Corporate AV Foyer AV: good reception?


Not so long ago, foyer or re- ception lobby design was all about security and process – is the visitor in the right place? Do they have an appointment? The graphic elements within a foyer were usually limited to the company logo and per- haps a mission statement. To- day, the thinking has changed. Large format displays, content networks and interactivity turn a graphically barren waiting room into an experience that communicates an organisa- tion’s activities and values.


What is the function of a foyer in a large corporate or public building? The list might in- clude: keeping out undesir- ables; welcoming legitimate visitors;


managing the ap-


pointment schedules; and, increasingly today, communi- cating the more subtle values and ethos of the organisation. James Abdool, Group Sales Director


at MediaZest says:


“Large screen displays in re- ceptions areas have moved away from just playing Sky News to being an integral feature. The screens are now incorporated into most de- signs and are able to bring technology together with art and visual communication. The end result is a subtle mix of entertainment, information and education.”


When did this change from security and process to communications of brand characteristics come about? Certainly within the last 30 years, when the availability of new AV technologies gave designers, architects and di- rectors of communication the opportunity to educate and influence


visitors, even be-


fore they entered the organi- sation’s offices proper. Jason Bacon, Corporate Account Manager, NEC Dis- play Solutions believes that: “Corporations believe that the look and feel of their re- ception area is a reflection of their organisation – are they


P6 AV News August 2014


investing in the future? Do they care about their appear- ance and therefore the quality of their work? This is the first impression a visitor has of the company and can set the tone for subsequent dialogue.”


Technology choice


As the technology has evolved, the requirements for foyer deployments have be- come ever more aspirational and ambitious. David Wilson, creative director at the AV News Award winning systems integrator Engage Production explains: “At one time, com- panies were happy so long as their foyer display was bigger than their rivals. Now they are willing to engage in dis- cussions about whether a net- work of smaller screens might be more appropriate for their content. We even have clients talking about facial recogni- tion systems for identifying and tracking VIPs when they enter the space.”


Bacon concurs that size is a factor: “Digital signage in re- ception areas is getting more and more ambitious as com- panies perceive that bigger is better, with creativity in video wall configurations to make them even more eye catch- ing. Being modular, there is almost limitless scope in scaling up the installation to suit!”


But Abdool argues that cus-


tomers are becoming aware that the choice of a specific display technology is an im- portant element in the com- munications process: “The choice of technology illus- trates a level of appreciation of the future for companies when used in their reception areas. It can make an import- ant first impression and the key is using the content to reflect the right image. Today technology is expected in a reception area so unique uses of technology stand out to vis- itors.”


Whatever the technology,


Wilson is adamant that the whole design and installation has to start with the concept and the content that supports it. He says that; “Good con- tent is good content – if it’s interesting enough, it doesn’t particularly matter what it’s shown on,” but whatever the display solution, Wilson ar- gues that it must be ‘real’. ‘Green-washing’ and other common corporate misde- meanours are “just an empty vessel”.


Return on Investment


The character and function of a foyer space often influence a visitor's first impression upon entering a building, but does this first impression have a value? The difficulty inherent in any consideration of the ROI of any foyer instal-


lation is that the calculation of the benefits has to include factors such as ‘prestige’ and ‘quality’ which are almost im- possible to express in mone- tary terms.


Abdool believes that, in this instance, Return on Invest- ment is often a secondary consideration in comparison to the communications re- quirement: “An ROI is really reserved for the digital adver- tising


screen networks. For


a reception area it is more about entertainment and in- formation - adding to the high class ambience for all visi- tors.”


Bacon proposes a different method for


calculating the


benefits of this type of instal- lation: “It would be unusual for any corporate to invest heavily with no consideration for ROI although as the finan- cial


squeeze eases, certain


companies are able to justify the spend on luxuries to en- hance their visible company profile. It might however, be more appropriate to consider the ROO or Return on Objec- tives”


“If the corporate is hoping to attract high calibre clients and staff, to influence the vis- itor’s perception of the com- pany, to enhance the working environment, or to create a space for the company to gather for training and CEO communications for instance, since there is no direct in-


fluence on sales, there can be no measure of success in terms of ROI. The key mea- sure therefore is of the Return On Objectives (ROO) in order to understand the potential success and hence the poten- tial costs if the investment is not made.” Liam Norris, Product Man- ager at PSCo, agrees that investment decisions are usu- ally inspired by perception rather than any detailed fi- nancial analysis: “The choice of technology can say a lot about how an organisation wishes to be perceived. A dis- play can portray a company as leading the way with the lat- est, cutting-edge technology or it can give the impression of falling behind the times. Large public displays are be- coming increasingly common and companies will tend to make the extra investment to ensure their display satisfies expectations.”


Replacement schedule


A further factor in calculating the costs of a foyer installa- tion is that of the effective product life cycle. If the purpose of the installation is to generate impressions of prestige and quality, what happens when the installa- tion starts to look a bit dated? Wilson explains: “We like to talk in terms of a three year lifecycle for hardware, but, at


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