DESIGN NAME: Abu Dhabi Science Festival and Innovator
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Science Festival for Schools and Public
INSPIRATION: Inspired by STEM, Innovator 2018 had to clearly communicate its scientific educational intentions by creating a setup which was colourful, attractive and young. The layout of the booths was prepared on a central area in front of the beach-side restaurants in a half moon shape. The venue was fully branded as STEM-based, from the perimeter to the centre, as well as on all venue roofs, giving great visibility from a distance. The whole event was committed to the principal inspiration of Innovation.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The design team brainstormed and decided it was best to use the concrete area of the Corniche in front of the restaurants to host the innovator stands, workshops, stage and the rest of the venue structure like tents and booths. We increased the size of the venue to 13,250sq.m, allowing us to seamlessly combine more events. 63,536 people visited Innovator 2018 against a target of 40,000, elevating an initiative that promoted a culture of innovation.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The event very successfully reached exhibitor and visitor profiles, as a carefully curated programme was designed to obtain maximum results. The Innovator 2018 programme included:
100+ UAE based Innovators’ projects that attracted an enthusiastic young crowd, 20 Signature innovative projects, 5 organizations presenting their own innovative projects, 27 Science workshops, 6 interactive stage shows, and multiple events across both venues that attracted visitors of all ages.
All of these features targeted and attracted both the general public and a wide selection of young students. School visits were deliberately incorporated, thereby adding to the educational character of the event.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE from the 1st of till the 7th Feb, 2018.
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The layout of the booths was prepared on the concrete area in front of the Corniche restaurants in a half moon shape. In the middle was the stage. To the left and right we had a Robotic Juice Bar operating throughout the day and Robotic screens performing a customized show with a film that was split on the 2 moving screens, wowing the crowds. Rockets, cogs and a plethora of science icons were displayed all around the venue, together with 3D lettering for photo opportunities. The venue was fully branded from its perimeter as well as on the tent roofs, giving great visibility from a distance. To pay tribute to the late Sheikh Zayed founder of the UAE, we created a giant mosaic of his picture using photo-booth snaps of visitors.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: We increased the size of the event to 16,250sqm, allowing us to seamlessly combine events (Innovator and the Abu Dhabi Science Festival). The Innovator event was built on the concrete area of the Corniche in front of the restaurants, hosting the innovator stands, workshops and stage. On the sandy part of the Corniche Beach, we built two tents with science workshops and next to it we placed a 30mx100m marquee to host the AD Science Festival. All activations would be indoors under canvas, while the exhibition and shows were outdoors to give a festival look and feel.
TAGS: Innovation, Attraction, Consistency, Colorful, Grand
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: To represent the event successfully and make sure the messages work, designers carefully studied the previous years’ content. The area was split into two and connected by an entertainment plaza. One side had Innovator stands and the other side had science workshops and experiments. For the young target group, colourful designs were integrated to appeal to most visitors and divided into different STEM fields. Recycled wood material was used for the stage, stands and flooring, while science items were scattered everywhere.
CHALLENGE: A big challenge was to create something different and appealing. Previous years it was focused on content without much decoration. As space was limited, designers efficiently created a flow across the exhibition; where the innovator booths and science tents were bright and colourful. 3D lettering was used and activations made everything instagrammable. A huge tent was built and customized flooring with passages leading to it. Branding outside the tents even was unified and created great appeal, even from afar.
ADDED DATE: 2019-03-07 06:19:32
TEAM MEMBERS (1) : Viola Communications Team
IMAGE CREDITS: Viola Communications
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