Company: STRATACACHE
www.stratacache.com
Client: Southbank Centre
Southbank Centre Leverages Digital
Signage as Part of Comprehensive
Redevelopment Plan
Customer Profile
The Southbank Centre was built in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain, and the concert halls were originally funded and managed by the London County Council and their successors, the Greater London Council. The Centre became an independent arts organization in April 1988. At the heart of the Southbank Centre complex stands the Royal Festival Hall. Opened in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain, the hall is one of the world’s leading concert venues, presenting concerts by the fi nest international orchestras, operas, and contemporary music artists. The venue reopened in June 2007 after an extensive redevelopment.
Challenge
In 2005, the Southbank Centre initiated an elaborate redevelopment plan to improve its entrances and foyers. The plan was designed to create welcoming, attractive and stylish foyers, offering a proper sense of arrival for a major international arts and conference venue. Architectural changes, including new lobbies and facilities, were to be integrated with new lighting and signage to aid navigation through the centre. As a result, STRATACACHE was employed to install an intelligent digital signage system to improve customer accessibility and elevate the overall visitor experience.
Solution
STRATACACHE designed and installed a digital signage system that delivers content to independent channels in different areas within the centre, including the Royal Festival Hall and surrounding area. The solution included STRATACACHE software, hardware and professional services. The core technology behind the system, STRATACACHE ActiVia for Media software, schedules and manages visual content while monitoring and controlling the network of media players and display screens. ActiVia for Media gave the Southbank Centre staff the ability to showcase—via the digital signage network—the latest events and happenings going on at the facility. The ActiVia software is tailored to provide fast content approval and scheduling, permitting playlist creation and distribution on demand via reliable multicast technology. This user-friendly platform enables non-IT staff to upload content and feed each channel.