New Windsor, New York—December 16, 2009—It is no surprise that General Dynamics, a global leader in producing, supporting and sustaining land and expeditionary combat systems for the U.S. military and its allies, required the highest level of precision and planning for its Combat Systems' booth at the 2009 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) trade show. Working closely with Karl Oskoian, Director, Communications and Public Relations, General Dynamics Land Systems, H.B. Stubbs Companies (HBS) designed and fabricated two booths, which spanned an aisle and included two tank-size (45,000+lbs) demonstrators at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.
H.B. Stubbs contracted Production Resource Group (PRG) to supply the full production package, handling all equipment needs as well as on-site services. “I think that PRG's expertise in audio, video, lighting and rigging made them the right choice for this project,” said Al Przeklas, Senior Account Executive, H.B. Stubbs.
PRG provided an integrated, multi-disciplined system that addressed challenges such as rigging and cabling of the LED elements. Philips Color Kinetics LED products spanned the 5,000 square foot, two-story exhibit. The main booth was 50ft by 70ft and across the aisle was the secondary booth, 50ft by 30ft. The two spaces were visually tied together through the use of synchronized color effects on a 4mm LED wall provided by PRG. The conference room walls also used LEDs that were programmed into the color scheme. PRG installed a lipstick camera mounted inside the demonstrator tank turret, which sent a video signal to a 50” monitor and the LED wall. All of the LEDs, as well as the automated fixtures, were controlled via the ChamSys MagicQ lighting console.
PRG supplied and installed a wireless DMX system in both booths. PRG Account Manager and Lighting Designer Norm Piaskowski explained, “We knew we wanted to use a wireless system because we didn't want to have cables running across the floor or in the air. It was the ideal solution.”
HBS, PRG, and show contractor GES, developed a precise installation plan, which was particularly critical due to the requirement to install the two tank demonstrators before any other exhibitors even entered the hall. A crane was brought in, steel plates were dropped to distribute the weight and the demonstrators were lowered into position from flat bed trucks.
PRG's client, H.B. Stubbs, was pleased with the final result. “I was very happy with PRG, as was General Dynamics,” commented H.B. Stubbs' Przeklas. “It was a very successful endeavor for all of us.”
For more information on PRG, please visit www.prg.com.
About Production Resource Group—Production Resource Group, LLC (PRG) is the world's leading supplier of entertainment technology solutions, including lighting, audio, video, scenery, and automation systems. PRG serves a wide range of markets, including theatre, concert tours, trade shows, corporate and special events, television and film, and themed environments. PRG provides its services worldwide through more than 17 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia.