Northstar

FEATURE | COVER STORY 20 JAN-FEB 2018 meetings & conventions • mcmag-asia.com "Event planners are looking for large-format LED screens, encompassing stage and set designs..." – CHRIS BURKE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CT ASIA PACIFIC, CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY Giant LED Walls for an Immersive Experience Consumers, particularly millennials, are driving the experience economy that values unique experiences over things. Event planners are challenged to come up with immersive experiences to wow audiences. This is how audiovisual technology has come to take center stage. For the 2017 League of Legends World Championship, Creative Technology transformed the Beijing National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, into a professional video gamer's fantasy, complete with an augmented reality dragon. The solution included 2,000 square meters of LED screens as well as the media and content playback system for this hugely popular esports event. Chris Burke, Managing Director, CT Asia Pacific, Creative Technology, believes that LED display solutions will challenge standard projection screen for the majority of corporate events. Event planners are looking for, "large-format LED screens, encompassing stage and set designs, that can be customised to meet design and content requirements." Event Drones for Wow Effect Businesses are beginning to use drones for experiential events. Alexis Lhoyer, Partner & Singapore Managing Director, Chab Events, suggested that drones can be "butlers" for futuristic themed-related events or dance-partners in ballet-like choreography. Apart from the pure entertainment appeal, Hitomi Uematsu, Project Manager, Sky Magic Pte. Ltd., pointed out that drone shows can boost event attendance and online marketing. Videos and photos of drone shows like Sky Magic's 300 drone performance for Qatar's National Day celebration spread fast on social media. Virtual Reality Creates Immersive Experiences According to Lhoyer, "Virtual reality is a great opportunity for brands to create an emotional connection with their audiences through storytelling." His company Chab Events worked with Hiverlab to create 360-degree virtual reality content to excite audience at DHL's 45th anniversary event. Ender Jiang Shutao, Founder, Chief Marketing Technologist, Hiverlab shared details about project. "The HTC Vive experience enabled users to step into the futuristic lab of DHL to interact with new technologies like augmented reality glasses, delivery drones, and warehouse automation that will speed up parcel delivery." "Virtual reality is a great opportunity for brands to create an emotional connection with their audiences..." – ALEXIS LHOYER, PARTNER & SINGAPORE MANAGING DIRECTOR, CHAB EVENTS A drone performance for Qatar's National Day celebration Attendees trying VR glasses at DHL event

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