IMA Outdoor Turns to NanoLumens to Create a Captivating New Advertising Solution to "Engage" Toronto Skywalk Commuters

When it comes to high impact, large indoor Digital Out-of-Home advertising, the era of bezels and lines is diminishing, according to IMA Outdoor (www.IMAOutdoor.com) CEO Brian Rodkin. “Advertisers are insisting that their messages be seen with the highest quality resolution at extremely close distances and without the distractions of pixilation, bezels and lines that traditionally interfere with the advertiser’s message being seen and retained.”

This conviction led one of Canada’s leading providers of indoor Out-of-Home advertising solutions, to NanoLumens (www.NanoLumens.com), an industry-leading provider of LED visualization solutions, when they were looking to create two 21st Century advertising platforms in the famous SkyWalk pedestrian walk-way. The SkyWalk, opened in 1989, serves as the city’s pedestrian hub linking Union Station, the Union Pearson Express, and the PATH system to the Rogers Centre, Metro Toronto Convention Center, CN Tower and Aquarium. “Hundreds of thousands of people pass through the SkyWalk every year,” Rodkin explained. “And, the new UP Express arrival hall is going to generate even more high-quality pedestrian traffic. It presents an absolutely sensational opportunity for advertisers to engage working professionals, international and local tourists who are hard to reach through traditional advertising media.” 

Following a complete competitive review, IMA Outdoor selected NanoLumens to install two NanoSlim Engage 2.5MM LED visualization solutions — one measuring 10-feet-by-16-feet and the second measuring 6-feet-by-10-feet. 

NanoLumens Regional Sales Manager, Canada, Martin LeClerc, explained that the ability to complete the installation while maintaining a strict three-month deadline was critical, because the displays needed to be up-and-running by the 2015 Pan Am Games taking place in Rogers Center, where visitors and participants access the downtown stadium through the SkyWalk. “Our team met the challenge head-on, providing stunningly clear, bezel- and line-free advertising displays for IMA Outdoor and for their clients to showcase products and services during the high-traffic days of the Pan Am games,” LeClerc added.

According to NanoLumens Vice President of Strategic Accounts, Almir DeCarvalho, “Each NanoLumens NanoSlim displays portrays itself extremely well in the high-profile location in the SkyWalk. The quality was an important aspect when choosing the solutions. A lot of signs in downtown Toronto have bezels and lines through the displays; in addition the lesser pitch LED signs the closer you get, the more pixelated the image becomes. The NanoSlim Engage provides bright and vivid colors that catch the eye of people in the SkyWalk. People can walk right up to the NanoSlim Engage solutions and still see advertisers’ creative work extremely clearly.”  

NanoLumens NanoSlim Engage solutions can receive inputs from nearly any device. IMA Outdoor operates the system directly from their headquarters, so changing advertisements day-to-day is a simple task. This allows IMA Outdoor to secure additional and targeted third-party advertisers. “Our existing clients love being able to day-part,” Rodkin said. “For example, the Lottery can update a game’s jackpot amount easily, without any fuss. And, we were able to show our Toronto Blue Jays spirit and support by running Jays fan messages during the playoff games. Since the NanoSlim Engage solutions have been installed we’ve received more advertising interest from automotive, luxury product and travel companies.” 

NanoLumens NanoSlim Engage 2.5MM solutions are extremely lightweight, allowing them to hang effortlessly on any architecture. The tight pixel pitch also provides a seamless image that can be seen clearly at any viewing distance or angle. 

“The displays have been a huge success with our advertising clients as well as Skywalk patrons,” Rodkin concluded. “We are also considering additional advertising signage into the SkyWalk.”

To download additional hi-res images, click here.

Tech Hygiene Innovator WHOOSH! Inc. to be Featured on Upcoming Episode of CBC Television's "Dragons' Den"

Three-year-old Toronto-based WHOOSH! Inc. (www.whooshinc.com) today announced that it has been selected to pitch its flagship product, WHOOSH! Screen Shine, on an upcoming episode of Dragons' Den, airing Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. in NFLD) on CBC Television.

