Scala, the leading provider of end-to-end software solutions for digital signage and advertising management, took home seven awards for innovative digital signage installations at this year’s Apex Awards, held this week at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas. Included in this industry recognition are four Gold Awards for installations with Camelback Toyota (Retail), TENQ (Education and Healthcare), Bell Canada (Public Spaces) and 4Food (Food and Beverage).
“We congratulate our customers and partners and salute their creative vision and vibrant imagination that resulted in seven Apex Awards at DSE 2011,” said Tom Nix, Vice President of Scala, Americas and Oceania.
After undergoing a massive renovation to their showroom and service facility, Camelback Toyota knew it required a 5-star digital signage network that would integrate seamlessly with its new look and feel. The installation, which was deployed by Scala Certified Partner Unified Brand, includes 45 Samsung HD screens delivering customized content and a high-end brand experience. Dealer representatives from across the country have flown to Phoenix to see this flagship network in action.
Another Gold Award winner is Bell Canada’s Bell Ice Cube, in which visitors were able to watch teams compete live in Vancouver 
during an international sporting event in 2010. Visitors at the 3,000 square foot Bell Ice Cube could get the inside scoop on their favorite athletes and listen to live music using interactive “smart cubes” with built-in high-tech sensors. With more than 20 digital screens with 10 discrete HD feeds and dedicated live feeds, it became a natural meeting place for people coming into the center of Vancouver for the sporting event. The interactive and responsive video environment was designed and engineered by Scala Certified Partner Jigsaw Interaction Design Lab.
In the Food and Beverage category, midtown Manhattan store 4Food earned a Gold Award for its innovative digital signage and social network. 4Food gives customers the option to log on to its website and build their burgers in advance via computers or 4Food’s smart phone application. Scala Certified Partner Zero-In Media installed a giant 13-foot by 20-foot LED wall that displays TV programming, 4Food’s Twitter feed, 4Square updates and the customer names as orders are ready for pick-up. The network also integrates with 4Food’s online community, where creating an account is encouraged and members can earn points for food.
The final Gold Apex Award went to Scala’s integration with TENQ, an initiative through which local water companies and health organizations are working together to install multimedia enabled water coolers across hundreds of schools in the Netherlands. Each cooler features a 19-inch LCD screen that displays educational programming, advertising and user-generated content. There are currently close to 400 TENQ coolers in middle schools and vocational schools, reaching more than 250,000 students.
The following Scala-powered digital signage networks were also recognized at the Apex Awards ceremony:
* Larnaca International Airport — A high-tech network used to greet travelers and educate them about what Cyprus has to offer as a travel destination. (Silver Award.)
* Texas State Technical College — The nation’s first digital signage technology degree program. (Silver Award.)
* Infiniti Europe — The sophisticated, interactive digital signage network allows customers to design their very own dream machine, ensuring a unique experience from the first moment they enter an Infiniti center. (Bronze Award.)
“The Scala connected signage software platform is the stage with which integrators and network operators can do their magic,” Nix said.” We look forward to another year providing a world class software platform that can push the known boundaries within the digital signage industry.”
To read case studies about Scala’s Apex Award-winning installations, visit http://www.scala.com/news/studies .
About Scala
Driving more than 500,000 screens worldwide, Scala is a leading global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. Scala is the world’s first connected signage company, offering the leading platform for content creation, management and distribution in digital signage networks and the first unified platform for advertising management of both traditional and digital signage networks. The company’s digital signage customers include Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, Warner Brothers, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, Repsol, NorgesGruppen, Audi, ECE Flatmedia, Kaufhof (Metro Group) and thousands more. Advertising management customers include CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor and Magic Media, among others. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, USA, and has subsidiaries in Canada, The Netherlands, France, Norway, Germany and Japan, as well as more than 450 partners in more than 65 countries. More information is available at www.scala.com.
Source: Scala
