Word finally seems to be out about the business end of the rather nice, rather large digital advertising rollout that has been taking place these past few months in the Mall of Qatar by Elan Media using the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2016 winner, Esprit Digital.
This is surely the first time ever that the Middle East region has seen this quantity and quality of large-format digital displays installed within a single shopping mall – we believe there are well over 240!
It looks like the ‘street furniture’ was designed to complement the overall look and feel of the centre, as well as to communicate the status of both the media company and the infrastructure owner to high end consumers – we got to touch and feel some of these units at Esprit’s factory in Stevenage late last year and they really are very good, Ed.
Our understanding is that in partnership with local integrator AVT Audio Visual Technology in Doha, Esprit Digital designed, built and installed the following: –
- 36-off Indoor Bespoke Double Sided 70″ Advertising Pods
- 24-off 3 x 3 55″ Video Walls – 216 Displays
- 16-off 7m W x 1.25m H – Indoor 4mm Pitch LED
- 2-off 12m W x 6m H – Indoor 4mm Pitch LED
- 2-off 4m W x 3m H – Indoor 4mm Pitch LED
- 2-off 7.5m H x 5m W – Outdoor 20mm Pitch LED
- 14-off 48-sheet Flex Face Lightboxes
Part of the installation was 2-off 7.5m High x 5m Wide LED displays for the walls adjacent to the main entrance – these operate within an ambient outside temperature which can often reach 50°C+. To keep the refrigeration costs down, their engineers decided to utilise the air-conditioning of the mall itself to maintain the temperature range within their enclosures to ensure a 10-year lifespan for the product. They also built 36 totally bespoke double sided 70″ LCD Pods (MUPI’s). These highly stylised, iconic structures incorporated a Cortex thermal and remote management technology, which means maintenance visits are extremely rare if ever – almost any issue can be resolved from a Network Operating Centre. Other features of this remarkable unit include LED side strips that change colour with content, full audience measurement, iBeacons and ClearSpace (this is Esprit Digital’s proprietary sensor system which warns management of obstructions to their screens).
The media owners told us that since the network went live, every 10-second advertising slot within each minute has been sold – this has been to a mixture of major brands like Vodafone and Qatar Development Bank and local partners.
Jamie Ball, COO Elan Media told us “From the beginning of this project we were very clear in our minds what we wanted to deliver. Very simply, a world class Digital OOH installation that would utilize the very latest and best technology available, would match the look and feel of the mall, and be a commercial success. We were also very clear about the type of partner we needed, not just for access to the technology, but for design and implementation, and advice – delivering a real partnership. Esprit Digital have done all of this and more, and I am delighted that we selected them for this project”.
We believe that the Mall of Qatar has significantly raised the bar and demonstrated to undeniable effect how a well-thought out, well-planned, beautifully designed digital hardware installation can be a key differentiator in a competitive sector like shopping centres. From the moment you pull up to the front door, you are greeted by two 37.5sqm LEDs and you have begun your digital experience. The ‘Wow factor’ has been created by the two giant 72sqm high resolution LEDs on the main walkway and the 24 portrait 9×55″ LCD videowalls embedded in the columns around the food court. These are complemented perfectly by 36 state-of-the-art, freestanding, double-sided 70″ LCD pods and 16 Linkbridge LED Banners that have been seamlessly integrated into the bulkheads above every walkway.
It really is worth seeing!
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