August 2015 — Property Management Quarterly —
Page 21
I
f seeing is believing and a
photo is worth a thousand
words, interacting with a high-
resolution, photorealistic 3-D
rendering connected to the
power of the Internet, simply put, is
priceless.
Recent years have seen a signifi-
cant increase in the use of interac-
tive touchscreen technologies as
well as 3-D visual
communications
assets, like cutaway
renderings, inte-
grated into digital
media space. Infor-
mational kiosks
continue to assist
the real estate com-
munity in every
sector; commercial
office buildings are
no exception. With
a swipe of a finger,
a user can access
all the features,
amenities and people in a building.
How do you know if an interac-
tive kiosk is communicating the
right way? If people are using it, it is
working. Effective digital signage and
use of 3-D renderings can transcend
language barriers, present images or
branding, and instantly communi-
cate complex concepts, feelings or
ideas with little effort. When coupled
with the versatility of open-source
content management platforms, like
WordPress, information can be time-
ly and relevant and easily updated by
staff already on the payroll.
High-level real estate marketing
collateral goes beyond the simple
display of information, pretty pic-
tures or the perfect font. The best
real estate marketing solutions avail-
able involve engaging and educating
users with overlaying interactive
features on attention-grabbing visual
elements.
To date, the best solution for this
is interactive and responsive digital
signage, which allows for an intui-
tive, organized and, best of all, mea-
surable user experience. Incredible
insights are gained by placing this
technology in a building’s lobby or
reception area, resulting in a better
understanding of a visitor’s experi-
ence and tenant satisfaction.
What is meant by measurable?
Affectionately referred to in market-
ing as the “fishing net,” analytical
data captured in the unseen back-
ground of most digital platforms can
give property managers insight as
to what fish are swimming in their
respective sea. For example, manag-
ers can discover which products, ser-
vices or destinations visitors or ten-
ants are attempting to locate most
frequently.
Analytics are important. A “great
building” isn’t merely a function of
cost per square foot, but rather the
intangible flow of energy and people
walking in the halls. Property man-
agers should aim to identify this
balance – after all, this is his con-
stituency and to whom he should be
catering.
In the end, having complementary
businesses in a building can create a
synergy that leads to longer leases,
less turnover, increased networking
and greater professional relation-
ships among tenants. Information
garnished from analytics tells a
manager exactly who the audience
is, what the expectations are and
which businesses are attracting visi-
tors. Analytics is the way to place a
finger on the pulse of the building.
Following are seven key points to
consider when deciding if interactive
signage is a smart investment for
aiding the operation of day-to-day
activities of a building.
1. Kiosks can provide life-saving
security information in times of cri-
sis or critical incidents by illustrating
pathways to nearby exits, offering
emergency links to enhanced 911,
and housing automated external
defibrillator and CPR equipment in
the unit’s basin.
2. Virtual receptionist features can
ensure that the delivery guy gets
lunch to the right boardroom on
time and that packages don’t end up
in the wrong place.
3. An interactive map can give peo-
ple directions and information to the
location they want.
4. Incorporated social media feeds
that are relevant to the ambiance of
the building can ensure that every-
one knows what the “buzz” is all
about.
5. Traffic, weather and public tran-
sit information in the area can be
accessible for those who make a
quick stop at your location and wish
to continue on throughout their day.
6. Special events and building news
can be on a scrolling slide show
in periods of inactivity. In fact, the
technology can be a valuable piece
of real estate on its own because
managers can sell the digital space
on the screen to offset other budget
line items and create a new revenue
stream.
7. The kiosk can share a building’s
LEED certified information with the
public and let them know how much
the environment and conservation
means to the building’s manage-
ment. LEED improvement can be
highlighted in 3-D cutaway render-
ings with interactive touch points of
relevant information.
Most importantly, interactive sig-
nage serves as building directories.
What used to be a desolate list in
boring black and washed-out white is
now an adaptive, visually enhanced
conversation starter. As a visitor
coming to a new building, this will
be the first interaction with build-
ing tenants. Visitors want to see a
polished presentation of informa-
tion about the people they are visit-
ing and information on how to find
them. Additionally, if a visitor is run-
ning late, it is possible to let an office
know he has arrived by clicking a
button to check in. This feature also
is useful to ensure guests are greeted
as soon as they arrive at the destina-
tion office.
If the building is exceptionally
large, information kiosks can incor-
porate wayfinding solutions that
direct the user to his destination
using 3-D renderings of the building’s
floor plans and flythrough anima-
tions.
In a nutshell, interactive and digital
signage eventually will be in every
building. There are many advan-
tages and few drawbacks. While the
technology can be intimidating, if
a building is looking to incorporate
this technology, we advise hiring a
local company that specializes in real
estate marketing, web design and
interactive hardware. Be forewarned,
many of these companies create
a substantial revenue stream with
ongoing service contracts using pro-
prietary software.
To avoid ongoing costs, try to use
open-source content management
that is easy to maintain and update.
Digital sign space is valuable real
estate by itself, creating a new rev-
enue stream for property manage-
ment. Creative content that captures
the spirit of the office building is
what makes it more appealing to
those who are visiting, projects the
building’s brand and image out-
ward, and results in more value to
those who visit and rent within your
walls.
s
Technology
Eric Scott
Founder and
president, VIZ
Graphics, Denver
Photo courtesy VIZ Graphics
A screenshot shows an interactive information kiosk with a touchscreen that can be used in wayfinding, analytics and digital signage.
sion in Colorado as a whole, is the
development of the Heartland Bio-
gas Project in LaSalle. This facility is
under construction and is billed as
the largest anaerobic digester facil-
ity in North America. The facility will
convert organic feedstock into bio-
gas, which will then be sold under a
20-year agreement to the city of Sac-
ramento, California. This “higher” use
for organic material over composting
should increase the value of the feed-
stock, which, in theory, may reduce
the cost of organics collection, mak-
ing it more cost competitive versus
waste collection and therefore driving
its appeal even further.
For our part, we have aggressively
invested in organics and recycling
technologies over the past 10 years.
This year alone, we have invested
over $5 million in doubling the capac-
ity of our recycling facility and, as
noted, more than doubled our organ-
ics collection operations. In addition,
by early fall the company will be only
the second single-stream recycling
facility in the nation to add polysty-
rene (Styrofoam) to our list of recy-
clable items.
As a result of evolving technolo-
gies, the opportunity exists today
to divert a greater percentage of the
waste stream than ever before, at
very minimal effort to the end user.
The catch here, given the deteriora-
tion of recycled commodity values
and greater current cost of organics
collection, is that a bet on recycling
is a bet that the customer is willing
to pay incrementally more to divert
waste to sustainable uses. Is recy-
cling a commoditized business or a
customer-driven business? You, the
customer, will ultimately decide the
answer to that debate.
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