In January of this year, Mercedes-Benz USA participated in the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for the first time ever. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG, was a keynote speaker and DCI was asked to produce a unique exhibit environment for Mercedes-Benz to showcase their technologies.

With a total attendance of almost 150,000 people and representation from 78% of the Fortune 100, the annual Consumer Electronics Show has become the premier showcase for new technology. It was a natural fit for an industry leader such as Mercedes-Benz to showcase their new technologies and they turned to us to help them make it a success.

Late in 2011, DCI and Mercedes-Benz began planning for the show.

The challenge was to create a unique environment that would showcase and explain the newest mbrace2 technology, as well as provide a glimpse into the future of the automobile.

The DCI solution was to create an open, inviting, 4,000 square foot immersive environment that included meeting rooms, large scale fabric graphic structures and an array of cutting edge technology.

Mercedes-Benz showcases technology in an open, inviting, 4,000 square foot immersive environment that included meeting rooms, large scale fabric graphic structures and an array of cutting edge technology.

The technology centerpiece of the design was “the cube” – a gesture based interactive experience created in Germany to demonstrate the car of the future. To highlight this one-of-a-kind show piece, Dimensional created an impressive hanging fabric structure with integrated vertical lighting elements that captured the attention of attendees from across the convention center floor.

Impressive hanging fabric structure with integrated vertical lighting elements captured the attention of attendees from across the convention center floor.

The mbrace2 story was told using multiple technologies throughout the exhibit. Custom kiosks were designed and built to incorporate actual components from production vehicles allowing guests to interact with mbrace2 as if they were sitting in their own vehicle. 50″ touchscreens with custom programming were used to provide attendees with the opportunity to learn about Mercedes-Benz and large-scale video walls showed the technology story including one controlled from an integrated custom built iPhone kiosk.

Custom kiosks incorporated actual components from production vehicles allowing guests to interact with mbrace2 as if they were sitting in their own vehicle.

The results exceeded expectations. Mercedes-Benz recorded 346,000,000 media impressions from their presence, including print, television, the web, and social media. We are proud to have played a key role in designing and executing this exceptionally effective demonstration of Mercedes-Benz technology leadership.

Our technology WOWS them at EXHIBITOR 2012

This year we really stepped up our game at the EXHIBITOR show in Las Vegas, NV; the premier event for exhibit and event buyers to see what’s new in materials and technologies. We expanded our presence and the result was our most successful event to date!

Dimensional Communications and Immersive Realities made a splash with our technology capabilities at EXHIBITOR 2012.

Both Dimensional Communications and Immersive Realities were major sponsors of the second annual EDPA Foundation Cup charity golf tournament at Painted Desert Golf Course. This year’s tournament had over 70 participants and raised money for the EDPA Foundation. Our own Kraig Shetler once again played a major role in creating, organizing and hosting this popular and successful event.

At the second annual EDPA Foundation Cup charity golf tournament at Painted Desert Golf Course

In addition to once again providing our ever popular cell phone charging stations to the show, this year we entered the prestigious New Product Showcase for the first time with our RFID enabled kiosk technology. We first used this fully integrated kiosk technology with great success at the PGA golf tournament in 2011, and we’ve been asked to bring it back for 2012. The technology was so well received by the New Product Showcase judges it made it to the upper echelon of all entries at the show.

RFID enabled kiosk technology at the New Product Showcase

Many attendees were especially interested in how our interactive capabilities could help them tell a comprehensive story about their products and services, engage the customer in a fun and exciting way, and track leads and customer interest at their events and trade shows.

The new Multi-Touch Software Suite allows our clients to tell a story about their products and services, engage the viewer in a fun and exciting way, and track leads and customer interest at events and trade shows.

Our new Multi-Touch Software Suite, first introduced at this year’s show, perfectly addresses this need.

Featuring low cost licensing fees and robust pre-programmed features, the software can be inexpensively customized to fit each client’s needs. With multiple touch screen applications featuring everything from educational games, to electronic document fulfillment, to video playback, the program offers customers the ability to bring cutting edge technology to their activation at a fraction of the cost of a custom solution.

The fact that Immersive Realities develops all of these solutions in-house clearly sets us apart from others in the industry. Please contact us to set up a demonstration of these unique products or any of our other cutting-edge technologies.

Dimensional Communications helps make the new children's wing of the Queens Public Library a reality!

The brand-new Discovery Center wows families with engaging exhibits and eye-popping, kid-friendly design-plus, of course, an impressive selection of books and other resources. The spacious center is drenched in sunlight and bright colors and is the first children’s library in the country to offer visitors a hybrid museum-library experience combining a conventional reading environment with interactive museum exhibits.