“We’re thrilled to demonstrate the importance of tech hygiene on CBC’s Dragons' Den”, WHOOSH! President Jason Greenspan said today. “We hope everybody can tune in to watch!”

WHOOSH!’s appearance on Dragons' Den immediately follows the company’s spectacular performance at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they cleaned more than 10,000 mobile device screens. The company’s CES success was widely broadcasted on both CNET and BeTerrific’s live shows from the Las Vegas Convention Center. The company was also recently profiled in the February 2015 issue of Canadian Business Magazine.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of tech hygiene,” Greenspan said. “Today, our mobile devices are an extension of ourselves. What our hands touch, our phones touch.  We wash our hands every day, so why shouldn’t we clean our phones every day as well?”

Greenspan recalls the moment “WHOOSH” began like it was yesterday.  He and his partners had started out in 2011 making and selling car-detailing products. “I accidentally spilled some of the auto cleaner on my iPad, panicked, and immediately began to wipe the screen.  When I finished I couldn’t believe the result – it was like my screen was brand new again!  That’s when I knew we had our next big idea,” Greenspan said.

According to Greenspan, the company shipped over 350,000 units of WHOOSH! Screen Shine screen cleaner to more than 5,000 retail locations across North America in 2014. WHOOSH! is the only cleaner carried in all North American Apple stores, as well as in Staples Canada, Canadian Tire, Canada Computers and Shoppers Drug Mart stores. 

Leveraging the latest advancements in formula development, WHOOSH! was specifically developed to be a safe yet powerful cleaning solution that eliminates fingerprints, smudges, dirt, skin oils and makeup from any electronic device screen — leaving a clear, streak-free finish that  not only makes the screen shine like new but also resists fingerprints. WHOOSH! is non-toxic and does not contain alcohol, acids, ammonia, chlorine, petroleum distillates, phosphates or volatile organic compounds.

“Dragons' Den is offering us the ideal platform to further spread the word about WHOOSH!,” Greenspan added. “We’re thrilled to pitch WHOOSH! to the dragons and hopefully take this company to the next level.”  

Toronto Transit Commission Gains Critical Control With Massive Rear Projection Cube Videowall Installation By Advanced!

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) selected Advanced to upgrade their Control Room where they monitor Toronto’s four subway lines, 11 streetcar routes, and more than 140 bus routes each day.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), home to one of the largest Control Rooms in North America, wanted to incorporate the most dependable and innovative videowall display for monitoring Toronto’s public transportation system. To do so, they turned to Advanced, Canada’s leading AV integrator, to envision and install a large 80” Delta Displays Rear Projection LED Cube videowall system that guarantees 24/7 footage of the city’s transportation system for more than 1.6 million people daily.

“Advanced is honored to have been selected from a pool of elite Canadian integrators for this critical project,” Advanced Co-President David Weatherhead said today. “The TTC’s Control Room oversees the safety of 460 million passengers annually. Utilizing dependable technology is essential in order to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

When selecting the ideal videowall for the TTC’s Control Room, Advanced knew it had to be dependable, low-maintenance, and easily serviceable. The Delta 80” Rear Projection LED cube videowall embodies all of these factors; broken into different sections, each low-maintenance rear projection cube displays four separate camera feeds. Other cubes display the transit system and subway lines status allowing control room operators to make critical decisions.  Each cube operates independently, so that if one has an issue, the rest of the videowall remains functional.  The LED light source ensures no lamps need to be replaced over the life of the display, and since Delta is the world’s largest manufacturer of power supplies the power engine is extremely robust and durable.

“Most importantly, the videowall is easily field serviceable, as it provides rear access to the displays without affecting the image presented at the front. Therefore, we can change or repair a cube without affecting the rest of the videowall, which is extremely important in this type of operation,” Advanced Vice President Mark McPherson said today.

