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Digital signage passports take 'Texas on Tour'

Interactive digital signage kiosks took festival-goers in a dozen states on a tour of the Lone Star State in Texas on Tour.

October 17, 2014 by Christopher Hall — w, t

Looking to promote tourism in the Lone Star State, interactive media and digital signage took Texas on the road.

The state tourism agency, Texas Tourism, rolled out a traveling interactive digital signage and experiential media show to visit 13 fairs and festivals in a dozen states across the U.S. earlier this year.

This was the eighth annual Texas on Tour roadshow, and the second year for out-of-home media specialists Pearl Media to execute the interactive aspects of the tour, working with Slingshot, Texas Tourism's agency of record, and event company RedPeg. According to Pearl Media, this year upgraded interactive game kiosks offered a personalized experience that showcased a range of "unexpected" vacation experiences in Texas.

Here's how the Texas on Tour website described the experience:

Explore Texas in your own backyard. Texas on Tour is coming to a city near you! Join us for an interactive excursion where you can virtually train a dolphin, go rock climbing, jet ski along the coast, go on a cattle drive and experience the best in Texas music, as well as discover even more great things that make Texas like a whole other country. Plus, you can enter for a chance to win a trip to Texas. We hope to see you at one of the events listed below — then here in Texas for your next vacation soon!

The Pearl Media team designed and built seven custom kiosk installations styled to look like passports, each housing an 80-inch and a 55-inch HD digital signage screen. The "passports" created five unique, immersive, interactive games spanning Texas adventures and attractions from music to beaches to ranches and rodeos to outdoor adventure.

"With an updated exhibit that provides interactive gaming experiences and gives visitors and potential travelers a glimpse of the many unique vacation options the Lone Star State offers, we are excited to showcase the latest version of Texas on Tour," Texas Tourism Director Brad Smyth said in a press release from Pearl Media.

According to Pearl Media CEO Josh Cohen, "Being back for our second year with Texas on Tour has given us the opportunity to optimize consumer engagement by updating the experiences using new technology."

The interactive digital signage capabilities of this year's tour brought something special to the tour, Tim Fennell, tourism deputy director, Office of the Governor Economic Development and Tourism, told Digital Signage Today in an email.

"The interactive elements of Texas on Tour bring an authentic Texas experience to consumers so they get a taste of the state and really connect with the brand on an emotional level," he said. "Experiential marketing goes beyond traditional advertising and gets into the hearts and minds of the consumer encouraging future travel to the state."

Visitors also had the chance to see Texas musicians perform on a live music stage, "truly immersing them in the sounds of Texas," Fennell said, and additional engagement opportunities included interactive activities such as a jukebox trivia game featuring historic Texas venues and "the vast variety of music genres available to discover in the Lone Star State."

The tour also engaged visitors by letting them take pictures in front of their favorite Texas destinations and entering them in the Texas on Tour Sweepstakes to win their own trip to Texas, he said.

And the response from people coming into the Texas on Tour experiential pavilion was strong in all 13 markets the tour visited from June through October, Fennell said.

"Visitors across the board … responded favorably to the interactive elements of the exhibit, with potential travelers of all ages joining in on the fun," he said. "Texas on Tour engaged with potential visitors by allowing them to virtually travel to Texas and explore the state through adventures such as a virtual rock climbing and jet skiing. The virtual rock climbing allowed guests to reach new heights while learning about the beautiful outdoor experiences Texas has to offer, while virtual jet skiing let visitors explore 300 miles of Texas beaches."

Watch a video of the digital signage kiosks in action at Texas on Tour, below:

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