The brand-new Discovery Center wows families with engaging exhibits and eye-popping, kid-friendly design.

Welcoming kids as they enter through the Discovery portal is a whimsical, sprawling floor map of Queens neighborhoods, several of which trigger sounds projected from ceiling mounted micro speakers – like the cheer of fans at a Mets game or the sound of jets at La Guardia Airport. Kids can continue their learning experience by following various color paths to their preferred subject areas to uncover more exciting resources.

Whimsical, sprawling floor map of Queens neighborhoods

Kids can continue their learning experience by following various color paths to their preferred subject areas.

The spacious Discovery Center is drenched in sunlight and bright colors.

Queens Public Library Building: New York’s Public Architecture Gets a Face-Lift

Open year round, the Children’s Discovery Center enables kids to continue to expand their minds, regardless of the season. Dimensional Communications is proud to have played a leading role in bringing the vision of the Queens Library and the whimsical designs of Lee H. Skolnick to life.

As a result, the Dimensional Communications web site now contains an Exhibit Search feature that enables visitors to view hundreds of modular and rental solutions and filter them by size and price range.

Exhibit Search at Dimcom.com

This partnership adds an entirely new dimension to the range of exhibit offerings at DCI. As DCI President Doug Fixell says, “We’ve always provided portable and modular exhibits to our clients, but this new searchable portfolio of options increases our offerings dramatically. This should be a win-win for both DCI and our clients.”

Browse our site and see a whole new world of possibilities.

If you need assistance Burt Galbraith, Rob Coco, or Tracy Blatz can help you find what you need. The exhibitry comes from our partner but the service, as always, will come from Dimensional.

.

Mercedes-Benz and Dimensional Communications use RFID and Social Media to create an unforgettable user experience at the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta, Georgia

The Challenge: Transform the 6,000 square foot Mercedes-Benz PGA Performance Center into a fan experience unlike anything done before.

Exhibit: Mercedes-Benz PGA Performance Center

The Dimensional Solution: Combine the use of multiple cutting edge multimedia technologies to create unique interactive user experiences and extend the scope and impact of this marquee activation through the seamless integration of social media.

A complete network was designed and developed to tie all fan experiences together using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).

By simply entering basic information, each attendee in the Performance Center received a “Performance Pass” embedded with a RFID tag linked to a secure website housed on Dimensional’s servers where their information was stored. During this registration process they could also securely enter their Facebook username and password.

Exhibit: Mercedes-Benz PGA Performance Center

Exhibit: Mercedes-Benz PGA Performance Center

Working with Mercedes-Benz and its agency partners, DCI created a series of immersive experiences for attendees including: a golf swing analysis lab using an ultra-high-speed video camera; a putt analysis lab; an iPad based AMG driving game; and a series of highly interactive wheel stands for the featured vehicles. At each experience participants were able to quickly register and schedule their sessions using their Performance Pass and in so doing send instant feedback and analysis directly to their email address.

Visitor Stations at Mercedes-Benz PGA Performance Center

Participants who opted-in to Facebook during registration recorded a “Like” of MBUSA at the PGA on their Facebook page, and were able to post photos directly to Facebook using a secure proprietary interface. The integration was seamless, allowing participants to simply wave their Pass and post without a need to enter any information manually.

Photos, spec sheets, and brochures were also able to be emailed via their RFID Performance Pass.

Visitor Stations at Mercedes-Benz PGA Performance Center

The Result: The Mercedes-Benz PGA activation was an unparalleled success. Mercedes-Benz collected thousands of qualified leads, gained thousands of Facebook followers, and entertained golf fans with an engaging and memorable experience that will live on through social media long after the event ended.

What to Expect From a Top Flight Trade Show Exhibit Company, article by Dick Wheeler

But what can you expect to find at the prototypical, top-of-the-line trade show exhibit house? Look for a complete single-source, hassle-free, full service trade show exhibit capability from design concept to final production. Search for a company that offers a wide range of trade show display options from cost-effective, custom modular and custom portable trade show booths to custom designed exhibits that may occupy thousands of square feet.

As a single resource, this fully-integrated trade show exhibit house would be able to take care of all your needs -providing a seamless, turnkey trade show exhibit service that includes every possible step in your pre- and post-show appearance. The trade show “dream team” should consist of a staff of talented exhibit design consultants, graphic designers, project managers and event coordinators who are adept in making your trade show experience glitch-free. You get to decide what you want from this menu of options.

Today you should expect these exhibit practitioners to design a breakthrough trade show booth with sophisticated trade show display graphics and worry-free event planning, plus conscientious care and the full storage and warehousing of your trade show exhibit properties.

