Projection

SAP’s 2011 Sapphire Now conference in Orlando created a networking lounge on the show floor where attendees could view the keynote addresses on 18- by 60-foot screens while getting work done.

Production crews at Sapphire Now worked from three broadcast studios on the show floor to share content online and with audiences at 18 satellite locations around the world.

E3's annual spectacle brings tech-heavy events, exhibits, and press conferences to downtown L.A.

The Parrish event’s tent had a leafy projection and little twinkling rope lights that contrasted with the high-tech-looking lighting rack, which produced this dancing effect. Very fabulous.

#18 Benefit
This year's Pencer Brain Trust Gala added a new sponsor dinner and went for an edgy, rock theme. Next: spring 2013

Inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, 15 LED screens will provide images during the Republican National Convention. Thirteen screens in various sizes are on the stage, including three above that give the appearance of a skylight. Organizers say the podium was designed to give a sense of "America's living room," with traditional American Prairie architecture and modern technology.

On September 6, the Drake Hotel hosted a TIFF launch party of its own, dubbing the event the Drake "Overdrive." As part of an ongoing installation, organizers projected a music video from performance artist Peaches onto translucent screens set up in the first-floor windows of the hotel. The feed was visible both inside and outside the venue.

Perhaps the Pope is a Psy fan?

CNN used this type of interactive video wall during its election coverage and now it's available for events. PSAV offers two standard sizes, each using 46-inch square screens configured in either a two-by-two or three-by-three format. The company can also create custom screens of any size. The wall operates like a large iPad with about two dozen apps to create maps, presentations, and games. The product can be used as a presentation screen in educational sessions or in common areas as interactive digital signage, for example to provide venue maps and sponsor information. At a trade show, the wall can display exhibitor logos and information when users click on a specific booth. Within a booth, users can input their email addresses to receive additional information, creating an instant lead retrieval system.

Planners looking to do small-scale live-streaming can use Logitech's Broadcaster camera and app as an affordable, do-it-yourself solution. The camera uses a Wi-Fi connection to stream high-definition video via a Ustream account. Users control and preview the video on an iPad or iPhone using the related Broadcaster app. The video stream can be shared with others by posting to a Web site, Facebook, YouTube, or other social networks. The camera itself is small—less than five inches long and two inches wide—and portable since it’s not connected to a computer, so it could easily be moved around a room to provide a variety of angles. The carrying case doubles as a small stand, or the unit can be mounted on a tripod. The camera retails for $200 and the app is free.

The Web app Eventstagram creates a real-time slideshow of photos taken at an event and shared on Instagram. The product launched last fall, and both the Los Angeles Auto Show and the Houston Auto Show have used it to share photos from their events on large screens. Planners create a free account on the Eventstagram Web site, indicating the event dates, its hashtags and location, and the desired speed and animation of the photos. At the event the Evenstagram feed can be displayed on monitors or large screens. It’s free to display as many as 100 photos for a total of one hour (the time can be allocated in increments). For $50, planners can display 1,000 photos for six hours and also have moderation capability. Eventstagram will soon offer an option that accommodates more photos and time, a higher degree of moderation, and an online editor so users can fully customize the display with logos and sponsor slides.

Scion's exhibit space utilized clear glass panels with embedded TVs to showcase the product details of each of its cars without closing off the space with opaque walls.

Touch screens have made computers with keyboards and mice look clunky. And now there's a company making touch screen monitors seem out-of-date. Displair is a device that uses "touchable" air, that is, a thin stream of air infused with microscopic water particles, to display images. What's more, users can interact with the air, navigating the screen with their fingers. It's essentially a touch screen without the screen, which, if used at events, potentially could eliminate the need for bulky computer stations.

Projection mapping—also known as 3-D mapping—has become a wildly popular tool for event marketers, and a Microsoft Research project extends the use of that technology even further. Designed as a form of immersive entertainment, a prototype dubbed IllumiRoom captures the forms and layout of a room via a Kinect for Windows camera and, with a projector, expands the visuals beyond the screen in real time. The system can even make it look like a room is moving.

USA Network used a new "video paint" technology to promote its original drama series Graceland. On the evenings of March 9 and 10 attendees were invited to a pop-up location in downtown Austin's busy bar strip, where they could use a digital paint-brush roller to project Graceland images on the walls of buildings.

The video paint activation was produced by XA, with the technology developed by Sweatshoppe, a new multimedia performance collaboration that, through custom software, allows users to create real-time video collages.