Dear Fellow Members,
I hope this note finds you well as we approach the end of what’s been a grueling winter and an unprecedented two years. To say that these past twenty-four months have been trying is an understatement. We’ve all felt the impact of the pandemic in one form or another, whether it’s been on our families, friends, colleagues or business. Nothing and no one has been spared. But as Spring beckons and society begins another attempt at a return to a ‘new normal’ I wanted to take a few moments to update you on what your DSF has been up to and what we have planned.
Like many of you we struggled during the pandemic. We lost one of our biggest sources of revenue and were robbed of our ability to gather in person to network and provide our members with the services they’ve come to rely on the DSF for. While the Board and countless volunteers worked to keep us afloat, we reached a point where we almost closed shop. Faced with that prospect we explored whether to partner with another association or remain independent. We reached out to membership for guidance and the resounding message we heard back was to keep the DSF an independent voice for the digital signage community.
Armed with that clear mandate from membership we developed a revised paradigm for how the DSF would operate going forward. Critical to that effort was the formation of the Digital Signage Federation Advisory Council made up of high-level sponsors from across the digital signage ecosystem who have stepped up to the plate to provide the DSF with the resources it needs to continue to operate as an independent not-for-profit trade association. The Advisory Council will meet quarterly and provide the DSF Board with insights and guidance on industry trends, help determine what topics to pursue for future education tracks and provide advice on road show and trade show participation. We’ve had one meeting of the council to date, but we already see the seeds of a vibrant sounding board to help guide the federation forward.
In addition to the Advisory Council, we have entered into partnership agreements with AVIXA and with Questex, the new operators of Digital Signage Experience (DSE). Both partnerships are centered around our continuing efforts to provide education to our members either through our extensive online catalogue of micro-education courses, webinars or in person education sessions.
As part of our partnership with AVIXA we are producing eight (8) D=Sign Power Hour webinars and the D=Sign Digital Signage Conference at InfoComm 2022. Both the webinars and InfoComm courses are RU rated. In addition, we also secured an attractive 20% discount for DSF members to attend education sessions, council events and obtain show floor passes. For the upcoming DSE show in November, the DSF is an official industry trade show association sponsor. We are also producing a track of live educational sessions leveraging our best-in-class micro-credential course catalogue. DSF members will receive special association discounts for passes to the conference program as well as other association benefits. The DSF will be on hand at both shows, as well as the upcoming Retail Innovation Conference planned for Chicago in May.
Just before the holiday season began last December, we held a very successful membership Meet ‘n Greet at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. While health protocols limited how many attendees we could host, we nonetheless had a full house. The meeting was the first industry wide event and provided members with the chance to network, tour the museum’s digital signage platform and take in the breathtaking Beluga Whales and other wonders of the museum. Going forward this year, we plan on hosting similar meet ups in Chicago, Minneapolis and Dallas. Joining us at those events will be new DSF Board Members at Large Tony Green of Snap Install, Brian Meszaros of OpenEye Global, Kristen Roubie of ELO Touch and Jeffrey Weitzman of Navori Labs. Stay tuned for additional information.
To continue effective communication with our members online, we are making some changes and updates to our website. We’re adding an “Advisory Council Corner” and a special section we’re calling “Professor Brawn’s Insights” featuring monthly articles on timely topics from one of our industry’s leading educators, Dr. Alan Brawn. The website remains a great tool for members to shine a spotlight on their work through our “Work That Wins” section, as well as thought leadership, member press and other content. Our online micro-credential catalogue is the industry’s best, and we have more courses coming this year. We’re always looking to bolster our education offering so if you have an idea for a course or courses, let us know.
I’d like to thank everyone who helped us navigate the past two years, from our past Chairman Spencer Graham to our Executive Director Brian Gorg and former Board members Will Amos, Dave Haynes, Kelly Smith and the volunteers who help make up our various committees. We hope you consider volunteering on one of our committees, running for a board seat or submitting your company’s work for an industry award.
Finally, the DSF prides itself as being a “by members for members” organization and as such can’t survive without our members. No matter how you choose to participate in your DSF, we welcome your support and participation. We can’t wait to see you at one of our Meet ‘n Greets or one of the industry trade shows this year. It’s been far too long.
All the best,
Len Dudis
Chairman, Board of Directors
