The new two-day format worked as this year's NEC Solutions Showcase had more than 1500 unique, an impressive 35% increase on last year's attendance.

Nearly half were end users who wanted to see end-to-end solutions and understand how these solutions might be applied to their specific needs.

"We have enjoyed an extremely successful 6th Showcase with very positive feedback from our partners who help make this such a unique event" says Simon Jackson, VP NEC Display Solutions. "The decision to extend to two days was certainly the right one when we consider the increase in attendees, it was always busy but not overcrowded. Other events running in parallel for the inaugural London Digital Signage Week were also well attended and we are delighted that Showcase has become the foundation to instil new developments, innovations and partnerships - driving the industry to yet greater achievement."

Time for the annual report: are we making any money?

In the latest annual report for ZetaDisplay, CEO Leif Liljebrunn reports that during the most recent 5-year period ZetaDisplay has more than doubled its turnover.

"We are seeing continued strong growth in the market. Digital communication is now a natural aspect of the new retail concept that the sector is developing for the future. The goal is growth, and during 2013 the company achieved a turnover of MSEK 60.9 (52.8), an increase of 17%," writes Leif Liljebrunn in the CEO's comments.

"The gross margin was lower than in the previous year, ending up at 52.5% versus 55.2%. The main reason for this was that the digital systems share was relatively high in the first quarter. During the year we have chosen to invest in new markets in the Baltic and Benelux, and we have also dedicated new sales resources to international clients in Europe. This has loaded the profits by about MSEK 2 and to some extent the margin too, as we have been aggressive in finding key clients in new markets."

Messe Düsseldorf's north entrance hall now features “the world's largest free-standing video wall totem” with a height of almost seven metres. The digital installation replaces printed posters that once hung in the same place.

The fairgrounds turned to an industrial computer integrator with a digital signage division (InoNet Computer GmbH) for design and construction of the video wall which consists of 24 NEC 46'' screens.

The structural integrity of the wall presented quite a challenge: at a height of 6.80m, the stability of the construction is critical. Proper ventilation also came under careful consideration to keep the screens from overheating under constant operation. Driving the installation is a single InoNet Magnius video wall controller, which can daisy chain up to 144 screens.

Since its launch in 2000, the International Scala Conference has grown to become the biggest Scala event for partners. This year's edition takes place on May 14th-15th in London (Olympic Parc)!

Speakers will include:

• Steen Mertz, Director Communications and Technology, Jyske Bank
• Christian Lie, Senior Advisor Digital Signage, Design Express, DNB
• Alex Hughes, Director, Amigo
• James Fine,President, Telecine
• Nikk Smith, Technical Director, Pixel Inspiration
• Adrian Exton, Director, Blue Sight Sytems Ltd.
• Peter Critchley, Managing Director, Beaver Group
• Tom Nix, Peter Cherna, Stefan Menger, Amy Wilson of Scala

Time for the 6th Annual NEC Solutions Showcase when NEC and partners present end-to-end solutions in real-life scenarios to educate as well as to inspire.

For 2014, more than 50 solutions partners will demonstrate more than 80 solutions within 9 vertical zones – tailored solutions which address the specific needs of users.

Held in London (The Velodrome, Lee Valley VeloPark, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford) on May 14-15, NEC Display Solutions gives a few examples of what this event can offer you:

Ian Morris, Key Systems Global Client Service Director (46), passed away on Sunday 23rd March 2014 at 10:20 am, of a heart attack. His sudden death occurred while he was cycling with a group of friends.

Ian started working at Key Systems in 1989 as a computer programmer after graduating in Computer Science at Southampton University. Passionate about his work, he demonstrated great skills in client relations too.

Mike Dillon, CEO and Key Systems founder says, “It quickly became clear that Ian’s forte lay not in programming but in establishing client relationships and he therefore moved into sales and client services. He became a Director and shareholder in Key Systems and played a major role in the expansion of Key Systems into the North American market in 1995 and into the Asia pacific market in 2004.”

Dillon adds, “Ian represented Key Systems at trade shows and conferences, always ready to talk and listen to clients and colleagues and entertain them with tales of his experiences which he recounted as ‘funny moments’. He was always optimistic and willing to help and his generosity was well known. He will be terribly missed.”

As a young man, Ian played water polo and continued his interest in the sport by swimming a mile each morning. He formed a cycling group and rode each weekend, as well as taking part in OOH charity bike rides. He was also a wine connoisseur and particularly enjoyed a glass of red wine. Friends and colleagues in the industry would remember hearing the shout ‘anyone for a sneaky red?’

Ian was devoted to his wife Sharon and two daughters Jodie and Sophie.

His funeral will take place at 11:00am on Thursday 10th April at the Sutton Coldfield Crematorium (Tamworth Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B75 6LG).

Please consider donating to the British Heart Foundation at www.JustGiving.com/IanMorris2014

Extron introduces LinkLicense, a simple way for people to use their tablet or laptop as the primary control interface in an Extron control system.

LinkLicense is designed to give integrators the freedom to choose control interfaces based on their customers’ specific needs, and give users a much broader choice of control interfaces. All Extron IPCP Pro control processors may be purchased with or without a LinkLicense.

"The BYOD – Bring Your Own Device trend continues to grow, and Extron has found a way of helping integrators easily add this flexibility to any Extron control system with an IPCP Pro control processor," says Casey Hall, VP Sales and Marketing for Extron. "LinkLicense simplifies deployment and implementation of BYOD system designs by streamlining the purchasing process for this technology, and standardizing a consistent BYOD approach across an organization."

Europe's Barco will buy Montreal-based X2O Media for US$18.6m or about 4X the Canadian company's 2013 revenue.

X2O Media will now be integrated in the Barco organization to fit in with Barco’s strategy to move beyond display and projection technology.  

This acquisition gives Barco a comprehensive solution to deliver enhanced and cross-divisional content distribution and workflow, based on advanced networking and connectivity capabilities.

Established in 2006 as a spin-off from VertigoXmedia, X2O Media benefited from its expertise in broadcast graphics automation. X2O developed an HTML5-based platform that delivers real-time content through dynamic and interactive channels, from any source to any screen, anywhere — including digital signage.