NEC Display Solutions Client Installation Leisure and Museums
DIGITAL SIGNAGE IMPROVES COMMUNICATION AT SEA
DIGITAL SIGNAGE ON THE VIKING LINE
Viking Line is a public limited company and a market-leading brand in passenger traffic on the Northern Baltic Sea. It offers passenger services, recreation and cargo carrier services on the vessels Gabriella, Mariella, Amorella, Rosella, Viking Cinderella, Viking XPRS and on its new flagship Viking Grace.
As part of designing the flagship Viking Grace, Viking Line wanted to find a flexible solution for all passenger communications on board. The aim was to relieve pressure on the personnel on board and to be able to work more proactively with information about campaigns and activities for the guests on the ship.
The Challenge
The flagship Viking Grace is Viking Line’s latest venture and is the world’s first large natural gas powered passenger ship. Viking Grace sails the Stockholm to Åbo route daily and takes up to 2,800 passengers.
Viking Grace is a 9,320 m2 entertainment metropolis that offers activities twenty-four hours a day. It has a large number of bars, restaurants, playrooms and a spa department with a cooling igloo.
In addition, the ship has been praised internationally for its environmentally friendly construction.
Communication aboard previous ships primarily consisted of loudspeaker announcements, printed information, analogue information boards and even staff shouting. This meant that Viking Line put major resources into manually replacing marketing materials on every single surface of the ship.
On board a ship that is away from land for several hours, it is important to be able to guarantee that all technical solutions can operate reliably and safely 24 hours a day. In the best case it should be possible to quickly update and service the system locally or from the home office on land.
There are numerous activities and distractions for the guests aboard a ship. As such, communication solutions on board have to ensure that the information can quickly capture the attention of as many people as possible.
When Viking Grace was designed, one of the goals was to create a ship with a low environmental impact and this was to be reflected in its entire construction. Being aboard the ship was also supposed to feel modern, which affected all decisions related to which technical solutions were installed on board.
The NEC Solution
Digital signage was the solution to this aboard Viking Grace, which was equipped with 120 robust and reliable NEC displays. The content of all of the screens can be quickly updated from the main office on land. When a new topic or piece of information comes up, the marketing department is able to proactively work on the content and individually control communication to the various screens, directly from the main office on land.
NEC’s displays are used for all information and communication aboard Viking Grace. The content is adapted based on the location of each screen so that it is always relevant. For example, at Frank’s restaurant there will be menus adapted according to what is available and the time of day.
On the other hand, at the spa, mood images will be displayed instead, to create a harmonious and calm environment. Display screens by the tax-free area of the ship display messages about rules and special offers for passengers. Information screens show arrival and departure times, as well as exchange rates.
Also, in unanticipated situations, the displays are an important channel for reaching out to as many passengers as possible in a fast, informative way. Personnel on board can also adapt information, which is sent out to all screens and TV apparatus aboard.
The displays have replaced flyers and calling out for announcing campaigns, activities and offers on board. The content is prepared on land and then sent to a strategically selected screen with the press of a key.
To reduce noise levels on board, no sound has been linked to the screens. Instead, images with short captions are used to capture the attention of the passengers.
The Result
Digital signage on Viking Grace has contributed to onboard personnel reaching out to a greater portion of the passengers. Now it is easier to proactively work with marketing materials and engage with more passengers using the digital marketing campaigns.
“The solution provides us an important opportunity to reach out to more passengers with both information and campaigns. It has been an effective tool for getting the right message to the right people, in the right circumstances,” says Lena Holmström, Hotel Manager M/S Viking Grace.
The display screens have contributed to Viking Line no longer needing to pass out printed information in the form of flyers. Instead, all the information the passengers need is displayed on screen.
“Digital signage is part of our daily life and we can see that our guests more often naturally seek the display screens for information. We avoid making ‘unnecessary’ calls and that’s where the display screens play an unbelievably important role,” concludes Lena Holmström.
The display screens also contribute to an improved overall mood aboard the ship.
NEC Produkte
| LCD 22" Displays für Büro- und Industrieanwendungen | |
| Größe | 22" |
| Höhenverstellbarkeit | 130 mm |
| Helligkeit | 250 cd/m² |
| Auflösung (optimal) | 1680 x 1050 |
| Reaktionszeit | 5 ms |
