We’ve written about how NanoLumens LED displays seem to be gaining traction with airports. Now NanoLumens Nixel Series LED Displays are gaining even more momentum in the transportation market thanks to a relationship with airport advertising concessionaire Departure Media.
The Charleston, S.C.-based firm is the nation’s only woman-owned airport advertising concessionaire, according to a NanoLumens press release. Departure Media recently worked with NanoLumens on the upgrades of two large digital airport advertising displays at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
The seamlessness of NanoLumens Nixel LED displays helped Departure Media complete its installation faster while eliminating a lot of extra work and programming inherent in multi-panel video walls, according to Leslie Bensen, president of Departure Media, Inc.
She adds that she might not ever go back to traditional video walls.
“There are so many aspects of this project that went faster and better than I expected, including the installation time and client reaction,” she said. “One of the reasons we switched to NanoLumens displays late in our schedule was that the traditional video wall provider we worked with was unresponsive and seemed unconcerned with a smaller contract, whereas NanoLumens was always ready to answer questions and help us succeed in our first use of their product. We had to increase the budget a little bit, but our local contractor HGC Construction was also able to install them in about half the time we expected.”
In the press release, Bensen goes on to tout NanoLumens Nixel features that she says contribute to quicker, more simple installations:
- Thin, lightweight specifications
- Simplicity of programming for a single display
- Avoiding the need for complex videowall software and hardware
“The timing was extremely important, considering we could only work from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.,” Bensen said. “We had estimated five days based on past projects, but thanks to the thin, lightweight NanoLumens displays, our local installer had both 4mm pixel pitch, 17-foot by 5-foot displays fully operational by the third night. That’s huge for us, especially because these are revenue-generating displays, so we need them to be up and running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. NanoLumens technology cut the weight by more than half of the existing, 10-year-old multi-panel bezeled videowall, and that meant the installation was undoubtedly easier to complete, while also allowing more flexibility for anchor points and mounting.”
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More from the NanoLumens Press Release:
In addition to its reduced weight, the choice to use NanoLumens Nixel displays for the first time came down to reliability and trust in the company. Whereas most display manufacturers offer a maximum three-year warranty, NanoLumens raised the bar by introducing its six-year, down-to-the-pixel warranty for its full product line.
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That means if a single pixel dies or is damaged, NanoLumens will replace that part of the display, a process made simple by its Nixel-based design. Nixels are small square panels of LED pixels that combine to form NanoLumens NixelSeries displays, and are accessible and removable from the front of the display.
“If any repairs ever have to be done, the whole display can stay on the wall while we replace only the section that’s having issues,” Bensen said. “That’s huge from a maintenance perspective, to be able to quickly address problems without shutting down the area or replacing a large component. I don’t know of any other display that operates this way and comes with such a fantastic warranty. That was one of the biggest selling points for us, and why we were willing to increase the budget a bit. The display’s seamlessness, low heat generation, longevity and lack of maintenance will certainly allow for a large return on our investment.”
While Bensen still sees a place for static, printed advertising in airport environments, she acknowledges that digital innovations are starting to compete even with those extremely traditional options.
“One place we’ve never used digital displays is on curved surfaces,” she added. “When we have a location such as a column or a curved wall, print airport advertising has always been an easy, fast solution. It does limit the revenue and creative possibilities, however, and with new products like NanoLumens that can wrap a column or wall, I could see future projects where we use digital displays instead of static ads. It’s more expensive, of course, but over the life of the product the ability to sell one space to multiple advertisers could result in higher revenue. We haven’t had the opportunity to test this theory yet, but it’s an exciting option to have the next time we work with curved surfaces.”
NanoLumens has seen a surge in adoption of its LED displays in airport advertising.
After such a good installation experience, Bensen doesn’t think she’ll go back to using traditional videowalls, citing the increased weight and difficulty of installation, particularly because they are usually putting the displays in complicated or difficult-to-access locations. That factor makes the simple NanoLumens Nixel repair process even more important, as she needs all her ads running all the time.
“My first interest in NanoLumens arose several years ago when I visited the company in Atlanta and saw the different shapes, sizes and curvatures they were designing,” Bensen said. “Now that I’ve used one in the field, I’m convinced it’s the best option for large video displays and expect to be using more in the future.”
For Departure Media, Inc., and NanoLumens displays, it’s all sunny skies ahead!
