Drawing a record crowd of over 13,500 industry professionals, The Work Truck Show® 2018 was the largest event in the history of the NTEA. Held inside the Indiana Convention Center, the event saw an unprecedented number of vehicle launches, including the much-anticipated launch of the new XL Series from Hino Trucks USA. Desiring a dynamic and exciting tradeshow environment worthy of their inaugural Class 8 heavy-duty trucking solutions, they enlisted the assistance of production provider Elite Multimedia who created a momentous LED video, lighting and audio design.
“We’ve been exhibiting at The Work Truck Show for 18 years now and this is definitely the benchmark show for the work truck industry,” began Sheree Greenhalge, Assistant Manager Marketing, Hino Trucks USA. “Each year the show generally has many new product launches, and this year we were focused on the launch of our Hino XL Series. We were entering a market that no other OEM has done successfully in the past 50 years, so we knew we had to unveil the new truck line in a manner that matched the occasion.”
In visualizing their concept for the design, the team at Hino Trucks USA first understood that the launch needed to be an event like none before. With a captive audience of so many industry professionals in attendance, a large booth footprint would be required to hold all the production elements which would stop attendees in their tracks.
Greenhalge continued, “We knew we had to unveil the new line of trucks in a ‘big’ way at the 2018 show. To do this, we added 30% more floor space in the booth to accommodate the new trucks and display properties, along with dedicated areas for attendees to watch the launch. The show floor stood still while we unveiled the trucks, and with the massive LED video design created by Elite Multimedia, visitors could watch from every angle of the 7,200 square foot booth.”
Ready now to finalize the design properties needed for the historic launch, Greenhalge brought in the design professionals at Elite Multimedia. Understanding the importance of introducing the XL Series in the right way, Greenhalge was confident that the partner relationship between the two companies would once again prove to be a success.
“Elite Multimedia has been our partner for several years now helping us with various events, including our National Dealer Meetings and Conferences,” added Greenhalge. “They have always proven to have a ‘yes, we can do that’ attitude, and they always develop new and creative solutions on how to bring our ideas to life. They truly have become an extension of our Marketing team.”
As the time for load-in drew near, the design for the dramatic reveal of the XL Series began to come to life. Working in conjunction with the rigging engineers employed by the Indiana Convention Center, the massive production design created by Elite Multimedia was soon ready to make a dramatic impact.
“Our technical team began load-in four days before the start of the show,” explained Greenhalge. “The LED video wall was a 360-degree display that fit perfectly around our two hidden vehicles, which were a 6x4 tractor and a 4x6 straight truck about 30-feet in length. We then worked with a specialist brought in by Freeman to safely apply weight distribution inside the Indiana Convention Center of the 12,000 pound, 9 million-pixel LED video wall, and the 16 synchronized motors made sure the unveiling of the trucks went off without a hitch.”
With such a large LED video design created to generate excitement behind the XL Series product launch, the content created would be an essential design component as well. Knowing the industry’s appetite for the new work trucks being debuted, the design would need to not only highlight the official launch, but also create a number of different looks for the various events taking place in the booth throughout the show.
“Our customers and dealers have been asking for this product for over a decade, so the video content had to show the excitement building up to this moment,” admitted Greenhalge. “It was a homage to the tireless hours of many people around the world that culminated into the final moment when we see the new Class 8 trucks. We then added in audio and lighting elements for both pre and post-show looks that could accommodate our speaking presenters, live Social Media feeds, videotaping, photography, and the actual tradeshow days as attendees visited the booth.”
In what is now considered their most successful product reveal launch event in history, the booth design for Hino Trucks USA was a tremendous achievement. While receiving numerous industry accolades on the new XL Series trucks themselves, it was also the tradeshow production design that captured the attention of the other exhibitors as well.
“We had many exhibitors stop by our booth to ask about our tradeshow environment and inquire about how the design was built,” concluded Greenhalge. “They would even bring over their own agency and show teams to see what we had accomplished. It was a very proud moment for the entire Hino team and we dedicated its success to the graphic genius behind the idea who passed away unexpectedly before seeing his vision come to life. We wanted people to be talking about this for a very long time, and the launch of our Hino XL Series was definitely one for the history books.”
Elite Multimedia is a privately-owned, leading supplier of the most up-to-date audio, video and lighting technologies today. With a combined 85 years of industry experience, our team of dedicated professionals knows how to pair the right technology with your vision whether partnering with you in a rental, systems installation, or sales relationship. Through an unconditional desire to make your production or project a complete success, our passion and knowledge to innovate knows no bounds. For more information on how Elite Multimedia is the right partner for you, visit www.elitemultimedia.com, follow us on Twitter at @EliteMultimedia or find us on Facebook or Instagram.