Touchscreens rental

What a touchscreen adds to your event

A touchscreen is a display you operate with your fingers, without a mouse or keyboard. That direct way of working fundamentally changes the role of the image at an event. Instead of a screen the audience only looks at, it becomes a medium people engage with themselves: they browse information, draw, choose, fill things in or join in. That engagement is exactly what makes a touchscreen so valuable at moments when you want to encourage interaction.

The technology behind touch control has matured. Modern touchscreens respond accurately and smoothly, recognise several touch points at once and feel like a large tablet. That makes the controls intuitive: visitors do not need to be shown how it works, they understand straight away that they can touch the screen. It is precisely that self-evidence that gets people over the threshold and gives them the confidence to actively engage with your content.

Uses and situations

The uses of a touchscreen are broad. In a business setting a large touchscreen replaces the classic flip chart or whiteboard during a workshop or brainstorm. Participants write, move and save notes digitally, and at the end you save everything instead of taking photos of a scribbled-over board. That makes sessions more productive and the outcome more usable.

At an exhibition stand or in an exhibition space, a touchscreen works as a crowd-puller. Visitors who can discover something themselves stay longer at your stand and remember your message better. Think of an interactive product catalogue, a configuration tool, a quiz with a prize or a floor plan people navigate themselves. The interaction also gives you the chance to collect data or generate leads in a way that does not feel pushy.

Suitable events

At corporate events and internal sessions we use touchscreens for workshops, voting rounds and collaboration. At a product launch interactive screens let visitors explore and configure a product up close. And at presentations and conferences speakers sometimes use a touchscreen as a digital flip chart to make live notes everyone can follow.

The technology: setup and control

A touchscreen calls for a well-thought-out setup, because the ergonomics determine how comfortable it is for people to work with. The height is crucial here. A screen that hangs too high is tiring to operate for long; a screen that sits too low does not invite use. We place the touchscreen on a stand, a mobile base or a frame and set the height to suit the average user and the way the screen is used, standing or seated.

The software is at least as important as the screen itself. A touchscreen is only valuable if the application on it runs smoothly and without errors. We link the screen to a laptop or media player, or use the built-in operating system, depending on your application. Beforehand and on site we test your content thoroughly: does every button respond, do the pages load quickly, and does the control stay stable when several people engage at once.

Reliability during a long day

A touchscreen that runs for a whole exhibition day has to stay reliable. We watch the heat dissipation, make sure the application recovers itself if something freezes, and keep an eye on it where needed. For busy stands we often set the software so the screen automatically returns to a home screen, so each new visitor starts from the same point without a staff member having to step in.

Considerations with touchscreens

There are a few things that make the difference between a touchscreen that works and one that frustrates. It starts with the content: an application made for mouse and keyboard rarely works well on a touchscreen. Buttons must be large enough to hit with a finger, and the navigation must feel logical. We are happy to think along early about the design of your application, so the interaction feels natural.

The lighting situation deserves attention too. A glossy touchscreen can suffer from reflections in bright light, which hampers legibility and control. We choose the placement so that direct light and reflections are avoided as much as possible, and where needed we select a screen with enough brightness to stand up to the ambient light.

Finally, hygiene is a practical point with heavily used screens. On a busy exhibition day hundreds of fingers touch the same surface. We make sure the screen stays clean and presentable and can, on request, arrange for it to be cleaned regularly. Responsiveness also deserves ongoing attention: a screen that responds slowly to touch immediately feels cheap and puts visitors off. That is why we choose screens that respond quickly and accurately and check that response speed during the test, so every touch has an immediate effect and the control keeps feeling natural.

Combining and renting at HuurAV

A touchscreen rarely stands on its own. At a stand or during an event you often combine it with atmospheric lighting that draws attention to the screen and with clear sound when video or audio belongs with the application. Within our complete range in the field of video we match the touchscreen to the other image provisions, so everything forms a whole.

HuurAV takes care of the advice on size and software, the build, a test with your own application and operation on site, so the interaction stays reliable all day. If you want the equipment only, without support, standalone rental is available through Speaker Verhuur Amsterdam at SpeakerVerhuur.nl. Request a no-obligation quote and we will think along about the best interactive setup for your event.