78 percent of the European companies in the digital out-of-home media segment expect to see a positive economic development within their industry. That is the result of the Digital Business Climate Index (DBCI) that OVAB Europe, the association representing the interests of the continental digital-out-of-home industry (DooH industry) has put out.

“The DBCI is a milestone for the development of our industry. We can now document the potential of the DooH industry in Europe on the basis of actual figures. This is an important step on the way to establishing the DooH media in the media mix of the advertising industry,” explains Dirk Hülsermann, President of OVAB Europe.

During June and July of this year, the association surveyed around 200 companies from the fields of hard and software, infrastructure, services, network operation and advertising in all the key European countries and regions for the DBCI. At the moment these are the German-speaking countries, France, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux and Hungary.

The Index provides answers to two essential questions: firstly, how do the companies see their current economic situation with respect to digital signage products and services? 39 percent responded with “good”, 44 percent with “satisfactory” and 17 percent with “poor”. The second question was what the companies expect for the next six months? 78 percent of the respondents expect to see an improvement, 20 percent no change at all and 2 percent anticipate a poor development.

The resulting index figure is 43. On the scale ranging from -100 (all responses negative) to +100 (all responses positive) the Index thus lies in the moderately positive area of the scale.

The DBCI was conceived by the OVAB Europe member invidis consulting, which also conducted the survey. The next Index will be published at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2009.

About OVAB Europe:
OVAB Europe is the first independent, pan-European interest group for providers of audiovisual media and related services at the POS and POI. The association complements the already existing organisations in the digital out-of-home sector and concentrates solely on digital out-of-home media. This makes it a central point of contact and source of information for members of the industry and system providers in this field.

Munich, 25th June 2009 – The digital outdoor advertising sector in Europe is to get its own index. OVAB Europe, the association representing the digital out-of-home media sector in Europe, is currently running its first data gathering enquiry and at the same time initiating a regular market assessment of this sector, which is still quite new in Europe.

The plan is to generate the ‘European DooH Business Climate Index’ (DBCI) on a quarterly basis. In the first stage, the index enquiry will be answered by around 500 market participants in hardware, software, infrastructure, service, network operation and advertising from all the relevant European countries or regions. Countries outside the DACH
Region currently included are France, Great Britain, Italy and Russia and then Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux, Turkey and Poland.

“The DooH media have a huge potential which we are not yet able to express in specific figures to commerce and the media. The DBCI will change all that. With this index, we can
create transparency, which will help develop the sector as a whole,” explains Dirk Hülsermann, President of OVAB Europe.

In an online enquiry, all participants will evaluate two points which, taken together, will produce the index: Firstly, the current economic situation and secondly, the anticipated
development in the next six months. “This will give us valid figures without the participants having to reveal business secrets,” continues Hülsermann. The size of the sample
population per country or region will be geared to its gross domestic product.

A panel of experts independent of OVAB Europe will also ensure that all the important local companies will be included in the enquiry.

About OVAB Europe:
OVAB Europe is the first independent, pan-European forum for suppliers and service providers of audiovisual media at the POS and POI. The association complements existing organisations within the digital out-of-home industry and in this complementary role concentrates exclusively on the field of digital out-of-home media. This makes the association a meeting point and information source for all the concerns of partners in this industry and system suppliers in this field.

BroadSign International is based in Canada and sells software around the globe for digital signage networks. INFOX targets its offers for advertising media production to the tourism industry: all of the around 16,000 travel agencies in Germany and the around 300 vendors of counter advertising and consumer advertising work with INFOX in this segment.
„BroadSign International and INFOX are among the biggest players in their segment. With their expertise they will help to enhance the importance of out-of-home media in Europe as
well,“ says Dirk Hülsermann, the Chairman of the Board of  OVAB Europe and also the Director of Business Development International at Neo Advertising.

In order to enhance the importance of digital out-of-home media in Europe, OVAB Europe was founded in November of last year under Hülsermann’s leadership with the aim of
examining the technological, economic and creative potentials in the out-of-home segment. Hülsermann explains the association’s purpose as „to promote the development of
uniform standards in the industry and ensure that the Europewide dialogue between manufacturers, service providers and the advertising industry is more intensive,“

The founding members of OVAB Europe include Neo Advertising but also ECE Flatmedia, IBM Deutschland, invidis consulting, PHILIPS, NEC Display Solutions and Minicom.
OVAB Europe is supported by OVAB USA, which was founded in 2006 and currently has around 40 members.

