Every day up to 10,000 people pass through a company’s entrance. It is they who spread the company’s message: customers, suppliers, service-providers, members of staff, representatives of authorities and other visitors gain an intellectual and emotional impression of the firm as soon as they set foot on its premises.

Most businesses invest large sums in image campaigns. They are also prepared to spend a lot of money on security. What most companies fail to realise is that the image they have taken such pains to establish is scrutinised by visitors in the entrance foyer and may suffer if it is not seen to be adequately reflected in the design of this area. Tailor-made films, lighting effects, the portrayal of the logo and the showcasing of products are the repertoire with which customers’ attention can be grabbed or lost and the company image reinforced in the few seconds it takes visitors to enter the premises.

Leading international brand companies such as BMW, Mercedes, Bertelsmann and Adidas already use multimedia technology. In Austria too top companies have made a lot of progress in this area, as a study of 38 firms carried out by the Vienna Institute of Higher Education has shown. Already, two out of three of the leading companies use screens, sound systems, lighting effects and/or interactive stations in the reception area. 62 per cent use information materials such as folders or videos as a means of advertising.

An analysis carried out by the Institute of Communication Management of the Vienna Institute of Higher Education, Vienna Chamber of Commerce degree programmes showed that the impression gained in the entrance areas of these top firms largely corresponds with the image of the company that is otherwise transmitted. Despite this, only two out of three companies can be distinguished from competitors on a first visit. It is significant that 59 of the 106 companies approached by students of the Institute of Higher Education refused outright to allow any analysis of their reception areas.