Andrea Mereghetti, new LATAM Business Developer for DENEVA

Andrea Mereghetti joins the commercial team of ICON Multimedia, who will perform his functions as the new Business Developer for Latin America.

Mereghetti joins his new position with a professional background of more than 20 years in the AV industry, performing his duties in recent years as CEO of KOLO, where he consolidated his experience, turning the company into a reference in digital experiences in Mexico. Now, in his new role, he will bring his product knowledge, his team leadership and his ability to identify business opportunities. “Being part of a project with such a strong innovation and growth component is a really attractive challenge”, says Andrea Mereghetti.

His point of operations will be located in Mexico, one of the most solid markets for the company, changing also the location of DENEVA‘s physical offices in CDMX. However, its scope of action will go much further than these borders, reinforcing its position in other Latin American markets, within a global structure in which it already works in verticals as important as retail, corporate or transportation, among others.

Mereghetti also admits that “I take on this new responsibility with great enthusiasm and I hope to be able to contribute my experience at a key moment for ICON Multimedia in which it is consolidating its leadership in the field not only of products but also of Digital Signage solutions”.

The industry looks optimistically towards 2022, after a year marked by uncertainty and recovery after the crisis caused by COVID-19.

Generally speaking, data management by Digital Signage solutions continues to be the number one priority. However, the need for continuous evolution and innovation leads cutting-edge technologies to be integrated into digital signage to keep advancing in hyper-personalization.

Which technologies will impact the audiovisual sector in 2022? Which trends will we see in 2022 in Digital Signage?

Consolidation of IoT in the phygital store

The merging of the Internet of Things (IoT) or Artificial Intelligence (IA) with Digital Signage solutions will be the key to differentiation for the Digital Transformation of business, since the level of personalization will grow to a large extent. This integration makes the user experience much more comfortable. A clear example is its application in the retail industry, which allows customers to quickly find the most suitable products for them, through original and multichannel experiences (touch screens, sensors, mobile content, etc.), achieving a very positive emotional impact.

Consolidation of the QR code

Making Digital Signage much more accessible is one of the greatest challenges in recent years. The pandemic has generalized the daily use of QR codes in any environment due to the need to interact without physical contact, respecting social distancing rules.

Integrating QR codes within Digital Signage allows people to connect with content, either to obtain more information, using smartphones and a second-screen experience; or as a sales assistant, to offer a much more personalized shopping experience for each customer.

More sophisticated integrations from other platforms

The ability of a Digital Signage solution to communicate with other platforms is one of the competitive advantages which differentiates content managers in the market.

Now is the time for more complete integrations. From much more advanced analytics to complex developments adapted to the distinctive features of each business, which allows for a more efficient use of the Digital Signage network, creating a 360 solution.

The proliferation of programmatic advertising

Programmatic digital advertising lands on Digital Signage, not only in its DOOH version but also in conventional signage within each business.

This new and sophisticated marketing line seeks to reach a much more specific target audience, through the use of algorithms to address consumers, based on their actual user data. This way, it is easier to launch the right content to the right person in real-time.

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) will have the latest version of ICON Multimedia Passenger Information System, DENEVA, in the stops of the new Metrovalencia Line 10, which will connect the city centre, from Alacant station, with the district of Nazareth. This operation will be carried out through the installation of LED television screens which will show real-time communication of the service, such as schedules and waiting times, as well as other notices including incidents and recommendations. 

This project thus joins the development already conducted in Lines 4, 6 and 8 of the tram network which, through DENEVA, allows the unification of different means of transport into a single system, opting for intermodality. 

The opening of Line 10 is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022. 

ICON Multimedia joins the ESI EMPRESA project of the School of Design in Valladolid since November, signing an annual agreement that makes it part of this group. The future actions will range from training related to Big Data and Digital Signage, mentoring projects for students, to an extensive variety of activities such as competitions and co-creation workshops belonging now to the School’s calendar.

There are already more than 100 companies and institutions in ESI EMPRESA, which was created with the aim of building long-term relationships between business community and the School of Design in Valladolid.

The companies and institutions in this group enjoy benefits as business networking, participation in workshops and seminars, collaboration in the insertion of students into the labour market, development of collaborative projects and competitions by carrying out collaborative actions in order to integrate, contribute and share.

ESI is currently one of the leading Schools of Design in Spain — recognised as one of the best national Schools of Design by the Financial Magazine and placed in the Top Ten of the World Brand Design Awards. Furthermore, every year it stands out in national and international awards; Laus, Antalia, Etiquetanews, Pentawards and Selected are some of all the recognitions that ESI has collected in more than 25 years of experience.

