DailyDOOH

Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (NYSE MKT:BTN) acquired Convergent Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, Convergent Media Systems back in October 2013 and whilst heads (allegedly) rolled in February 2014 that seems to have been far from the end of their troubles.

With many shareholders displeased with the company’s financial results, we’ve seen a battle for the board of directors and Ballantyne CEO Gary Cavey‘s job in the balance..

In March Fundamental Global Investors, LLC, the beneficial holder of approximately 14.7% of the shares of Ballantyne Strong, Inc. initiated a proxy contest to elect a new Board of Directors at Ballantyne’s 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (typically held in May of each year).

Last week, they withdrew the proxy contest after coming to some form of settlement, D. Kyle Cerminara, Chief Executive Officer of Fundamental Global Investors. said “We look forward to working with Ballantyne Strong’s management team, Sam Freitag and the newly formed Board to improve returns for shareholders. We believe there is a significant opportunity to improve Ballantyne Strong’s financial performance while strengthening capital allocation decisions, corporate governance and shareholder relations. There is tremendous value to be unlocked at Ballantyne Strong, in our opinion, and we will look to instill a sense of urgency to create value for shareholders.”

Samuel C. Freitag, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ballantyne Strong offered up “The Board is pleased to announce this settlement with Fundamental Global Investors and is confident that the changes we are making will serve the best interests of our shareholders. We believe the new composition of the Board of Directors is a strong collection of highly experienced and accomplished executives with diverse skill sets that will provide energetic and active leadership as we work to enhance long-term shareholder value.”

Key terms of the settlement are: –

The Board of Directors will be expanded from seven members to nine members.

Five of the members of the Board of Directors will come from FGI’s slate of proposed directors: D. Kyle Cerminara, William J. Gerber, Charles T. Lanktree, Robert J. Marino, and Robert J. Roschman.

Four of the members of the Board of Directors will come from incumbent directors of Ballantyne Strong: Samuel C. Freitag, James C. Shay, Marc E. LeBaron, and Gary L. Cavey.

At least two of the incumbent directors will serve on all committees of the Board of Directors for two years.

FGI and certain of its affiliates and associates agree not to acquire, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of more than 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Ballantyne Strong for two years.

The Company will amend its Shareholder Rights Plan to expire within five business days after the date hereof without any consideration being paid to the holders of the rights thereunder.

The combined slate of nine directors will stand for election at the Company’s 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 13, 2015.

Anne Taylor, who has served The National Federation of the Blind as its director of access technology for over 10 years, will join Microsoft as program manager in the trusted experience team as of May 26.

“The National Federation for the Blind’s expertise and feedback have been and will continue to be invaluable to me in understanding accessibility from both the technical and end user perspectives,” says Taylor. “I look forward to the challenge of using this knowledge to make Microsoft’s products the industry leaders in nonvisual accessibility.”

Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind, says. “Anne Taylor has transformed the desire of blind people to participate equally in technology development into meaningful action that has advanced accessibility. I am confident that her skill, passion, and deep connection to blind people all over the country will make a tremendous difference in moving Microsoft to a high standard of built-in accessibility across all of its products and services.”

Today is the LAST day to pre-register for #AmplifyOOH – the 2015 OAAA/TAB National Convention and Trade Show, May 11-13, 2015 in San Diego.

Michael Cooper, president of Rapport Worldwide, and Jeremy Male, chairman and CEO, Outfront Media, will be co-chairs of the convention.

Keynote speaker is Malcolm Gladwell, noted business author of the New York Times bestsellers The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants. Staff writer for the New Yorker, he has been named one of the 100 Most Influential People by TIME magazine and one of Foreign Policy’s Top Global Thinkers.

And if Gladwell isn’t enough to draw your attention, take a look at the featured speaker list: Mike Allen, chief White House correspondent for Politico; Mark Boidman, managing director, Peter J. Solomon and responsible for the firm’s digital media, marketing services, mobile and OOH media practices; Andrew Lippman, MIT Media Lab where he currently heads the Lab’s Viral Communications research group; Lee Nadler, marketing communications manager, MINI USA, where he oversees the work of three agencies and is responsible for advertising creative and media, MINIUSA.com, digital/video marketing, social channels, partnerships, gorilla/stunts, multicultural marketing and research; and Mike Sukle, founder and creative director, Sukle Advertising.

Following the usual pattern of Outdoor Advertising Association of America and the Traffic Audit Bureau alternating the program planning, the OAAA is compiling the 2015 program. However, with Nancy Fletcher both as president of the OAAA and temporary head of TAB following the end-of-year retirement of Joe Philport, TAB CEO, you can see that she has been very busy putting together a solid program that will interest both organizations. As usual, workshops on specific topics are included as a key part of the convention program.

The Convention and Trade Show, which draws thousands of delegates, will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego.

OTG Management LLC has deployed NCR SelfServ 90 self-checkout solutions at its restaurant and retail locations within LaGuardia Airport in New York City.

