NanoLumens Lights Up CenturyLink's New Technology Center of Excellence With a Unique NanoWrap™ Solution

Last March, CenturyLink (www.centurylink.com), a global communications, hosting, cloud and IT services company, cut the ribbon on its new Technology Center of Excellence. The 300,000 square-foot state-of-the-art (LEED certification pending) R&D center features of a stunning array of NanoWrap visualization solutions from NanoLumens (www.NanoLumens.com), an industry leading manufacturer and marketer of visualization solutions.

The new building’s lobby is a palace of glass that incorporates 37,000 square feet of View Dynamic Glass, making it the single largest installation of electrochromic glass in the country. View Dynamic Glass leverages nanotechnology and pre-programmed intelligence to tint automatically in response to outside conditions and user preferences, eliminating the need for blinds or shades. But, even with that technology, the lobby is still very bright. The exceptional brightness of NanoLumens’ technology, which can be adjusted as the ambient light levels change throughout the day, assures that the video on the solutions will remain clearly and crisply visible at any time, under any conditions. 

“The NanoLumens displays create a stunning effect in the lobby, and it’s fair to say that this sets the lobby apart from any other atrium like it,” said Ben Cating, Senior Consultant-VP of Idibri (www.idibri.com), the Addison, Texas-based consulting firm hired by CenturyLink. “It’s more than just a video installation — it’s a visual achievement.”

The center also includes a technology research and development lab, a network operations center, a customer experience center and a collaborative office and meeting space.  But, said Cating, the space also needed to make a definitive statement that immediately established the facility as a cutting-edge technology location. NanoLumens NanoWrap solutions helped the client make this visual statement and capture the attention of customers as they walk through the door. 

Three columns in the building’s three-story-tall atrium are wrapped with NanoLumens’ 5MM NanoWrap displays in a 42-inch-diameter circular panel that covers 12 feet of vertical surface on each column. The NanoLumens LED panels, made up of thousands of Nixels™, NanoLumens’ patented display module, turn these architectural elements into archi-technological elements. They provide a continuous stream of full-motion video that’s visible throughout the entire lobby and from any angle. Each display can show different video content or all three columns can play synchronously, with content fed over IPTV via fiber from a cloud-based Cisco-AppSpace content delivery system.

The NanoWraps are attached to the columns by a unique circular mounting system, incorporating a custom metal frame around the column in which the panels are attached. This system was carried out by AV systems integrator American AVL, based in Ruston, LA.

“CenturyLink wanted to make this lobby a unique technological experience for visitors and guests,” Cating emphasized. “We looked at a lot of possibilities, and video would keep the columns as an integral part of the aesthetic design. But attaching conventional flat displays to them would have ruined the flow they create visually. Only the flexibility of the NanoWraps, which we could literally wrap around the columns, offered us the solution that we needed. NanoWraps were the only way we could address this particular form factor. The result is striking to look at.”

“The space- and energy-efficient NanoWrap solution offers quiet, low energy consuming cylindrical visualization wherever a customer would like to place it,” emphasized NanoLumens Executive Vice President of Business Development, Karen Robinson. “Whether that’s hanging overhead, in a fixed position on its own, or around the columns of a building, NanoWrap solutions are made to equip customers like CenturyLink with the perfect visualization solution that’s just right for them– no matter what size, shape, or curvature is needed.”

To download additional hi-res images, click here. All photography is courtesy of Idibri Consulting. 

As Real As It Gets: Digital Installation Brings Madame Tussauds Experience to Life at 'The Crossroads of the World'

A giant new LED screen in New York City will give the tens of millions of annual visitors to Times Square - ’the crossroads of the world’ - the chance to see inside Madame Tussauds. 

The attention-grabbing 13 ft. by 12 ft. LED screen, which was installed on June 19th, is visible from 42nd Street. It is already proving to be a big hit with visitors to Times Square to enjoy a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the Madame Tussauds experience.

The project brief from Madame Tussauds (part of Merlin Entertainments Group) to Banner Managed Communication (BMC), its global marketing and communications agency, was to increase the attraction’s cut-through and audience share within the intensively competitive New York tourist scene. BMC brought in its digital experience design partner, OpenEye Global, a world leader in conceiving and delivering innovative visual technology projects, to create the experience from the eyes of the visitor. OpenEye also enlisted Scala and NanoLumens for content management and display installation, forming a solid team of expertise.

