http://www.designboom.com/architecture/ofis-architects-cultural-center-of-european-space-technologies-complete/
In a place like Slovenia, rolling hills and peaked-roof houses dominate the landscape. However, in a collaborative project by OFIS Arhitekti, Sadar Vuga Arhitekti, Bevk Perovic Arhitekti and Dekleva Gregoric Arhitekti, this picturesque scenery is now juxtaposed with a sleek, modern, and very cool building in the town of Vitanje. The Cultural Center of European Space Technologies is a series of stacked and slanted circular elements offering exhibition space, an auditorium, and a space technology research centre. It’s interlocking rings, and glass cylinders, seem to make the building float and rotate in place offering dynamic movement in this traditional townscape.
The interior, constructed of raw concrete and accentuated by large, vertical glass panels is the perfect setting to display iconic imagery, artifacts, and hold conferences, and club activities dedicated to space and the study of it.
Early predictors - both anectodal and financial - are showing that 2012 is an optimistic year for exhibitors. According to the recently released 2012 Economic Outlook by EXHIBITOR magazine, a third of 500 surveyed companies have larger budgets this year than last. Although it goes unsaid that the majority do not have more purchasing power - it appears that there is still value in their tradeshow spends, with a strong 84.1 percent saying that they are still "hopeful" and "optimistic" about the current effectiveness of trade shows as a marketing medium.
So, how can companies plan cautiously for this cautiously projected growth while still getting the most out of their marketing spends today?
- Be strategic. Be strategic with your audiences, your shows, your sponsorships and most importantly - your brand. With every dollar being scrutinized, it's important to be mindful of their brand awareness, ROI, leads and other measurable information that will help support and determine the show schedule and overall market value.
- Realize and leverage cost efficiencies. About half of those surveyed by EXHIBITOR said they have no plans to purchase a new exhibit in 2012. Even if you're not in a position to make a major purchase, how can you leverage the investments and assets you already have? Are there updates that can be made, different promotions or other tactics that can help your exhibit go the extra mile? With nearly 50 percent on the fence about making a new purchase, a year on pause may reveal which assets are most valuable, and may even support a more strategic investment in the years ahead.
- Plan ahead - right now! There is no time like the present to plan. We're almost through Q1, and planning for next year will soon follow. Use this time to find opportunities for growth, to see what you've already got (think spring cleaning) and take advantage of the uptick in the marketplace. Greater concentration of resources, understanding of prospect and client needs and measurement standards will help organizations best manage their programs.
Check out the
survey for more insights on the industry's economic outlook, and what our peers are saying.
Some very cool office décor for creative spaces. I like the juxtaposition of super ornate
surroundings with modern furniture and fixtures. Although the Azure space is
something out of a Dr. Suess story.
Happy imagining!
The world's fair EXPO 2010 Shanghai is an exposition of pure superlatives: more than 130 country pavilions spread out in a newly built area a little more than 5 square kiometers at both shores of the Huang river in Shanghai. The organizers expect 70 million visitors from May to October. More than 5 million of them will have seen the German Pavilion - one of the top favorite pavilions with cues of up to six hours waiting time for the many Chinese and few foreign visitors.
50,000 sq ft of the futuristic design building that occupies a space of 65,000 sq ft house is an exhibition that was engineered, fabricated and installed by EWI Worldwide's Europe- and China-divisions. For about a year, we worked on what is now beautifully documented in this video.
Our Praxair client just sent along this photo -- shot of the video we created for them as it appears on the exterior screen of the USA Pavilion at World Expo, Shanghai. Praxair is an official sponsor of the USA Pavilion.
What’s amazing about standing on the grounds of the World Expo in Shanghai, which opens on May 1, is to realize that the physical expanse of this event (greater even than the Beijing Olympics!) is matched only by the importance placed upon it by the countries and brands exhibiting here.
Unlike the World’s Fair of old, when people would travel across the world to glimpse the newest gadgets -- Ladies and gentlemen...an electric powered machine that actually washes your laundry! -- the modern day World Expo is much more an affair that combines global politics, big-time commerce, and national pride.
It should come as no surprise—especially after the Olympic Games—that China is pulling out all the stops. A massive, spaceship-like visitor center and towering, pagoda-inspired China Pavilion are just a couple examples from the host country that will make your jaw drop.
And you don’t have to be a student of economics and world politics to understand why exhibiting countries, as well as the world’s largest brands, are investing aggressively to stand out, honor their hosts, and troll for the free-flowing—and increasingly mighty—yuan.
Our EWI Worldwide colleagues have been helping to finish up some striking pavilions for Belarus, Columbia, and Germany (see photo below), our exhibit for the World Wildlife Fund is truly outstanding and we just shipped the final film that is part of Praxair’s sponsorship of the USA Pavilion.
Please have a look at all of these if you visit. You won’t be disappointed.
The N building’s whole facade is part of the AR experience, enabling people passing by to see inside, who lives there, what store specials are, who is tweeting. The building is an impressive example of the real and the virtual worlds coming together in a simple clean design. No, more bombarding of information, viewer is given the choice to explore or ignore. Fabulous!