They say in London that you’re never more than 6ft away from a rat. The same might be said of Daktronics - they’re a company that millions of Londoners interact with each and every day even if they don’t know about.
As a market leader in electronic scoreboards and LED screens for outdoor, digital advertising, Daktronics systems are installed in a number of high-profile locations across the capital, including Wembley, Twickenham and Westfield shopping centre. They are also a trusted supplier to roadside media company JCDecaux.
Whilst a track record of installations at sports, leisure and entertainment venues across the capital would stand out as crowning achievements for any business, trumping them all is a true London icon, Piccadilly Circus.
One of the driving forces behind the project, Managing Director Patrick Halliwell, who joined Daktronics’ UK forbear, European Timing Systems, as a partner in Sept 1998, before becoming Technical Director in 2004 reflected on their success:
“Piccadilly Lights required a refresh. The format and the displays were tired, reducing the impact and therefore the value of the advertising on the site. They needed to rejuvenate the site to bring back a fresh feel.
“We advised them on the best solution for the site. Which was to remove the 6 separate displays currently used for advertising brands and replace with whole continuous display, capable of displaying a 4k image. It is about the content now, and a high-quality display will have capability like no other display in the world.
“It’s a very high-profile location and the customer felt they had to minimize the risk when choosing a solution and manufacturer. The disruption in Piccadilly Circus would be great and they could only do this once!
“They had to choose a product and partner that could deliver the right product in the timeline required.”
A reputation for reliability makes Daktronics the provider of choice for many mission critical installations such as the MoD’s HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carriers - the latter of which was recently affiliated with the City of Bristol, something that fills Patrick with pride:
“Bristol has been my home and the base of my business for many years. This is a city that has given me much and it’s great that to have been part of such an historic project affiliated with the city.”
As Chamber members since 2011, Patrick described how “the Chamber has acted like an extension of our business” since day one.
“We were an importer of goods, and the import and exports team gave us great confidence in the advice they gave us. As our reach over Europe has increased we have worked further with this team to understand the best practices and to assist with our importing and exporting paperwork.
“I would recommend joining the Chambers irrespective of your business size.”
Company: Daktronics
Location: B18 Kestrel Court, Waterwells Drive, Quedgeley, Gloucester, GL2 2AT
What we do: From LED video displays in shopping malls and sports venues to digital out-of-home billboards, Daktronics has installed tens of thousands of electronic scoreboards and digital display systems throughout the world.
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