Mumbai: Scala, a provider of end-to-end solutions for the connected signage market, has announced that Muvico Theaters will connect their digital signage network to their POS system to drive the theater business.

Muvico currently operates 259 movie screens in 14 locations located in Florida, Maryland and Illinois. For the fiscal year ended 2006, Muvico had revenue of $125 million. Over 11 million people attended the Muvico theaters in 2006.

The company differentiates itself from competition by building architecturally "themed", state-of-the-art theaters and offering such amenities as expanded concession menus, VIP areas with full-service bars and restaurants, children’s playrooms, reserved seating and Internet ticketing.

Muvico wanted to develop a menu solution that not only matched the ‘wow’ factor of their facility, but one that could tie into their Point-of-Sales (POS) system allowing them to control pricing and promotions throughout the enterprise.

Muvico’s challenge was to develop a menu board system that had just the right visual appeal, while also having the technical sophistication to incorporate the features they required and allow for company wide scalability.

Hammond Communications Group, a Scala Certified Partner, and strategic partner Schult Industries, created a solution that utilized three 42" LCD for digital menu boards and one 50" Plasma to deliver a multi-zone layout of messaging for the Appetite Appeal. Driven from dynamic sources, a single media player displays menu items, combos, animated specials and pricing for all concession items.

Working with Radiant Technologies, makers of the POS software used by Muvico, Hammond was able to create a custom application that mines data from their POS system to drive pricing and menu items based on real-time inventory levels and promotional strategies.

In addition, the local manager is given control to promote Appetite Appeal as needed. Changes to the content are provided by Hammond Communications and distributed throughout the network.