Truck Talk
When you have a new, glitzy product, it's natural to want to put it at the center of your booth and encourage staffers to talk up a storm about its many features and capabilities. But what if the product itself could do the talking? Volvo Trucks, a division of AB Volvo, took just that approach during the Mid-America Trucking Show at the Kentucky Fair and Exhibition Center in Louisville for the unveiling of its new 780 truck. Within the massive 100-by-170-foot exhibit, designers created a roughly 50-foot-diameter winner's circle of sorts for the advanced vehicle. With the assistance of Boca Raton, FL-based Multi Image Group Inc., Volvo showered that space with an impressive display of audiovisual mastery. Projection-mapping technology, courtesy of equipment mounted to overhead rigging that encapsulated the space, painted the truck with various graphical treatments, including art- and nature-based themes, as well as a rock 'n' roll-inspired display. Interspersed among that audiovisual eye candy were periodic segments that hyped the capabilities of the vehicle. Text projected onto the truck called out its various selling points, including the model's size, gas mileage, and fuel tank capacity, all within a brief, captivating light show. The sensational scene drew scores of attendees into the exhibit and put a new spin on what would otherwise have been a static product display.




Up in the Air
Want to illustrate a product-development partnership in a big way? Then turn to projection mapping. That's what Callaway Golf Co. did at the PGA Merchandise Show. The maker of golf clubs and related accessories wanted to make sure attendees knew that it had collaborated with engineers from The Boeing Co. to develop better aerodynamics for its new XR 16 golf club. Callaway projected a gigantic 40-by-43-foot silhouette of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (a crown jewel in the Boeing fleet) onto the ceiling of the exhibit hall. The projection area was one-fifth the size of the actual aircraft, and a variety of imagery, including the logo for the new club, was projection mapped to wrap around the rafters above the 75-by-213-foot booth space. Simple yet apropos, the eye-catching overhead multimedia display ensured that attendees were universally aware of the partnership. The unexpected aerial element also captured booth visitors' attention long enough for Callaway staffers to step in and segue into conversations about the company's newest golf club.




Bedroom Set
Sometimes an eye-catching setting is all you need to get attendees to focus on a new product, especially when the aforementioned item is the star of the show. To that end, Select Comfort Corp., the maker of Sleep Number beds, created a fitting aisle-side display at the International Consumer Electronics Show. The company placed one of its signature beds on a 12-foot-diameter platform, behind which stood a 15-foot-tall curved screen. Content, such as a call to "make suggestions" and a detailed explanation of its SleepIQ technology, was projection mapped to conform to the contours of the screen and convey the main selling points of the product. Color washes in soothing pastel tones completed the scene and created a serene atmosphere befitting the booth.




Personalized Projection
Intel Corp. and its exhibit house, Taylor Manufacturing Industries Inc. (The Taylor Group), worked with audiovisual firm Fuse Technology to create an audience-centric activity in its exhibit at the International Consumer Electronics Show. In the middle of Intel's booth stood a 20-foot-tall, human-like statue posed as if it was about to kick a massive soccer ball underfoot. Staffers instructed each attendee to stand directly in front of a computer while a camera captured a 3-D image of his or her face. Within seconds, Intel's proprietary RealSense technology, coupled with specialized projection software, produced a digital representation of the attendee's face that was then projection mapped onto the head of the statue. The intriguing activity not only put a face to the Intel brand, but also afforded staffers plenty of one-on-one time with the show's attendees.




Bombs Away
To showcase the champion of its product line, the B-2 Spirit, Northrop Grumann Corp. dazzled attendees with a projection-mapped recreation of the famed 172-foot-wide stealth bomber at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium. Northrop's exhibit house, Signal Hill, CA-based Bowman Design Group, created a tensioned-fabric structure in the same shape as the aircraft, but with a wingspan of a mere 16 feet, and rigged it to hang parallel to the show floor. Northrop's audiovisual supplier, Boston-based AVFX Inc., provided the equipment and technological know-how to projection map video content onto the recognizable silhouette, including patriotic imagery and footage of the B-2 Spirit in action. While the projection-mapped display was certainly no match for the actual aircraft, attendees were nonetheless astonished by the spectacular substitute.