Additional deployments within LaGuardia, as well as in Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are planned for later this year.

OTG, recognized in the travel industry for its customer focus and groundbreaking innovation, is transforming airport environments with a focus on dining, design, technology and ease of interaction for airport travelers.

The rollout will support OTG’s efforts to improve the travelers’ experience as the NCR solution can be used as a free-standing self-checkout kiosk, installed on a countertop or even mounted on a wall and is ideal for ‘grab-and-go’ shopping.

The NCR SelfServ 90 is perfect for airport retailers with many shoppers. Several factors led to OTG’s adoption of the solution, including software integration, ease of use and value. When searching for a modern system, OTG looked for one that could adapt to its environment. OTG’s key purpose was to reduce queues and to make it as seamless a process as possible during peak hours for passengers purchasing just a few items.

“NCR’s consumer transaction technologies enable us to offer our customers more control over their experience,” says Rick Blatstein, OTG CEO. “We continue to introduce technologies that our customers are familiar with, such as self-checkout and mobile payment options like Apple Pay, which allow our crew members to spend more time on hospitality.”

In addition to improving the shopping experience, OTG also selected the NCR solution because of its user-friendly interface. This makes it easy for travelers to use the solution with minimal or no instruction which enables the platform to deliver instant value to OTG.

“Travelers have embraced the NCR SelfServ 90 solution because of its ability to speed up checkout time,” says Albert Lee, OTG chief technology officer. “While some technology is complicated and tedious to deploy, NCR has worked with us from day one to ensure we gain instant, maximum value from our investment.”

In a recent study of consumers in nine countries, 90% revealed they use self-checkout technology. When asked what they liked about self-checkout, consumer’s top three responses were convenience (42%), ease of use (40%) and the speed of checkout technology in comparison to the cashier assisted line (39%).

“Consumers are increasingly influenced by a great shopping experience, and this is especially important in an airport where time is especially precious,” says Dennis Davidson, vice-president of travel, NCR Corporation. ”NCR has enabled OTG to deliver an innovative shopping experience that will serve travelers well for years to come.”

OTG elevates the airport experience with enhanced dining, design and technology in more than 300 restaurants and retail concepts in 11 airports across North America.

Brendon Cook, Chief Executive Office of oOh!media Australia New Zealand, has been appointed International Vice President of FEPE – the Global Out Of Home (OOH) industry body.

With over 35 years’ experience in OOH advertising, Brendon Cook has been at the forefront of the OOH advertising business in Australia and New Zealand, creating a multi-award winning company and being actively involved in pioneering the industry’s move into digital. He is the first Australian or New Zealander to be afforded such a prestigious position.

Mr Cook told us “I am proud to be a part of the Board and to be the first Vice-President from Australia and New Zealand in the 50 year history of FEPE International. This is a true indication that the ANZ outdoor advertising industry is on an international level playing field with fellow outdoor advertising companies globally that are synonymous with embracing cutting edge technology and enabling brands to maximise engagement with Out Of Home’s growing audiences,”

Under Brendon’s leadership, oOh! has seen nine years of consecutive revenue growth through strategic acquisitions, organic growth, and the development and introduction of several new environments to capitalise on the growth in digital and people’s increasing habits away from home. Being appointed as Vice President of FEPE is a direct reflection of how Brendon has lead oOh! to evolve into the leading OOH business in Australia and New Zealand.

FEPE (the Federation European Publicite Exterieur), headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, was founded in Paris in 1959 by Jacques Dauphin, the French pioneer of outdoor advertising.

Brendon’s appointment as Vice President of FEPE will be ratified at the annual General assembly to be held in Budapest in June.

Strengthening its senior management team during a time of unprecedented growth in both its sales and organizational structure, NanoLumens, Atlanta, George-based manufacturer and marketer of visualization solutions, has appointed Cathy Steiner to the position of chief financial officer, reporting directly to NanoLumens CEO Rick Cope.

Steiner joined NanoLumens a month ago from them the position of CFO at AcuityAds, Toronto.

“The NanoLumens senior management team is comprised of leaders who bring together a wide array of skills and experience in a customer-focused culture that is dedicated to excellence,” says Cope. “Steiner’s talents, skills, and track-record of success make her an ideal addition to this team. She has deep expertise working with rapidly growing knowledge-based businesses and has core strengths in financial reporting and analysis, corporate finance, strategic transactions, financial and corporate communications / IR, and corporate development.”

Steiner has more than 20 years of experience working with growth companies as a CFO, investment banker, financial and capital markets advisor, and management consultant. She has developed and implemented key financial transactions, growth strategies, and capital markets activities, and has managed teams and grown businesses, contributing meaningfully to revenue.

Prior to AcuityAds, Steiner was managing director for Nucleus GC, a boutique advisory firm working with healthcare and life sciences companies. Earlier leadership positions include heading up Healthcare Investment Banking for CIBC World Markets and Yorkton Securities.

