CenturyLink

INDUSTRY: Communications Provider/IT

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Challenge

Creating a unique, immersive experience for booth visitors was paramount for the CenturyLink Team as they embarked on a reinvention of the entire booth experience, to capture and captivate attention and attract more attendees than ever before. Working in collaboration with creative strategy and implementation partner, Live Marketing, 2020 Exhibits’ innovative and creative booth design focused on a transformation of the company’s physical presence, creating an eye-catching, high-tech environment that can scale up and morph to accommodate the needs of different groups, beyond this first show. And eye-catching, high-tech environment, with brand awareness and recognition, were central to the success of this environment. Attendees were drawn to the space via an irregularly shaped LED header suspended over the footprint. The 6-foot-wide band offered a 20-second looping video that featured the company's logo and tagline, which appeared to fly on and off the screens. Designers also deployed digital graphics throughout the exhibit, allowing CenturyLink to change messages on the fly and further promote its technology-leader vibe.

Solution

For this CenturyLink exhibit experience, everything is a matter of context as a unifying design concept and tie ideas together. Engagement, Brand Awareness & Recognition Exhibit sight lines were a priority, providing as much visibility as possible to the new space. By incorporating multiple storytelling approaches, the exhibit immersed visitors in the CenturyLink brand—at the level of engagement each visitor desired. Beyond the interactive approach, the design transformed CenturyLink’s physical presence to an eye-catching, high-tech exhibit environment. The Technology Tunnel Experience The CenturyLink brand is elevated throughout the space, particularly through the customer’s journey, as seen in the center of the structure. Flanked with a seamless array of interactive content, this animated “Tunnel Experience” gave all booth visitors a high-level overview of CenturyLink’s products. Attendees then learned more via CenturyLink’s theater presentation and interactive demos. Opening and inviting, the technology tunnel is one of the most striking features of the design. Sculptural in intent and feel, it provides a sense of transparency and movement. The interactivity and engagement prove a clear path to highlight the CenturyLink brand. Under the header, the light show continued in the Transformation Tunnel. The oblong tunnel was open on two sides, comprising four pillars and a logo-adorned ceiling of roughly 12 light-embedded support beams. Within the structure, the creative exhibit design suspended 192 tube-shaped light fixtures of varying lengths that bathed the entire space in a soothing, corporate-green glow. With hanging elements, incorporating light that could also receive light projections. Lending simplicity to the overall design, box- or rectangular-shaped elements with varying lengths further helped to define a softly curved space using square components. In addition to light and shape, the hanging elements provided soft movement and flexibility as well as a sense of transparency depending upon from which direction visitors approached the structure. The tunnel also formed the first of three technology-based educational offerings. Along each wall of the tunnel, designers assembled five 54-inch monitors, positioned vertically side by side. The screens provided an overview of CenturyLink's offerings via a somewhat whimsical, four-part, a day-in-the-life experience of Max, a fictional IT director. In essence, attendees physically moved from one end of the screens to the other as they touched various animated elements, propelling Max through his day while learning about his pain points and how CenturyLink solves them. Additional interactive video elements configured as long idea boards framing each side of the tunnel offered visitors large-format interactive graphics relating to them as they moved throughout the space. A small podium (stage) was set for the live storyteller to engage visitors and guide them through the experience. Changing light designs further enhanced and tied the experiences together.