Daktronics Visitor Center | Brookings

The Daktronics Visitor Center in Brookings, South Dakota, offers a fascinating glimpse into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electronic display systems. Nestled near the company’s headquarters on the north side of town, the center blends innovation with storytelling - showing how a small university-born idea grew into a global technology leader whose digital scoreboards and video walls illuminate stadiums, arenas, and cityscapes worldwide.

Origins and Legacy

Daktronics was founded in 1968 by two South Dakota State University engineering professors, Aelred Kurtenbach and Duane Sander, who wanted to create high-quality, real-time display systems. What began as a modest start-up inside a university lab evolved into an international enterprise powering everything from Times Square billboards to NFL stadiums. The visitor center serves as both a showcase of that journey and a tribute to the inventive spirit that remains deeply tied to the Brookings community.

Exhibits and Displays

Inside the center, the experience unfolds through a mix of technology demonstrations and visual storytelling. Guests are greeted by a wall of brilliant LED displays - a constantly shifting canvas of colors, sports highlights, and global installations. Interactive exhibits explain how Daktronics designs and manufactures its signature products, including scoreboards, video boards, and dynamic signage systems.

One section highlights the evolution of sports display technology, tracing how early mechanical scoreboards transformed into today’s seamless digital screens capable of live video, data integration, and animations. Another area focuses on global projects, showing panoramic videos of iconic Daktronics installations - such as the Las Vegas Sphere, Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, and college arenas across the U.S.

A particularly engaging feature allows visitors to simulate operating a stadium scoreboard, adjusting graphics, updating scores, and triggering replays on a miniature LED wall. This hands-on segment appeals equally to students, engineers, and casual visitors curious about the behind-the-scenes of modern event technology.

Atmosphere and Design

The visitor center’s environment feels both futuristic and grounded. Clean lines, glass partitions, and polished displays create a high-tech ambiance, while the surrounding Brookings landscape - visible through large windows - reminds guests of the company’s small-town roots. The soft hum of electronics and the pulse of bright color reflect Daktronics’ core mission: merging innovation with visual impact.

Guided tours are often led by company employees who share insights into product design, engineering, and testing. Their personal stories - from early prototypes built in dorm rooms to massive LED structures shipped across continents - add a human touch to the technological narrative.

Educational and Community Value

The center is a frequent stop for students, engineers, and business visitors, but it also serves as an educational hub for local schools and tour groups. Demonstrations often emphasize the STEM fields - showing how electronics, software, and design converge in real-world applications.

For Brookings residents, Daktronics remains more than a global brand; it’s a hometown success story. The visitor center reinforces that connection, celebrating the relationship between the company and South Dakota State University, whose graduates make up a large portion of the Daktronics workforce.

Visitor Experience

Walking through the center takes about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the depth of exploration. Guests often linger near the large video wall, where images of live sports and concerts create a dazzling, almost cinematic effect. Staff are approachable and eager to share behind-the-scenes details - like how massive displays are tested for weather resistance or how software updates are coordinated across continents.

Before leaving, visitors can browse a small display of historic components and prototype boards, seeing the craftsmanship behind decades of technological progress.

The Daktronics Visitor Center is more than a corporate exhibit - it’s a celebration of creativity, persistence, and Midwest ingenuity. Whether you’re a sports fan, a tech enthusiast, or simply curious about how the world’s most famous scoreboards are made, this stop in Brookings leaves a bright, lasting impression - much like the luminous displays Daktronics has brought to every corner of the globe.