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Markus Deserno is a recognised expert in digital signage, retail experience and organisational transformation across the DACH region. As Partner at invidis consulting (Invidis Impact), he advises retailers, integrators and technology providers on strategy, business development and the creation of impactful digital customer experiences.
Previously, he served as Managing Director Retail Germany at umdasch Store Makers and spent nearly two decade shaping the market as Co-Founder and CEO of SEEN MEDIA, one of the leading full-service digital signage integrators in DACH.
Markus is a frequent speaker, advisor and former long-standing board member of OVAB Europe. With a strong focus on structure, scalability and experience design, he supports organisations in building future-ready digital touchpoint ecosystems.
Date
Most digital signage projects fail at the first step: the translation of a retail briefing into a workable concept. This interactive session shows vendors, software providers and integrators how to read head office requirements, so they become commercially sound, operationally realistic and fit for NextGen Signage in the store.
Using real world examples like “digital campaign zones”, “promotion screens” and “in store retail media inventory”, participants learn which questions to ask early on, how to balance marketing, operations, IT and retail media needs, and how to avoid typical failure patterns before roll out.
The DACH region is Europe’s biggest digital signage market - but also its toughest.
Everyone loves talking about the opportunities: scale, budgets, stability, premium retail, home of global brands. But behind the glossy case studies lies a truth the industry rarely says out loud:
The DACH market plays by its own rules - and it doesn’t care about your global strategy. Growth is slower. Buyers are more cautious. Procurement is brutal. Innovation is welcomed… eventually. And the gap between what vendors want to sell and what customers will actually deploy has never been wider.
This panel goes straight into the tension: Is the market finally ready to accelerate — or still stuck in risk‑averse mode? Are DACH retailers and corporates embracing new models, or clinging to old habits? Why do global vendors underestimate the complexity of selling in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland again and again? And what trends will actually move the needle — AI, retail media, sustainability, consolidation, or something else entirely?
The DACH region is full of opportunity… if you survive the hard realities first.
Successful digital signage networks rely on far more than screens and software. This session shines a light on the services that underpin performance, from installation and maintenance to content management, data integration and ongoing optimisation. Understand how service models are evolving, where value is created, and why operational excellence is critical to long-term success.
Many retailers focus on impressive individual projects – but struggle with scaling and operations
The panel will demonstrate how digital signage is evolving from individual installations into standardised products – with clear service modules, roles and processes. Best practices will be discussed from the perspectives of retailers, integrators and manufacturers: Which architectures and operating models work across hundreds of locations – and where do companies still regularly stumble today?
