Big challenges, big opportunities – and a new level of global connection. DSS Europe 2025 pointed the way forward for the digital signage industry’s leaders.
Where is digital signage headed – and at what speed? The question came up again and again during the talks, panels, and workshops at DSS Europe 2025 last week in Munich. While the Tech Forum the day before focused on software (which my colleague Antonia Hamberger summarized), the main conference zoomed out to look at the bigger picture: business and strategy.
And things got serious right from the start. The opening session on cybersecurity made it clear that the industry needs to get out of the cozy cave it’s built. Professional hackers from Trufflepig Forensics gave a live demo showing just how easily attackers can break into a system. Florian Rotberg from invidis added to the urgency with some eye-opening numbers: on average, it takes companies 200 days to even notice they’ve been hacked – and another 70 days to get the situation under control.
The message was clear: security has to be a top priority for anyone running a digital signage network. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle. The industry is facing so many challenges now, it’s getting harder to keep up.
Stepping into volatility
The new US trade policy is shaking up global trade – and the effects are reaching the digital signage industry, both in the US and around the world. The growing trade tensions with China, in particular, are starting to reshape supply chains. In recent weeks, container ships originally bound for the US have been rerouted to Europe instead, due to tariffs that are essentially functioning as a trade ban. And this could just be the beginning.
Part of what makes the tariff situation so hard to manage is how unpredictable it is. Tariffs can change overnight, as we’ve seen. Some of the duties that have been threatened to be put in place are never fully carried out, while others appear out of nowhere. Combined with the broader global crises we’re facing, this kind of uncertainty is tough on any business.
That’s why it’s more important than ever for companies to make proactive decisions. Instead of waiting for things to return to “normal,” businesses need to adapt to a new kind of volatility – one where the rules can shift at any time. Standing still is no longer a safe option.
AI is – and remains – a game changer
AI continues to be the one force that’s set to transform the entire working world. At the summit, it was noted that the industry hasn’t seen any headline-grabbing breakthroughs just yet. But that doesn’t mean nothing’s happening. In fact, the real progress is happening behind the scenes – in the engine rooms of companies.
Many businesses have already rolled out smaller, practical use cases. From chatbots and content creation tools to more efficient sales processes, AI is quietly becoming part of daily operations.
Still, all signs point toward a much bigger shift ahead. Josef Schneider gave a glimpse of that future with the AI Playground, showcasing how AI can already take on complex tasks. What’s coming next is Agentic AI – systems that can work independently and even interact with third-party platforms. We’re talking about AI booking business trips, placing orders, and more.
We’ve taken a deep dive into this topic in our invidis Yearbook 2025, exploring both the opportunities and the challenges. The yearbook was handed out at DSS Europe and will soon be available for download at invidis.de.
From risks to opportunities
There was a lot for DSS Europe attendees to take in – at times, it felt like B2B doomscrolling delivered in lecture form. But what sets DSS Europe apart is that alongside the tough realities, it also offered plenty of ideas for moving forward. The summit featured discussions on promising new business models, strategic insights from leading digital signage companies, and lots of opportunities for networking and building new partnerships.
One of the key topics was also the main focus of the invidis Yearbook 2025: Managed Signage. Much like what we’ve seen in the IT industry, digital signage providers are shifting from being system integrators to becoming full-service partners. That means moving from a product-based approach to a service-led model.
Today, especially when it comes to large clients, the demand is clear: they want a one-stop solution. Not just someone to install the hardware, but a partner who handles everything – from installations to daily operations and full lifecycle management. This shift calls for new skills, but it also opens the door to innovative services and business models that didn’t fit into the old way of working.
A new product category: e-paper displays
E-paper displays are emerging as a promising new option in the digital signage space. Their key advantage? Ultra-low energy consumption. But rather than competing with LCD or LED screens, e-paper is designed to replace analog posters, signs, and information boards – opening up entirely new markets for the industry.
This shift requires a new mindset. E-paper displays aren’t just “LCDs with energy savings” – they represent a completely new product category. To unlock their potential, visual solutions providers need to understand both the technology and the new target markets it enables.
This was made clear during a live panel at DSS Europe, where experts from E Ink, Sharp, PPDS, and Samsung discussed in which ways e-paper displays still need to evolve in order to gain broader adoption.
We’ve also explored this topic in depth in the invidis Yearbook 2025, with a dedicated section on e-paper displays, their use cases, and the hurdles still to overcome.
US companies step in
As the summit unfolded, a clearer picture of the future began to take shape: action is needed – but it has to be the right action. That means exploring new paths, testing fresh business models, and being open to change. The winners of the invidis Strategy Awards underscored this mindset. With innovative products and forward-thinking strategies, they’re showing the direction the industry could take next.
DooH at DSS Europe
A compelling mix of challenges and opportunities also came through during the panels on retail media and Digital-out-of-Home (DooH). While public skepticism about data usage is growing, advancements in data integration could help DooH step up its game – and better compete with other advertising channels. (More on this in a dedicated article soon.)
It was also great to see the strong turnout: almost 500 attendees, many of them key decision-makers. Notably, several top players from the US joined the event – and gave it high marks. They highlighted the international mix of participants, which added fresh perspectives and valuable networking opportunities.
DSS Europe once again proved itself as a hub for shaping the future of digital signage. Just how far this momentum will take us? We’ll find out at DSS Europe 2026, when the global digital signage community meets again in Munich.