Bryan, MRG always take something new and exciting to ICE – what do you have this year?
Bryan, “We’ve placed greater focus on the sports betting industry this year. There are new solutions for the display and management of screens specifically designed for sports betting, its multiple markets and how to solve the problem of showing all this information to customers with different interests and competing requirements.
“We are using 4K (UHD) screens with LiveSpace which means it is possible to display all of the day’s racing on a single screen. We also have a screen showing the form for a meeting. The customer can use a small touchscreen to select the meeting of interest and this year we have upgraded it so that detailed form for each race is now available to view. Similar information is also available on a stylish touchscreen plinth showing the DailyForm product.
“Whilst all of our solutions are managed from head office we’ve also introduced the idea that content on the screens can be changed with a tablet and/or remote control device in the shops. Head office still create and manage what is available to choose from but each location selects the market best suited to their customers.”
You have solutions for all types of signage, which parts of the industry should be talking to you?
Bryan, “When there is a large number of betting opportunities available then managing screens effectively can be complex. Anyone with multiple screens at multiple locations will know the challenges of keeping price data and price changes displayed accurately. A system can quickly become lethargic and unmanageable. Our solutions are designed to be fast, use minimum bandwidth and with a user interface that makes it easy for operators to manage their screens. Anyone wanting to display lots of information in real-time and needs to manage their screens effectively should come to speak to us.”
What advantages can MRG offer these companies?
Bryan, “We’ve developed methods to help users manage their screens more effectively. Like most screen management systems and digital signage solutions we have a powerful and comprehensive scheduling system. But we can also group or regionalise screens to display content which is more relevant. We can also assign labels to individual servers in each shop which then perform some of the logic in deciding what should be displayed based on a number of criteria, such as a preferred sport or its proximity to particular teams.
“In a different way we have developed a very neat solution that hands some of the decision making back to the shops by creating something we call ‘Localisation’. This is where a set of templates are created at head office and individual shops choose ones they know will work best in their shop.”
Finally, what do you do to relax in the evening after talking all day at ICE?
Bryan, “Oh, that’s easy, we like to try different restaurants and pubs in the area but we always make time to go out for a meal with our friends at the Press Association.”