How the Global FoodBanking Network Used Event Digital Signage to Support Attendees and Reduce Support Staff Needed

How ScreenCloud helped The Global FoodBanking Network to use screens during their event to support attendees, increase branding and raise awareness of charity initiatives.

The Global FoodBanking Network is a non-profit organization that aims to alleviate hunger, by developing food banks in communities where they are needed and by supporting food banks where they exist. The Food Bank Leadership Institute (FBLI) is their annual event for 200 food bankers from more than 50 countries, held in London over three days in March.

Initial digital signage aims:

• To use digital screens in place of traditional static signage and roller stands, to reduce cost and waste
• To be able to share daily agendas with attendees, and make last minute changes easily
• The ability to promote the event and raise awareness of the Global FoodBanking Network's purpose to attendees

Here, we speak to Anthony Kitchen, Director of Network Programs for The Global FoodBanking Network, on his experience using ScreenCloud digital signage.

Digital signage journey

We'd never used screens at our annual events before, we'd always used pull up stands and other printed materials. During our events we have a lot of moving parts, 200 delegates to move around, events happening in different spaces around the hotel and so it's been a combination of reasons to employ digital signage. Partly informational, so that the people attending the event can easily see where they need to be and when, and partly promoting our own brand. Making sure everyone can see our logo visibly and making it clear where the event is being held, which you don't always get the opportunity to do when you're in a hotel.

Digital signage used

We used three screens that the venue already owned, with Amazon Fire TV Sticks to power the screens, using the hotel WiFi. Despite having all of our attendees on the same WiFi network, this didn't affect the screens at all and everything ran smoothly during the event.

Results using ScreenCloud

The screens have been extremely effective we've utilised a number of the different apps available within ScreenCloud. The informational side has been very helpful and it's reduced the number of questions that our staff usually take while we're running around trying to organise things. The thing that's been most popular amongst the attendees has been the real time social media walls. Our attendees are very active, particularly on Twitter and having the screens during the coffee breaks revolving through the different tweets engages further dialogue and social media action and it's all part of building further awareness for the event.

We will absolutely use ScreenCloud again, certainly for events like this. You put the work in up front, rather than having to do it during the event when you've got a million other things to do. The scheduling works really well and you can let it play, it's one less thing to worry about. We've also now stumbled across other use cases, we're going to use it on the conference screens and in the lobby of our offices, to impress visitors coming in and for our own internal communications.