Yves Pépin, president of ECA2, and Mikio Ogasawara, president of Amlux Toyota, received the THEA Award 2007 for the Achievement of the Toyota Pavilion Group at the Aichi World Expo 2005. The award was presented in Los Angeles on March 3 and is given annually by the TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) for outstanding achievement of the past two years in the field of shows, museums and large-scale attractions.
Two and a half years of work with the engineers from Toyota's R&D units working alongside with ECA2's teams was necessary for developing and presenting this 21st century opera, combining robots and futuristic mobility prototypes, dancers, and trapeze artists alongside advanced show technologies. After six months of representation at the Aichi World Expo' 2005 in closed box-office, this show was witnessed by 2.5 million visitors.
"When The Toyota Group wanted to showcase the most advanced individual mobility technologies for the 21st century, they knew a traditional auto-show approach was not going to cut it," says Pépin. "So instead, they created a spectacular, futuristic opera that celebrates the relationship between the individual, the machine and the environment. The Toyota Group Pavilion Show at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan brings together an exciting and exotic mix of choreographed live action, multimedia and robotics. Dancers and trapeze artists, giant images and special fire and water effects combine with robot transporters and the 'i-unit' concept vehicle to inspire the individual to build a stronger bond between the Earth and those of us that inhabit it. But when you see this incredible show, you may think it came from another planet!"
This is the fourth time that a THEA Award was given to ECA2. Prior awards were received for AcquaMatrix, the nighttime spectacular show of the Lisboan World Expo in 1998, the pyrotechnic ballet for the millennium at the Eiffel Tower, and the El Tajin historical show in Mexico in 2003.
Yves Pépin also received the 2006 THEA Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first non-American to receive this prestigious international distinction.
ECA2 is a part of Publicis Events Worldwide Groupe.