The trade show exhibit business has come a long way. In the past, the trade show exhibit booth was purchased either as a custom build or a single “off the shelf” unit with the exhibitor handling the details. As the trade show industry has matured, exhibitors have become more sophisticated, and trade show exhibit companies cater to the full spectrum of a trade show client’s exacting demands. In the early ’80s when the industry began changing, many trade show display companies started providing the portable/modular trade show booth, offering mobility and flexibility to exhibitors often moving from one show to the next. This experience helped them customize products and design exhibits that incorporated unique graphics, contemporary materials and structural refinements.

Experienced trade show display houses gradually evolved to deliver dramatic, one-of-a-kind trade show booths for clients wanting to dominate an exhibit hall show floor with a spectacular trade show exhibit occupying thousands of square feet of floor space. During the transition, the use of new finishes, fabrics and lightweight structural materials led to substantial reductions in handling costs. The resultant economies in freight, installation and dismantling, drayage, storage and refurbishing helped to defray the costs of these dramatic new custom trade show exhibits.

With new trade show expertise and innovation, top line trade show exhibit houses are able to serve exhibitors wherever and whenever they want to exhibit. Thanks to a network of exhibit partners providing design, build and show services at over hundreds of locations throughout the world, a trade show exhibit house can now handle the most complex and demanding of exhibitor requirements.

Many leading trade show display companies have become global providers serving a growing number of international clientele — many of whom, for example, engage their exhibit house to design and build a single custom trade show display for their once-a-year appearance at a West or East Coast show and then store the unit until the following year.

Flexibility and innovations add to the array of services offered by the full service trade show exhibit house. These include: custom trade show booth rentals which offer an alternative to the occasional exhibitor who may be considering options before committing to a permanent display. Also, custom rental trade show displays provide an exhibitor with options to change messages and locations frequently and appear at several trade shows simultaneously.

Look for a trade show exhibition company that fits with your comfort level. Start with a walk-through visit to a showroom where you will view a selection of trade show displays ranging from pop-ups to custom spectaculars. Take a look at graphics and display production capabilities and ask the trade show display host to introduce you to innovative and turnkey event management services. These include show services, graphics design, exhibit storage and complete pre- and post-show service and support.

You can also go online and click through trade show exhibit companies.

Seek out a professional trade show staff that can make your trade show booth experience dynamic, affordable and successful.

Dick Wheeler is President of Professional Exhibits & Graphics headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. His firm is a full-service premiere trade show exhibit, graphics and management services company. Go to http://www.proexhibits.com for more information on excellent full service trade show display, graphics and management services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dick_Wheeler; http://EzineArticles.com/?What-to-Expect-From-a-Top-Flight-Trade-Show-Exhibit-Company&id=150400

Obviously, that’s not an easy task.

The thing that’s apparent to everyone who has been in this industry for more than a few years, is how quickly technologies and materials are changing. They are becoming more lightweight, more portable, more durable, economical, and more beautiful – all at the same time.

The following is a guest article by Chris A. Harmen. She discusses latest trends in exhibits and trade show design, that can provide you with some simple ideas to freshen up your displays.

For ideas how to implement these in real-life displays, visit our main Dimensional Communications website and/or use our exhibit design search.

Trade Show Exhibits: Latest Trends

Trade events and shows have been around for years, but exhibitors and manufacturers are constantly coming up with new and innovative ideas to keep attendees’ attention. Technologies and materials change quite rapidly, so trade show displays are different today than they were even ten years ago. By embracing trendy new shapes and sizes of displays, lighting methods, and materials, you’ll be able to create an experience for show attendees that will make your business hard to forget.

Innovations In Trade Show Displays

Show exhibits themselves have evolved over the years to more than just the standard black background 10-foot display. Today, there are more displays than ever to choose from. Many have gravitated toward more modular and portable displays, as they are lightweight, easy to put together, and less expensive to ship from show to show. There are custom modular table systems that come in different sizes to suit any company’s space and budget, and provide the functionality and intimacy of face-to-face marketing. These tables typically come with a wide range of accessories, like digital screen mounts and literature holders, have storage areas, and are definitely easy to transport.

Hybrid Trade Show Exhibit with Large Format Tension Fabric Graphics

Other lightweight options include banners to use as trade show exhibits. Banner stands allow for lightweight portability and convenient set-up as well as the ability to showcase products and information. Some banner stands even allow for graphics on both sides of the trade show displays, so your message can reach twice the attendees.

3D Banner Stand

On the other end of the spectrum, there are now two-story structures that make a big impact on potential clients. Though large, these rental structures are made of lightweight, high-tensile aluminum and steel, and they can be fabricated for a custom or modular design. These double-storied structures are highly visible and will make your business stand out at your future exhibits.

