique experiences awaiting them when they visit local sites.

Recently, in the case of a tourism centre for the Montérégie region of Quebec, officials realized this approach from the past was doing a particular disservice to the area. So, they decided to enhance the user experience, in part through the deployment of digital signage.

A vision for visitors
Located south of the island of Montreal, midway between Ottawa and Quebec City, Montérégie is a vast expanse named for the hills that define it. A range of mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes offer picturesque views and a unique blend of culture, agriculture and heritage.

While in the region, visitors can stop by museums, historic sites, shops, restaurants, festivals and other events throughout the year. Rich soil has also made it an ideal location for many orchards and vineyards, so in-season tourism opportunities include visitors picking their own fruit and winemakers offering samples of their wares.

Montérégie Tourism—one of 20 regional tourism associations across the province—oversees efforts to promote these various activities to visitors. The non-profit organization co-ordinates publicity and commercial activities. The association’s members are all local businesses.

After it was established in 1978, Montérégie Tourism established several small, plain offices to make information available to tourists at various points throughout the region. In 2006, its board of directors felt it was time for the association to do more. Rather than simply inform, they wanted to entertain, entice and excite visitors about the region.

So, they came up with a vision for a tourism centre that would deliver a unique experience, such that visitors who entered would want to fit in as much as they could into their trips—and then make plans to return to do more. To achieve this aim, the facility would need to create a ‘wow’ factor.

Building a gateway
There was no obvious precedent for what Montérégie Tourism was proposing, however, so it faced a significant challenge. There was no template to follow and no proven ideas to adapt for local implementation.

“It was definitely a ‘Blue Ocean Strategy,’” says Eric Fournier, the association’s general manager, referring to the 2005 business book about entering an unexplored market. “We wanted to give visitors the feeling they’re actually out in the region while they’re still in the visitor centre and appeal to their emotions, rather than just their minds. We felt video would be a very important part of creating that excitement.”

The opportunity to develop this new concept came with the establishment of a new shopping complex in Brossard, across the river from Montreal, which incorporated boutiques, large stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses. Located near a highway and the bridge connecting to Montreal, it was seen as an ideal location to introduce a ‘gateway’ for tourists who wanted to explore areas in the region outside the major cities.

Montérégie Tourism first secured a high-visibility spot within this ‘power centre,’ then tackled the task of designing its new venue.

“We hired an architectural firm and explained what we wanted to do,” says Fournier. “The building had to be eye-catching on the outside, to draw the attention of drivers on the highway with the promise they would experience something unique and special if they came inside. And once there, the images and atmosphere had to transport them into the region immediately and keep them there throughout their visit.”

Fournier adds consumers are used to seeing video everywhere they go today, whether on tablet computers, smart phones, notebook or desktop screens or digital signs in stores, hotels and other environments. This expectation was another reason Montérégie Tourism wanted to incorporate video into the design scheme, as it would be a good way to capture and keep visitors’ attention.

“Video is a big part of creating a modern atmosphere,” he says.

The interior space was divided into eight unique zones, each focusing on a different aspect of the region, such as cycling and wine tasting. The traffic flow was designed to carry visitors from each zone to the next, without a sense of conflict between them. A boutique was added, allowing customers to purchase wine, cider and other products, along with gift certificates specific to the region.

“It feels more like an attraction at a theme park than a visitor centre,” says Fournier.

Integrating digital signage
Rather than simply play conventional videos, Montérégie Tourism worked with Arsenal Media, a Montreal-based developer of customized digital out-of-home (DOOH) content, projects and networks. In fact, the architectural firm worked with Arsenal’s video producers and Genesis Integration’s multimedia network installers from the beginning of the design process.

That proved to be an important decision. Typically, the design process for this type of building begins with the architects’ concepts receiving approval before the audiovisual (AV) integrators and other partners determine how to fit video hardware and software into the structure.

“This way, we were able to produce video to whichever parameters worked within the environment,” says Denys Lavigne, president of Arsenal. “We took into consideration every step as to how the content would be viewed. Given how central the video was going to be, it made sense to involve Genesis and ourselves early, as together we were able to make recommendations for screen placements, including heights and angles, to make sure they were integrated into the surroundings, rather than looking like an add-on. It made a huge difference.”

A total of 23 screens were specified for installation throughout the visitor centre. They ranged from 0.6-m (23-in.) screens for interactive information kiosks to 1.3-m (52-in.) high-definition (HD) displays for each of the eight zones. Genesis sourced commercial displays with a three-year warranty, whereas consumer screens typically offer only a one-year warranty.

“We chose displays on the basis of the quality of their visuals and their reliability, given how heavily these screens will be used,” says Marc Lacroix, assistant director of Genesis. “Montérégie Tourism only gets one chance to make a good impression on most of this centre’s visitors, so it’s critical that everything operates the way it should. The support we get from the manufacturer is outstanding. We have equipment that’s been in the field for more than 10 years and is still working.”

Genesis installed the screens after general construction had been completed. Then, Arsenal began loading content. Among the videos the company developed are a capsule history of the region, a showcase of various local products (e.g. wines) and both short and long promotions for specific sites and businesses.

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[6].

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/reinventing-the-tourism-centre/

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