Switching out the TTC Control Room’s fifteen-year-old system presented several challenges for Advanced. Firstly, the videowall had to be updated in sections and matched precisely to the concave curvature of the wall, which required custom-tailored engineering. Secondly, the Delta LED rear projection cubes are smaller than the previous systems’, so each new cube had to be custom matched with two sections flanking each side.

In order to install a videowall in a 24/7 mission-critical room, Advanced provided a temporary seamless NEC LCD ultra-narrow bezel videowall during the installation process so that TTC employees could continue to monitor Toronto’s public transport system at any given time.

In addition, Advanced technicians worked through the night to avoid busy transit times, such as Toronto’s rush hour. “Our integration staff was fully briefed on the TTC Control Room’s schedule and unique requirements. All of this work was done in the wee hours of the morning,” McPherson added.

The Transit Control room oversees every vital Toronto Transit System operation. As the largest referrer to 911, Transit Control workers are responsible for maintaining order in an emergency. The room holds 98 employees, 22 per shift, working 24/7 to track the trains.

Agnico Eagle "Strikes Gold" with Stunning Prysm Collaboration Videowall Installation by Advanced!

Global mining corporation Agnico Eagle selects Advanced to design and install a complete video conferencing system and Prysm Collaboration Videowall to update their executive boardroom in downtown Toronto.

Agnico Eagle, an industry-leading global mining company, recently set out to replace their 10-year-old AV system in their Toronto executive boardroom. In doing so, they wanted to be sure to incorporate the latest, most innovative display and video conferencing technology on the market — and to do just that they turned to Advanced, Canada’s leading AV integrator, to envision, design and install integrated AV and IT solutions and a 9’ x 6’ high Prysm Collaboration Videowall.

“We are honored to have been chosen by Agnico Eagle to transform their boardroom into a stunning collaboration environment,” David Weatherhead, Co-President at Advanced, said today. “Agnico Eagle succeeds by using the most up-to-date technology on a daily basis. It only makes sense that their executive boardroom would adhere to the same standard.”

The solution envisioned by Advanced features an all-new video conferencing and control system, including a SMART 84" Interactive Flat Panel Display and SMART Meeting Pro software for video conferencing and presentations, a Crestron Wireless Touch Panel and Processor for control, as well as Sony Hi-Res camera and Apple TV system for high-definition video streaming. The main attraction, a 9’ x 6’ high Prysm Collaboration Videowall, sits in the wall at the head of the executive table.

“Agnico Eagle had toured Advanced’s display showroom, and decided on the Prysm Collaboration Videowall display to enhance office suite work, conduct presentations and host videoconferencing sessions,” Advanced General Manager of Systems Integration Omar Prashad said today. “Although Prysm is a more expensive option than LED or Plasma technology, Agnico Eagle understood the value of the investment. Prysm patented laser tiles require less maintenance in the long run. The eco-credentials and energy saving attributes really helped convince them that Prysm was the right technology.”

The Prysm Collaboration Videowall includes in a 5x4 tile configuration made up of 20 TD2 tiles, a videowall controller, interconnect cabling and a decorative skin. With a lifecycle of 5-6 years, Prysm technology is extremely energy-efficient, using less power than the common household hair drier.

What’s more, Advanced designed the Prysm Videowall so that it recesses into the wall behind it, appearing as if the digital signage is built into the building’s infrastructure! “Agnico Eagle trusted that we would do a great job designing and installing such an advanced piece of technology,” Prashad said. “The videowall truly transforms the office space.”

Agnico Eagle took flight back in 1957, when mining legend Paul Penna brought together his silver-producing interests in Cobalt, Ontario with his gold exploration activities in the Abitibi region of northwestern Quebec. The eventual merger of Agnico Mines Limited with Eagle Gold Mines formed Agnico Eagle, today one of the largest gold mining companies in the world.