|Digital Transformation and opportunities for growth
Spring is finally here, and unlike in the spring of 2020, the global situation looks a bit more optimistic. It seems that we have learned to live with the uncertainty of covid-19, post covid health crises and finally decided that life needs to move on.
We already know the impact that pandemic has had on some major industries, but what is the data on the behaviour of the general population, their habits and newly acquired lifestyles during COVID-19?
When it comes to smart street furniture market, we have some good news:
Continuous lockdowns and limited movement have made people appreciate the parks and open public spaces again!
According to Google’s COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports the world has seen a huge increase in popularity of Open Spaces like plazas, public gardens, parks, and squares in 2020, compared to the average attendance at these outdoor spaces before the pandemic. The newly collected data span from November 2020 to the end of March 2021 and show a similar trend:
It is clear that with more sunny days, people are starting to flock to open spaces at higher rates.
What does it mean for companies, brands, small businesses and local city governments, in terms of answering the needs of their customers and citizens?
Basically, the data say that local governments should level up the open public spaces ASAP and prepare them for the influx of people eager to spend more time in the fresh air and recuperate from the toll that being confined at homes have had on their mental and overall health.
Brands, local businesses and companies in general, have relied heavily on social media and online marketing especially during the first several months of the pandemic in order to reach their customers.
This new data should be read as a memo to their marketing departments:
Your consumers went outside! Is your brand going to follow?
When it comes to trends on the real estate market, and proptech, the general opinion is that the real blow that pandemic has dealt is yet to be determined, but we know already that it is a heavy one.
According to experts on the topic of proptech and real estate quoted in the Forbes article “… as a society, we will have to adapt to new forms of daily life and business and we will see more rapid adoption of many technologies…
“…Covid-19 has accelerated a lot of the changes within the real estate world that were happening anyway; the digital genie is now completely out of the bottle…”.
Among the other lessons that pandemic has taught us, the important memo for property developers in 2021 is:
Mind the exteriors of your real estate!
Provide connectivity and implement sustainable, easy-maintenance solutions in order to lower the need for additional manpower.
It’s what future residents and leaseholders would want to see.
We can proudly say that our solar Smart Bench checks all the boxes in your 2021 open spaces innovation book. Here are some of the features that stand out and substantially elevate any open public space:
☑ Smart Bench is sustainable: solar energy generates power
☑ Free WiFi for everyone in the vicinity of the bench
☑ 2 Wireless phone charging points and 2 slots for cable charging
☑ Branding surface for brand’s logo or city flag
Pandemic is changing the ways people interact, do about their daily business and relax. We designed a product that answers all the needs of contemporary city dwellers, like connectivity, power and information, in a sustainable way. Smart Bench is unique, modern and universally loved!
It is a chance for companies and brands to associate themselves with a beneficial, sustainable and innovative product and open a new promotional channel in the uncertain times.
It is a chance for local governments to show they care for the environment, for the safety and comfort of their constituents and make the public spaces more adapted to citizens’ needs.
We believe that Smart Bench is a good starting point.
There are 4 different Smart Bench designs and they are all super easy to install and maintain!
We’re here to answer any questions! Contact us at info@eliteareas.gr .
Written by David Flanigan, Director of Market Development at Yalp Interactive
It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since COVID-19 changed all of our lives. Social distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing and work/school from home are the new norm.
Unfortunately, many playgrounds across the country were closed and fenced off. I know this was devastating for so many kids and families who looked forward to playing with their friends. It is disheartening to see your favorite playground fenced off and not be able to play with your friends and family. Of course, it is very important to ensure that everyone is safe and follows the guidelines for physical distancing and washing hands after touching surfaces. The good news is that playgrounds are starting to re-open with robust cleaning efforts underway and guidance on how to safely play.
The team at Yalp Interactive is focused on ensuring all kids can safely play, even during the pandemic. That is why we believe you can be physically distant on the playgrounds without being socially distant. In the summer of 2020, we created a document that highlights how our interactive playgrounds are essentially “touch free.” You can use your elbow to activate the games and all of the maintenance and settings for the playgrounds are done remotely through My Yalp user interface!
We are also very encouraged to see high levels of play on the newly installed Yalp Interactive Playgrounds. Recently, Kraftsman installed a Yalp Memo Interactive play pillars and Yalp Sutu Interactive ball wall at the Old Fair Park in Fredericksburg, TX. Since it was activated in December 2020, there have been a high level of use each day, further showing that safe play is able to happen even during the pandemic.
We should be practicing physical distancing instead of social distancing. We’re here to answer any questions! Let’s talk! Contact us at info@eliteareas.gr .
Music is a wonderful outlet that can lift spirits regardless of age, although there are a number of proven physical, mental, and emotional benefits specifically for seniors and older adults. Go a stage further, to making music and you will tap into a truly powerful tool that is able to help improve personal well-being, social interaction, and communication.
There is no denying the power of music, and as we age, music can play an increasingly important role in our quality of life. Retirement communities, assisted living residences, or nursing homes, looking at ways to innovate and enhance options for meaningful musical engagement, could consider the inclusion of outdoor musical instruments in a music garden, trail, or courtyard to easily incorporate music into the daily lives of residents for both cognitive and physical stimulation that engages the body, mind, and spirit.
Music-making in the great outdoors will enable enriching group musical experiences, foster connections, and support a holistic approach to caregiving. These instruments are enticing and will bring together residents, team members, families, and volunteers and will turn each day into an opportunity for seniors to engage, enjoy, express, learn, share, and laugh.