New Lighting Methods And Materials

Lighting is essential in creating the mood for your exhibits. Custom lighting is becoming more common to add ambiance to a display. Consider using filtered or wash lights in contrast with the typically harsher lights in the building. LED lighting is also becoming more mainstream; these energy-efficient, bright lights offer 16.7 million colors of light output and great flexibility. Backlit pop-up display frames are also a big hit. These unique frames are very durable, and offer an alternative to other, more boring backgrounds. Backlighting will surely attract attendees’ attention.

In terms of materials, there has been a trend toward using fabric more often in trade show exhibits. Fabric costs less than other materials and is very versatile and lightweight. Used as a canvas, fabric can create an eye-catching backdrop for displays, and can be used in banners as well. The high-quality fabric banners are easy to set up, inexpensive to ship, and extremely durable.

Large Format Tension Fabric Graphics with Custom Lighting for Trade Show Exhibits

With all the evolving technologies in trade show displays, it is easy to make an impact on show attendees. Whether you choose smaller banner displays or attention-getting, two-story exhibits, LED lighting or soft mood lighting, opt for something that will make your company stand out from the crowd.

Chris Harmen writes for the leading provider of Dallas Fort Worth trade show displays, Skyline. They offer a full line of exhibit supplies, structures, and services for trade show exhibits Dallas and other area businesses need to succeed at trade events.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_A._Harmen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Latest-Trends-in-Trade-Show-Exhibits&id=4173480

Cutting edge showroom design by Dimensional Communications puts the finishing touch on the newest jewel in the Mercedes crown.

The new flagship Mercedes-Benz ‘Experience Center’ at 770 11th Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets in Manhattan is a multi-story 330,000 square foot complex featuring showrooms and a state-of-the-art service center. As part of a nationwide initiative by MBUSA President and CEO Ernst Lieb to upgrade the Mercedes dealer experience, the project was nearing completion in the summer of 2010 when Dimensional Communications got the call.

The challenge was to create architectural and multimedia treatments for 100,000 square feet of interior wall that would compliment and enhance the public areas of the space, reflect the Autohaus styling, and adhere to Corporate Identity guidelines and budgetary constraints.

The DCI Design Team envisioned a feature wall as the central element of the showroom that includes bold graphics, ever changing lighting treatments, and banks of frameless LCD screens controlled and played out by a central server system.

The new flagship Mercedes-Benz Experience Center at 770 11th Avenue in New York City

Mercedes-Benz Experience Center in New York City

One of the driving factors in choice of materials was sustainability.

The powder-coated aluminum frames are 98% recycled material. The printed fabric is 60% recycled polyester printed with a water soluble dye sublimation process, and the LED lights use only 20% of the electrical power of standard fixtures.

Two 6 screen x 2 screen video walls comprised of 24 Samsung 46

The two 6 screen x 2 screen video wall displays are comprised of 24 Samsung 46″ narrow bezel screens powered by six Adtech HiDef video servers. All video feeds are extended with fiber to a central tech area where they can be remotely programmed and updated. Raw video content was supplied by Mercedes-Benz and edited for the walls by Dimensional Communications.

The Mercedes approach: The Best or Nothing

The completed project truly reflects the Mercedes approach: “The Best or Nothing”.

The study, conducted by the PwC US research firm, took into account all gatherings with at least ten participants for a minimum of four hours in a contracted venue. This is in line with the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization’s) definition of meetings, and it includes conventions, conferences, congresses, trade shows and exhibitions, incentive events, corporate/business meetings and other meetings that fall within those guidelines.

The research quantifies the economic contributions made by the 1.8 million meetings, trade shows, conventions, congresses, incentive events and other meetings that take place across the U.S.

Some numbers provided include:

205 million people, representing domestic and international delegates, exhibitors and organizers attend the 1.8 million meetings.

1.7 million jobs generated by the meetings industry is larger than many U.S. industries

$263 billion spending on goods and services resulting from meetings and events in the U.S.

$14.3 billion in federal tax revenue

$11.3 billion in state and local tax revenue

“As the nation grapples with effective ways to work its way out of a recession, the meetings industry plays a critical role in supporting jobs in communities across America, creating environments that foster innovation, consensus and business success,” said Karen Kotowski, Executive Director of the Convention Industry Council, the trade organization which unites the meetings sector and educates the public on its profound economic impact.

According to the study, the meetings’ $106 billion contribution to the U.S. GDP is greater than, for example, auto manufacturing ($78 billion), performing arts/spectator, sports/museums ($71 billion) and information and data processing services ($76 billion).

The full study is available at www.MeetingsMeanBusiness.com