About OVAB Europe:
OVAB Europe is the first independent Europe-wide representative of the interests of vendors and service providers for audiovisual media at POS and POI. The association is an extension of the existing organizations in the digital out-of-home media industry and concentrates exclusively on the digital out-of-home media segment in this capacity. The association is a central contact point and information source for all the interests and concerns of industry partners and system providers in this segment.

OVAB Europe is the central point of contact and information source, as a single issue supplement to the existing digital out-of -home industry, for all concerns of industry partners and
system providers in this industry. The stated goal of the association is to show case the technological, commercial and creative potent ial of the out-of – home segment and to establish uniform industry standards while strengthening the European centric dialogue between manufacturers, service providers and the advertising industry. By actively exchanging ideas and experiences, the partnership betw een OVAB Europe and OVAB USA greatly contributes to this endeavor.

By working together, the grow th market of the digital out-of – home segment shall be better posit ioned in the future w ithin the discussion of marketing and distribut ion solut ions. This
will also promote exchanges of information regarding the attributes of various European markets. Here the pr imary focus is to determine the benef it and potential of a distribution
channel for the digital out-of -home industry as part of the integrated multi-channel strategies.

The goal is to improve the signif icance of the digital media at POS and POI in communication and to ensure that the new medium has a f irm place w ithin the marketing mix. The bureau arose out of the need for representation of European centric interests, something that had not existed beforehand. We have enlisted the follow ing well-known companies as founding members of the bureau:

• Neo Advertising
• Invidis Consulting
• ECE Flatmedia
• IBM Deutschland
• PHILIPS
• NEC Display Solut ions
• Minicom Advanced Systems Ltd.

Address:
OVAB Europe e.V. i.G.
i.Hs. Neo Advertising
Ferdinandstrasse 2
D-20095 Hamburg
Tel.: 040/3038415-0
Fax: 040/3038415-20

For press inquiries contact:
Oliv er Schwede
inv idis consulting GmbH
Rosenheimer Str. 145e
81671 München
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 2000 416 13
Fax: +49 (0) 89 40 26 92 29
Email: oliver.schwede@inv idisconsulting.de

The Board of OVAB Europe consists of Dirk Hülsermann (Chairman or President), Ronni Guggenheim (Vice Chairman) and Richard Malley (Treasurer).
With Dirk Hülsermann, we have a f irst-rate expert in the industry as founding president. Hülsermann worked in several management functions w ithin multinational
companies such as Kyocera and Mitsui Europe, among others. He established himself as an expert in the advertising and media industry. Against this backdrop, the internat ionally
active media company Neo Advertising w as able to acquire him in 2008 as Director Business Development. In his capacity there, Hülsermann is pushing the rapid growth of the
Swiss Neo Media Group and focusing the company in its quest to become the leading provider in the Digital Signage segment.

Hülsermann: “Today marks an important date in the still short history of the digital out-of home industry in Europe. The market for digital exterior advertising is grow ing fast in
Western Europe, an average of 32 percent yearly (CAGR). This means net advertising sales w ith digital exterior advertising w ill quadruple by 2012 – f rom 158 Million Euros (2007) to 626 Million Euros in 2012*. With OVAB Europe, an industry w ith such a tremendous future in f ront of it now receives the representation it deserves by the entire industry.
I am very proud that w e were able to assemble such an impressive group of companies in the digital out-of -home industry for the founding of the association. I am thankful for
the conf idence expressed in me – it brings me enormous pride – by the founding members in selecting me as founding president. I w ill carry out my duties in the interest of the digital
out-of -home industry w ith the utmost enthusiasm and determination“

About Ronni Guggenheim:
Ronni Guggenheim is highly experienced in Digital Signage and is now a member of the Board of OVAB Europe. In his capacity as president of Minicom Europe, a pioneer in the Digital Signage industry and leading manufacturer of Last Mile Solutions for Digital Signage, Ronni is at the forefront of this ever-growing market and he has actively moved the industry forward. He has a wealth of contacts in his management function and is closely connected to all areas and important companies and will capitalize on these connections in his capacity as a member of the Board.

About Richard Malley:
Richard Malley was previously Managing Director of the YOC AG in Berlin. Since its founding, he was responsible for the strategic development of the company and for national and international distribution. Before that he worked at CIAO.COM AG in Munich in its International Business Development/Distribution group. After completing his studies for his BA in international business/marketing in New York and Brussels, he worked at Kynast AG in New York and subsequently at Emmerson Communications AG in Frankfurt/Main. Richard Malley is responsible at flatmedia for the distribution and strategic business development.

More information about the association can be found at www.ovab.eu

*Source:

http://www.goldmedia.com/uploads/media/Pressemeldung_Digital_Signage_in_Europe.pdf