Outdoor Musical Instruments to Entice Residents Outdoors
Retirement communities and facilities will almost always have some type of outdoor space, and regular engagement of these spaces – where seniors are encouraged to step outside to participate in activities, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and get mobile – will undoubtedly have a positive impact on mood, mental health, and physical wellbeing. Having the opportunity to be outdoors, even for those with more advanced health issues or limited mobility, is an important part of maintaining the quality of life, which all senior living residents deserve.
The many studies on the benefits of music combined with the research behind the benefits of time spent outdoors have seen a steady increase in the creation of music gardens and parks across the globe – with forward-thinking senior and assisted living residences as well nursing homes well on top of the trend!
Well-designed outdoor spaces should be safe and accessible havens where people want to spend their time. Spaces that should lift spirits and bring a smile to residents or guests each time they step outside. A music garden or courtyard will instantly enhance an outside space, creating a destination to entice residents, friends, family, and carers to venture out into the garden for some musical mindfulness. Easy to install, easy to play, and instantly gratifying, even just one instrument will uplift and transform an outdoor space.
Going outdoors is all about living in the moment, breathing in lots of fresh air, and feeling the sun or the rain on your face – add to this the liberating feeling and pure fun that comes from musical improvisation or expression and you will have a win-win situation.
Outdoor Musical Instruments for Music Therapy in Nature
When we think of the great outdoors, we do not often think of music therapy – but we can, and we should. Moving patients away from stuffy indoor settings and using outdoor musical instruments can introduce nature as a ‘co-therapist’.
The sounds and sensations of being in nature can be beneficial mentally, physically, and emotionally. Participants are often more relaxed outdoors -finding the natural surroundings relaxing, health-fostering, and recuperative – easing anxiety, eliminating fear, and encouraging ‘being in the moment’.
Music therapy in groups using an outdoor musical ensemble will bring social opportunities and enjoyment to older people who are not necessarily cognitively impaired but who may have reduced mobility.
Physical exercise is one thing, but there is also an emotional and mental relief that comes from being outside in the symphony of nature and music has the same impact. It stimulates the sense of reward and increases the production of the feel-good chemical serotonin, which can instantly lift our mood. Music-making reduces stress, enhances joy, leads to heightened positive emotion, modulates blood pressure, muscle tension, and a sense of well-being.
For those offering a holistic approach to senior care, music therapists in senior living communities can use the outdoor musical instruments to enhance the range of specialist care available for seniors living in their facility.
Outdoor Music Making for Socialization & Community
Music has been used for generations to bring people together. The positive effects are simply enhanced when we make music in a group setting – the energy created while making music with other people is shared and magnified.
Spaces for outdoor music activities such as a music garden or park will make it easier for seniors to stay active and be part of a musical community. It will help avoid social isolation by providing them with opportunities to have fun, learn something new, support each other and make friends -cultivating engagement and giving an enhanced sense of belonging.
Musical performances, drum circles, and sing-alongs could all be hosted outdoors in the ‘music space’ and retirement communities could be encouraged to invite the wider local community along to get involved, increasing awareness of the facility, breakdown barriers, expanding social connections, and drawing the benefits of multigenerational interactions.
Playing music with someone can create a very special bond, and an outside music space will offer somewhere new and exciting for visiting family and friends to go with their loved ones, leaving the confines of their room. A change of scenery and different sensory experiences can often stimulate conversation and help provide topics for reminiscence.
Inviting outdoor music spaces will encourage seniors tο:
Discover or reignite a connection to music
Stimulate active participation in communal music-making
Foster positive social interactions in the fresh air
The simplicity of the instruments and instant musical success will improve self-esteem and offer a sense of accomplishment.
Outdoor Musical Instruments for Winning Curb-Appeal
Running a retirement community is also a business, and retirement homes, assisted living facilities and other senior living options need to appeal to potential residents and reassure them that they provide the services and amenities required for seniors to live a healthy, happy life as they age.
When selecting a senior living community, people are likely to seek a well-rounded facility that emphasizes health and wellness and offers myriad opportunities to stay active. Attractive, creative outdoor activity spaces with outdoor musical instruments included will give a good visual ‘first impression’ to potential residents and their families who may visit several facilities before deciding which is a good fit for them. They will showcase the culture and sense of unity a senior living community has to offer.
Demonstrating the importance that music and music therapy has to the range of services offered will make a community or home stand out as engaging in current best practice in the care of senior adults. This will foster trust with seniors’ families possibly struggling with an emotional decision, help alleviate some of the fear that their parents may have and promote the value and advantages that come from living in a senior living community.
Can you believe March is almost over?
Spring is here and that means people will spend more time outdoors! Surely, we all need it after lockdowns, working from home, COVID anxiety and overall uncertainty!
Now is the time to prepare your local green areas for the upcoming season!
Digital transformation of the open spaces is the booming business opportunity/ trend you might not have considered before but rest assured that your consumers/ clients are embracing the change and they’d like to see it when they go out this spring!
Data from last year showed a significant increase in the popularity of Open Spaces (public spaces like plazas, public gardens, and squares). This spring will be no different. Expect even more people that have spent several months limited to their houses to now frequent more open spaces. That’s where the opportunity for your brand/your city lies! Engage them in a new and powerful way, offer the benefit of sustainable connectivity and achieve higher visibility!
Ready your space for the not-so-ordinary spring season.
Do something new, create a meaningful value for your customers! We’re here to answer any questions! Let’s talk! Contact us at info@eliteareas.gr .