This agreement signed with ESI Empresa is one of the activities from ICON Multimedia’s ICON.Talent programme, aiming to promote employability and the attraction and retention of talent in the company.

The San Cebrián Foundation Group, a non-profit social entity based in the province of Palencia, will count with the representation of ICON Multimedia as a member within its governance bodies for 4 years from this week.

This appointment, in line with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies of ICON Multimedia, aims to contribute our vision in the technological area in all its projects focused on people with intellectual disabilities and their environment, employment and future, and to support this group.

The San Cebrián Foundation Group has been working for more than 40 years to provide people with intellectual disabilities and their families with a good quality of life, offering the necessary support so that they can follow their life plan and integration in society.

ICON Multimedia has opened its doors to the students from the Excellence and Research programme in the Secondary School ‘Alonso Berruguete’ (Palencia) thanks to the action plan of ICON.Talent, aiming to attract technological talent to the company.

This activity is part of the European Year of the Railway and has the support of the Spanish Railway Association (Mafex), which ICON Multimedia belongs to. The Open Day took place this week and consisted of a visit to the study centre, where the company introduced the students to its work processes, history and business development, and to the central offices for a more realistic approach to the work environment, where the young people were able to see first-hand its Digital Signage Solutions and Passenger Information Systems.   

The idea was especially designed to guide students in their final academic years in Secondary School, to promote technological culture among young people and to raise awareness of the business activity of small companies in order to prevent brain drain in this region.  

 

The Regional Ministry of Family and Equal Opportunities of Castilla y León has once again recognised ICON Multimedia with the Óptima Castilla y León hallmark, aimed at rewarding gender equality in the workplace.

This hallmark recognises the correct implementation of policies dedicated to improve internal processes in terms of human resources management, equality and reconciliation of personal, family and work life, as well as our commitment to the incorporation of women into the ICT sector, which nowadays is mainly male-dominated.

Among the latest measures carried out by the heads of the Company Equality and Work-Life Balance Committee, are those processes for closing the gender pay gap and achieving pay transparency, in addition to the implementation of sexual and gender-based harassment protocols.

On July 10th, the first summer camp of the Junior Forum of Family Business of Castilla y León concluded. Enrique Hornos, CEO of ICON Multimedia, had the opportunity there to bring to the youngest (more than twenty children aged between 8 and 12 years belonging to the business families of the association) his entrepreneurial vision in the technology area.   

He went over the company’s history, from the beginning as video game developers to today as Digital Signage and Passenger Information System software developers, highlighting the commitment to teamwork and enthusiasm to be able to face all the challenges.   

We hope the kids enjoyed this… great adventure!   

ICON Multimedia has launched a new corporate website based on a more minimalist and modern design and accessible from any device.

The website includes more relevant company information, corporate information, quality policies, product and solutions portfolio, innovation model, people and talent, among other sections. Also, of course, from the company’s latest news.

This new proposal offers a fully responsive format so that it can be consulted from any computer, smartphone or Tablet. It will be available in Spanish and English, adapting to the new reality of growth and expansion.

The ICON Multimedia’s Passenger Information System, DENEVA, facilitates the inclusion of people with visual disability with the integration of technologies that allows to inform and guide across train, bus and airport stations. After the presence of the blind person is detected, digital screens allow the transcription of the information displayed in real time. As an example, the displays show the access to boarding or the departure or arrival timetable, without the need of additional physical support.

The development of this new iPIS (Inclusive Passenger Information System) is carried out through the integration of NaviLens system in DENEVA. A QR code is embedded on each screen, that is able to be read from a long distance (up to 30 meters) and from different angles, through a mobile application. After the first reading of these QR codes, the system activates these markers on all screens, where the information displayed is interpreted and transformed into audio, in the language of the receiver. The system offers immediately the location and orientation of the route that the person wants to follow.

In this way, DENEVA is able to transform the static information showed by NaviLens, into dynamic, by offering real-time data to passengers about changes in schedules or delays. It even warns train drivers that a person with visual disabilities is using this service, and thus, they are able to consider it for the exit and entry times of the train coach. In addition, DENEVA also provides to visually impaired people the access to different services information such as the stores located in the stations, the products and promotions offered at each of them or its opening and closing hours.

This new development is also integrated into Alstom‘s security platform, that coordinates multiple subsystems such as video surveillance, public address or traffic management. Currently, the first pilot tests are already underway at different railway stations.