Mayor Mark Stodola will unveil on Monday a new digital engagement kiosk outside the Statehouse Convention Center that will provide a touchscreen for wayfinding, transit, weather, shopping and other advertisements and act as a free Wi-Fi hotspot.
The City Board of Directors approved a franchise agreement Tuesday with Duke Energy’s Smart Media LLC to place the CityPost kiosk on West Markham. There is no cost to the city; the kiosk will be supported by advertising, and the city will get a percentage of ad revenue. Stodola has been meeting with Smart Media for two years, he told the board, and said the company has identified 14 other sites for kiosks. A new ordinance would be required for the other 14. (The City Board meeting for June 19 is on YouTube; you can see marketing officer Mike Mainthow’s lengthy explanation of what the kiosks do there.)
Stodola is timing the unveiling to coincide with the convening of the National League of Cities summer board meeting. The unveiling and a press conference will be at 10:30 a.m.