UK attractions promoted with Routemaster bus mapping

Exhibitors within the Experience UK Pavilion at IAAPA Expo Europe will be showcasing their innovations, with a projection-mapped centrepiece depicting a street party scene taking place on the upper deck of a London Routemaster bus.

The Pavilion, curated by premier British trade body Experience UK, which represents the UK museum and visitor attraction sector, and Department for International Trade (DIT), spans 160 sqm and recreates a London Street scene with the classic red double-decker bus as the centrepiece.

The eye-catching projection mapped display, sponsored by Simworx, features content created by immersive experience specialists LCI Productions. The inhouse concept and content team worked with Katapult, which designed the Pavilion, to create the initial concept, producing storyboards, visualisations and the final animation, which is scaled to perfectly fit the windows of the bus. LCI has also designed and is providing the rigging system for the projection system.

The visuals are powered by a 7thSense Infinity Media Server delivering fully uncompressed media playback at 4K 60p (4:4:4 8-bit) from a single server solution.

John Higgins, director of product development at 7thSense noted: “As long-term partners of Experience UK and IAAPA, we’re delighted to once again be involved with such a great collective of companies that represent the very best of what the UK has to offer for the themed entertainment and attraction industry. We’re looking forward to sharing details of new 7thSense products set for release over the coming months, that are really going to enable storytellers worldwide to fulfil their vision.”

Six Christie Captiva DWU500S 1DLP ultra short throw laser projectors are located inside the bus to rear project the content onto the window gauze. Christie Captiva projectors are compact, lightweight, and quiet, seamlessly blending into installations while delivering 5,000 lumens on screens up to 150-inches in size.

Joe Graziano, director of sales, Entertainment, EMEA at Christie commented: “We are thrilled to reconnect at IAAPA Expo Europe and meet our customers and partners in-person. As a leader in the themed entertainment industry, we’re excited to discuss how Christie’s range of AV technology can enable the best and brightest shared experiences – from dark rides to projection mapping, Christie has the solutions to bring creative visions to life.”

Ian Clappison, chief executive officer at Experience UK, commented: “Visitors to the Experience UK Pavilion will be able to see and experience new products and innovations from our members for the first time at the IAAPA trade show.

“This includes the chance to soar through an immersive Snowdonia landscape on Frontgrid’s single player Paradrop VR experience, explore a digital twin of the booth and make modifications in the virtual space with Dapper Labs and get up close to an iconic and genuine Doctor Who Dalek and The Tardis with Sarner, which has developed the new science-based touring Doctor Who exhibition in close collaboration with BBC Studios.”

Visitors to IAAPA Europe are also invited to join the Meet The Brits social event taking place in the Experience UK Pavilion from 3pm on Tuesday 13 September. An afternoon tea consisting of a selection of finger sandwiches, soft drinks, teas, coffees and prosecco will be available for guests to enjoy as they explore the Pavilion.

The Experience UK Pavilion will showcase a variety of UK-based businesses, including Aardman Animations, Interactive Imagination Ltd, Christie, Conductr, Dapper Labs (Teq4), Environmental Street Furniture, Feel Good Films, Frontgrid, Katapult, Sarner International, Taylor Made Designs, U Cargo and 7th Sense.

The Experience UK Pavilion is located on Booth 1950.