The visitor experience for Mercedes-Benz at the IAA 2019 in Frankfurt demonstrates the consistent development of the dialogue platform.
Staging a brand presentation for the inventor of the automobile that shifts the wishes and needs of the visitors into the foreground.
A consistent communication strategy and architecture that focuses on the ecological, social and technological issues of tomorrow’s mobility.
Communication, staging
A paradigm shift that reverses the conventional perspective and focuses on the wishes of the target group: The overall exhibition results in a participatory visitor experience, which allows the mobility of tomorrow to be explored in four interactive environments. Questions about social aspects of a more humane city, how human-machine interfaces will function in the future or how the individual mobility of tomorrow can become more sustainable reflect the immersive thematic approach.
Spatially, this is expressed by a taut thread sculpture that represents the networking of the various traffic systems. The second area of experience, “Energize”, deals with the necessity of deceleration. The cocoon-like atmosphere is characterised by a surrounding ceiling sculpture in changing colours, whose illumination is influenced by the visitors’ pulse beat. “Excite” invites visitors to experience gaming possibilities and motor sports: a formation of floating spheres transports the dynamics of this energy-driven lifestyle into the room. Innovative entertainment formats connect with the vehicles in in-car gaming, while visitors surf along a virtual Formula E race course, bringing the excitement of Formula E into the exhibition.
LED surfaces of various sizes draw attention to electromobility, intermodal traffic and autonomous driving. The immersive storytelling draws on a wide range of interaction and experience options:
With guided tours, visitors can immerse themselves in urban scenes at different times. The narration culminates in the “Big Picture”, a large-scale media installation, also prompting a change of perspectives. The show vehicles are presented in everyday situations, so-called “Casual Moments”. These combinations of film and live performances create a new form of real-time communication that compliments the new use cases.
In addition, the highlights and in particular the world premiere vehicles are presented in clearly arranged brand areas, from Mercedes-Maybach to Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-EQ and smart to Mercedes-Benz. Experience, forum and convention thus form a didactic triad. Under the motto “start making where others stop talking”, Mercedes-Benz is cooperating with South by Southwest (SXSW) for the third time in order to focus not only on discourse, but also on learning and designing together.
