Orbit Group

Key Benefits

1. A reliable sign needing little to no maintenance, with a 10-year lifespan on average
2. Greater community engagement and involvement
3. A feature-rich sign software that allows for a wide range of content

Background

Cat Alley is a pedestrian-only alley that connects parking to downtown Manchester, NH –lovingly nicknamed after the feral cats that once roamed there. Previous owners of the building block reinforced the street's nickname by allowing artists to paint cat-themed murals along the walls. When Liz and Jeremy Hitchcock of Orbit Group purchased the building that runs alongside Cat Alley, they recognized that they had a rare opportunity. From revitalizing the aging murals to putting in new installations, they planned to use Cat Alley to help grow the under-promoted arts scene.

Challenge 

Right from the start, the Orbit Group ran into challenges with their original LED sign. Since the sign was for the community and the promotion of free events, keeping costs down was a priority.

After doing research online, they found low-cost LED panels that they could import from China. The team's vision for a digital sign, though, quickly hit a roadblock. After less than a month, panels started to freeze on a single color. Within two months, so many pixels had frozen on their LED sign that the sign permanently showed a rainbow of random colors and was impossible to read. Troubleshooting themselves, the team replaced the broken panels and added a weatherproof coating to their digital sign. While this slowed the problems, the LED panels still deteriorated quickly. Within four months, all four panels had become completely unusable, making their investment worthless.

Plus, to add to the durability challenges they were experiencing with the panels, Liz and Jeremy struggled with the software used to update their sign. Nothing felt intuitive or user-friendly. Instead of making frequent updates to showcase upcoming events and artists, they avoided changing their sign content all together.

Solution

It was clear that low-cost imported signs were not going to work the way they needed, so Orbit Group resolved to change its strategy. They found Cirrus through a referral from a friend, and worked with the sales team to find a pixel pitch (resolution) that would look great to passersby and worked with their budget. The process was simple from start to finish. Cirrus was on hand to help with code checks and permitting. Their team was excited that their display was shipped quickly and they could immediately tell that their new display was higher quality and clearly designed for outdoor use.

The Orbit Group now has a quality product backed by the best pixel warranty on the market, which keeps them from stressing about unintentional rainbows. Plus, if they have any issues, they know the Cirrus support team can directly run diagnostics on their sign to get to the root of problems within minutes, not days. Finally, the Orbit Group team was thrilled to learn how easy ScreenHub, Cirrus’s content management software, makes it to change content and schedule out when they want to promote all their community events. Now they can keep their sign fresh and feel confident that their sign will always appear up-to-date.

Results

The new Cirrus sign allows Orbit Group to share everything from events to a 5-day weather forecast. With the ability to easily change content, they can highlight up-and-coming artists and increase the knowledge of the arts in Manchester. Knowing that the sign is backed by a 5-year warranty and has a 10-year lifespan on average means they will be supporting the community for years to come.

While the sign has only been up for a short time, community members are already asking to share their events on the sign. The Orbit Group got so many requests that they had to create a way for people to submit events to display, in order to allow easier community involvement. With the community buzzing about the sign they are now delighted to share updates and engage with their community.