Eric Kip has been appointed as Managing Director for Exterion Media Netherlands. Eric is currently CEO at Blyk and will join Exterion Media on May 1, 2015

Shaun Gregory, CEO at Exterion Media told us “I’m thrilled that we’ve attracted someone with Eric’s credentials. His background spans both the buy and sell side of the advertising industry and he has worked with a range of major blue chip advertisers, both in the Netherlands and globally. His experience across multiple platforms, and more recently mobile, will provide us with some invaluable experience as we continue to transform the company into a consumer engagement business.

Our industry is going through huge change, and the transformation journey we’re on requires a new type of leadership. Eric has consistently demonstrated that he has what it takes, can adapt in complex situations and understands how to truly scale a business. Exterion Media Netherlands is cementing its position as market leader, significantly strengthened by the Hague tender, and we need to continue to drive this. Eric’s agency experience, coupled with his knowledge of the market, will help provide the foundations we need to take business to the next level.”

Over the last 25 years Eric has held a number of senior marketing positions on both the client and agency side. As Marketing Director of Coca Cola, Eric contributed to the strong growth of the company’s brand portfolio. Moreover on the agency side, he improved the operational performance of Initiative and MediaCom, and was responsible for a range of clients across the Netherlands and EMEA. Eric is currently CEO of Blyk, an international mobile marketing company, where he has contributed to the growth and success of business’ new global strategy.

As we discovered during #InfoComm11, #InfoComm13 and #2014SignExpo it was much, much cheaper to hire a villa for the entire DailyDOOH team than hotel rooms for all and so it is once again that said housing gets usage during #InfoComm15.

We are 16 miles outside of Orlando, just south of the Orange Convention Centre.

The NEC Showcase has become the UK’s biggest AV and Digital Signage event of the year. Last year the event morphed into a fantastic two day event. There is certainly plenty of new and interesting things to see this year, for example…

Pro Display has been chosen by NEC to provide four different display technologies for the Showcase, including its new SunScreen and Digital Glass optical projection surfaces.

The venue, London’s stylish wine-themed Vinopolis , will be transformed into a gallery of cutting edge installations. Visitors will see the latest display technologies integrated into familiar environments such as a retail bank, a shop window and a fashion cat walk. But to really stretch imaginations, there will be some uniquely creative environments such as ‘The Cube’ and a digital Victorian classroom.

Pro Display’s screen technologies will help to bring the different zones of the NEC Showcase to life:

• SunScreen An 80″ sun-readable front projection screen that must be seen to be believed. A unique light-rejecting optical filter is layered over a high definition reflective projection surface, delivering outstanding contrast and colour even in direct sunlight. Even with spotlights positioned directly over the screen, they cannot wash out SunScreen’s performance.
• Interactive Digital Glass An 80″ toughened glass rear projection screen teamed with our intouch infrared multi-touch frames. Digital Glass takes large format interactive displays to a whole new level, with single screen sizes available up to 6m x 2.4m and 10-point multi-touch technology. Our own Screen Gallery in Leeds has a 100″ interactive Digital Glass screen projected by an NEC UM330W UST model, delivering outstanding results.
• Pro Diffusion ST A 3m x 2m special hand-cast acrylic optical screen for ultra-short throw rear projection, delivering even, rich high definition images without drop off or hot-spotting. This Pro Diffusion ST screen will be used as a projected ceiling in ‘The Cube’, a show-stopping installation at the NEC Showcase – so, eyes up!
• Mirrorvision A 70″ highly-reflective mirror glass surface that cleverly hides an HD LCD screen. When the screen is turned off the surface looks like a normal mirror; switch on and the image appears as if by magic through the looking glass… Available in Smoke or Silver finishes, Mirrorvision adds style and intrigue to retail, offices, hotels and more.

Ben Kershaw, Sales Manager at Pro Display, told me “High definition displays and interactive touch screens have made their way rapidly into our everyday lives. They’re on the high street, in our homes, in offices and schools, and are no longer the preserve of specialist installations.”

“The NEC Showcase presents a thought-provoking vision of where these exciting trends for visual and interactive displays will take us in the future. And of course, we’re very pleased to be working alongside NEC again, and playing an important part in the show.”

The NEC Showcase is a unique platform for ‘best in class’ innovations, and takes place on May 21-22, 2015 at Vinopolis during London Digital Signage Week.

Peerless-AV announced this week that its 42″, 47″ and 55″ Xtreme Outdoor Displays for professional applications are now shipping in EMEA and will be available through distribution and reseller partners from the end of April.

Already widely installed throughout North America, Xtreme Outdoor Displays all have CE approval and claim the highest level of environmental protection in the industry. Fully-sealed and without seams, they can operate even when fully immersed in water, are highly impact resistant and offer optimum readability in direct sunlight.

Read the rest of this entry »