Multi-lingual, industry high-flyer, Laura Pastore, joins Signagelive

Q&A

Can you tell us more about your new role?

This is a brand-new role for Signagelive – the first ever appointment of any dedicated sales professional for these regions. There will clearly be a lot of ground to cover, and the scope is wide. My focus will be split between strengthening the commercial relationships we have in place, and on-boarding new enterprise customers as well as key resellers. Day-to-day, my priority will not only be to support the roll out of new projects, but also to pro-actively find new end user opportunities for our resellers.

Across Southern Europe, we already know that there is plenty of potential in countries, such as France, Spain and Italy, but I’m also keen to look at emerging and unexplored markets that we’ve yet to reach. 

How do you intend to approach your new role?

I’ll be working with my sales colleagues and the pre-sales team to develop strategies for each of the countries I represent. No two markets are alike. We know that to offer real value and support for customers, we have to understand the regional socio-economic and cultural differences that impact and influence how digital signage is being used.

A big part of the process will simply be to work more closely with customers in these countries, so we can find out where the opportunities lie and how we can give organisations a unique competitive edge.

I’ll also be exploring how we can work with our hardware and content partners to drive more business for our mutual resellers.

Are there any market opportunities that you’re particularly excited about?

We have a lot of potential in many verticals, but there is an especially strong opportunity for us in corporate environments.

Many of our customers have their business headquarters in the countries I cover, but only use Signagelive Licences for their other regional offices.

I believe we can change this and roll out additional licences. It’s the ideal time. Over the last few months, there has been a surge in demand for corporate digital signage, with many organisations leveraging its benefits to enhance employee communications and revitalise the workplace.

Easy to set up and roll out, our cloud-based digital content management system has become a go-to solution, enabling organisations to meet the challenges of delivering high-impact communications at scale. 

Bombarded with information from a whole host of systems, and inundated with meetings, employees often miss important updates or find them too late. Our cloud-powered digital signage can rectify this and drive the secure roll out of more inclusive, timely communications strategies that enable employees to track news, reports and valuable insights on-screen, as they happen in near real-time. 

What first attracted you to this role, and why did you ultimately decide to join the Signagelive team?

I would say that the brand name and the product solution have been a big draw for me, right from the start. 

Already well-established across many countries, Signagelive offers a robust, award-winning platform with a great deal of untapped potential for new markets. As someone who is passionate about growth, I believe in the marketability of this solution. Signagelive sets itself apart, not only by developing its own market-leading software, but also, bespoke, customised solutions for its customers. 

I am enthusiastic about the strong partnerships that Signagelive has created over the years with Audiovisual market leaders, I believe this is key to strengthen the mutual collaboration and for positioning ourselves in new markets. 

I love the fact that organisations don’t need to adapt their operations to suit our software. Instead, we adapt to suit them. With Signagelive APIs, if a customer has a bigger idea, our platform tools can be flexibly integrated into their own-branded application or multimedia system. It’s the ultimate marketing tool. 

I’m also particularly excited to be joining Signagelive now at such a pivotal moment in the industry. Digital signage is no longer a trend to watch for the future, but a driving force for the here and now.

At the forefront of digitalisation for every sector, you see it everywhere from retail stores and hotel conference centres right the way through to university campuses and train carriages.

Already a 24/7 B2C marketing tool that can showcase products after-business opening hours, it’s also increasingly being used as a B2B platform to streamline workplace operations. It’s a rapidly evolving sector and we’ve just scratched the surface of what it can do.

Will you travel to see customers?

I think face-to-face interactions are really important in this industry, so I’m looking forward to meeting customers in person. How I split my time will really depend upon market traction, but I intend to make a concerted effort to stay in close touch with all my customers. 

I also hope to spend time with customers at local events and trade fairs. I have already scheduled ISE 2024 in my diary! I’m an outgoing, sociable person, so I’m looking forward to going to this show and many more.

Finally, can you tell customers a little more about yourself? What should customers know about you?

I have many hobbies and interests, but perhaps one of my biggest passions is learning new languages. It has been invaluable to my career and will hopefully help me to work more closely with Signagelive customers. I can speak and write fluently in French, Spanish, English, and of course, Italian. I’ve also studied Arabic and Japanese in the past and am currently in the process of perfecting my Danish language skills! 

I’m passionate about sustainability and attend many conferences on the topic in Copenhagen. I’m particularly interested in recycling and upcycling, and like to go to workshops to learn more, whenever I can. I’ve recently made a new plant hanger from an old T-shirt, and a foulard from recycled textiles. I’m just really into arts and crafts!

I have also been making my own jewellery for years. I make everything from earrings and bracelets to necklaces and am currently working on how to create them using sustainable materials. Watch this space!