The case for better 'on-the-go' access to free mains-fed drinking water and helping reduce the impact of single use water bottles, has taken a new step forward.
In another first, multi-award winning Swansea company Hydrachill Ltd have launched a Water Refilling Station with media screen surrounds offering dynamic digital content to those availing of its free water service.
The first of the new HydraChill H2O Stations has been commissioned at Cardiff Metropolitan University Sports Archers Arena, based at the university’s Cyncoed Campus.
In addition to supplying free chilled and filtered mains-fed drinking water, refillable to all bottles, the new H2O unit has the ability to present customised digital content from three screens, each independently manageable from a central source.
Cardiff Metropolitan Director of Sport Chris Jennings was clearly delighted with his striking new addition. "As a major UK sporting university, we are conscious of the need to market ourselves effectively. As well as meeting essential hydration requirements, the new HydraChill allows us to communicate directly with our students and visitors. It can provide updated news, videos and information and even allow them to interactively choose content".
"The Hydrachill Station's Triple Play digital signage platform provides us with infinite split-screen possibilities" he added. "With network capability we'll also be able to share the content with other screens across our campus sporting facilities".
"Cardiff Met has a special place in our history", added HydraChill's founding director Nick Davis. "It was here we launched our pilot machines in 2009, which are still going strong." "We now have nineteen HydraChill units across campus, having been adopted by the university's Health and Well being strategy, as its source of free drinking water provision."
"This H20 digital screen surrounds unit is a prospective game changer. It serves as a dynamic information and marketing tool, while advertising revenue possibilities change the justification undercurrents. Those who still argue that bottled water revenue loss prevents them making their desired change to a better environmental alternative, might now begin to reconsider."