The Challenge
The Brisbane City Council approached us in early 2016 to develop an installation to accompany their stand at the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) that incorporated similar technology used in our ‘State of War’ campaign for the Queensland State Library. Underpinning this installation was the need to showcase Council’s plan for the city’s future, ‘Brisbane Vision 2031’, incorporating elements of each of Council’s eight vision themes.
Through innovative digital and design elements, Council wanted visitors to be able to explore and interact with the different components of Brisbane Vision 2031. With a wealth of archived images and footage, Council sought to provide visitors with the ability to take a journey through Brisbane’s past, explore and learn about its present services and facilities, and finally, gain a glimpse of the future; encouraging residents to take action to contribute to the vision.
Our Solution
In line with Council’s focus on innovation, we sought to give the 2016 Ekka stand a completely new look and feel, through engaging and vibrant graphic design artwork used at the stand, as well as refreshed iconography for the 8 vision themes embedded in the Brisbane Vision 2031. Driving traffic to the stand was a photo booth we designed to build awareness of Council’s eight vision themes. Entering the booth, visitors would stand in front of a green screen which generated a selection of backgrounds combining both heritage and modern, including the Brisbane sign, the Botanical Gardens, The Valley Swimming Pool, and old Council buses.
Complementing the refreshed look and feel of the stand was an installation that took advantage of the immersive experience we had developed in the past for the Queensland State Library’s ‘State of War’ exhibit. The result was an interactive timeline that canvassed Brisbane’s history, making use of archival material and delivering the experience across five 55” screens. Visitors had the ability to move back and forth in time, engaging with historical material ranging from footage of trams, to Queen Street in the 1960s.
The Outcome
The digital and design elements included at the Council stand were instrumental in driving a record attendance with 23,000 visitors engaging with the stand during the Ekka’s ten day presence; an increase of 6,000 patrons on top of the previous year’s 17,000 visitors.
The stand, photobooth and digital installation were all met with praise from both Council and visitors. Additionally, the success of the digital installation during the show period saw it evolve from a temporary feature to a permanent web presence on the City Council’s website which we made adaptive to both desktop and mobile platforms, allowing more users to engage with Council’s vision.