Project Wonder Drives Engagement with Projection Mapping

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Project Wonder Drives Engagement with Projection Mapping

4/2/2020
The opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics in PyeongChang put projection mapping on the world stage with intricate displays throughout the shows.

Now, while every event isn’t to the scale of the Winter Olympics, projection mapping has many applicable uses in the trade show and meetings industry.

Projection mapping, which is light that projects images onto surfaces, adds wonder to any event. It drives interest and engagement along with brand awareness as event attendees share pictures of the awesome displays on social media. It also is a unique way to attract attention, leverage sponsorships and share messaging that shines brighter than the rest.

“Projection mapping draws your audience in and creates a truly immersive experience,” said Chris O’Halleran, senior project manager/technical director at Rental and Staging Network (RSN) member ON Services. “It allows you to take ordinary objects and make them extraordinary. For example, you can project on a historic building and take your audience on a journey through the history of that building, educating them while entertaining them.

There are two kinds of projection mapping—2D and 3D. When images are projected onto a flat surface, like a wall, that is 2D. Projecting images onto an object like a building or car is 3D. Either technique can change the appearance of whatever is being projected onto with color, texture and animation.

The projection can tell a story with imagery while synched with music or narration to further enhance a brand’s narrative and overcome trade show floor challenges.

One of the greatest challenges for event planners today is their audiences’ wandering minds. Distractions have always been an issue, but with smartphones, those concerns are multiplied. If technology is capturing your audience’s attention, fight fire with fire.

“Making sure you have the technology, like projection mapping, to avoid distractions is key,” says Allin Foulkrod, CSEP, president of RSN member Creative Visions. “If it’s for a nonprofit organization, the video could feature those you serve and talk about why you’re serving them. For example, if you’re raising money for a children’s hospital, a video transforming the room to bring donors virtually into the hospital to show how the money is used could be very impactful. For a corporate event, you could show the evolution and development of the brand’s signature product as a precursor to unveiling the newest model.”

At events, projection mapping can make use of every inch of space, from walls to floors to ceilings and the farthest corners to an object strategically placed in the room. Nothing is off-limits. The computer has the ability to render the images to certain shapes, sizes and perspectives.

“Clients are always pushing the boundaries and breaking new ground in projection mapping,” said O’Halleran. “New technology is always being developed along with new techniques and approaches to mapping. Projectors are getting smaller and brighter with laser technology; media servers are getting faster and adding more features. It’s a growing area that is only currently limited by the current hardware."

When it comes to costs, 3D projection mapping does need a bigger budget and additional planning time because there is more work required to put the project together as audiovisual technicians blend images from multiple projectors together onto an object that is not a flat surface. Work on a 3D projection project should begin at a minimum of 60 days before an event.

When looking for a partner to bring your projection mapping dreams to life, look at all your choices in the AV field, not just the in-house team your venue recommends. There are many independent AV companies that specialize in new and evolving technologies.

Independent AV companies are not beholden to the venue and don’t pay commissions to the venue. This freedom allows outside AV partners to provide the same service at a lower cost or more comprehensive service for the same cost.

“The difference between us and the large in-house types is our intense focus on customer service that surpasses them by leaps and bounds,” said Bradley Ehrlich, general manager of RSN member Markey’s Rental and Staging. “We reinvest a great deal of money in our equipment and people which allows us to keep our edge on the competition. Our ultimate goal and differentiator is we are true partners when it comes to the technology and execution of an event. We’ve worked with many customers for decades because we deliver year over year. We can anticipate their needs and offer solutions before they even realize they have a problem. In our business, sometimes the best show for us is when we are unnoticed because everything looked and sounded amazing.”

Steve Wildemann is past president of Rental and Staging Network and president and owner of Advanced Staging Productions in Pennsylvania. With more than 30 years of experience in the event technology business, he leads RSN, a top-tier network of live event production companies throughout North America. The network allows event planners and producers to access the very best in live event production anywhere on the North American continent. For more information, visit RentalandStaging.net.

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