The Madame Tussauds and OpenEye teams developed a content strategy highlighting the brushes with fame (and infamy!) that could only happen inside Madame Tussauds. Using actors and a green screen to film reactions to their encounters with Madame Tussauds’ stars, crowds outside could get a real taste of the fun that awaits them inside.

Davey Barrett, Head of Product Development, Midway Attractions, North America at Merlin Entertainments plc said:

"BMC and OpenEye have helped us find a truly innovative way of communicating and visualizing the experience of visiting Madame Tussauds to a vast, untapped audience. We’re undoubtedly achieving our primary objective of grabbing the attention of many more visitors to Times Square. The 4.5MM digital display from NanoLumens delivers impeccable clarity and brightness essential in creating an invigorating experience.”

Catherine Burke, Managing Director of Banner Managed Communication, said:

“Creative thinking and leading-edge technology have combined here to inject new life and contemporary relevance into an attraction with a heritage stretching back almost 250 years.

The project is a perfect example of why we've partnered with OpenEye. They provide precisely the blend of digital innovation and execution expertise which BMC clients are looking for.”

Bryan Meszaros, CEO, OpenEye commented:

“It was clear to us that many people’s perception of Madame Tussauds lags way behind the modern-day reality. So our focus was on creating content and using technology to visualize and bring to life the Madame Tussauds experience, emphasizing what an incredibly dynamic and interactive attraction it is for visitors.”

Dina Townsend, Vice President of Retail, Scala commented:

"The Madam Tussaud's deployment is an excellent example of collaborative, best in class, digital engagement that seamlessly integrates technologies, form factors, platforms and strategic vision.

From the Scala perspective, our content management platform was leveraged to deliver digital signage as well as the #MTSelfie social media experience. Using the Scala platform as a true customer experience engine allowed Madam Tussaud's to integrate a variety of digital experiences all engaging the consumer across channels in new and unexpected ways, but all managed from a single and extensible console to provide the best possible outcomes in a most efficient delivery model." Dina Townsend, VP of Retail at Scala.

Burt Smith, Executive Vice President of NanoLumens commented:

“New York's Times Square is arguably the busiest intersection in the world," emphasized NanoLumens Executive Vice President of Business Development Burt Smith.  "Thousands of retailers, hotels, theaters, restaurants, bars and tourist attractions compete for the attention —and the business— of the millions of consumers who flock to this intersection every year.  Creating an engaging visualization solution that can work with the design limitations of any existing space in New York City is not an easy task for most solutions providers — except NanoLumens.  Our unique ability to listen to the Madame Tussaud team and design a solution in the shape, size, and curvature that works for them is what won the day.  We are very proud to have been a part of this very exciting project."

NanoLumens NanoSlim Engage 1.8MM LED Display Wins Digital Signage Magazine Best of Show Award at InfoComm 2015

Underscoring its ability to continually redefine benchmark performance standards for LED display technology, NanoLumens (www.nanolumens.com), the industry leading manufacturer and marketer of visualization solutions, today announced that it has been awarded a Digital Signage Magazine InfoComm Best of Show Award for its next-generation NanoSlim Engage 1.8MM pixel pitch solution. The announcement was made at InfoComm 2015 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

NewBay Media presents the Digital Signage Magazine Best of Show Awards, honoring outstanding products exhibited at the InfoComm show. Panels of professional users and NewBay Media editors select winners based on product descriptions as well as on judges’ inspection on the convention show floor.

“It’s truly an honor to receive a Best of Show Award from a prestigious publication like Digital Signage Magazine,” NanoLumens Executive Vice President of Business Development Burt Smith stated. “At NanoLumens, we’re dedicated to providing our customers with the best selection of visualization solutions for any project. The new NanoSlim Engage 1.8MM display demonstrates this commitment by being the world’s slimmest visualization solution available in any size or shape, completely bezel-free.”

The first product in the NanoLumens NanoSlim Engage line featured a 2.5MM pixel pitch and it was introduced to the world at ISE 2015 in Amsterdam.  It was the first LED display solution able to be front-installed and front- serviced and is designed to allow customers to engage their audiences up close and personal.  The high resolution, large-scale visualization solution came backed by an unprecedented corner-to-corner six-year warranty and is designed to serve as the ideal display solution for boardrooms, command and control centers, and other areas where clear and up-close viewing is required. 

The 1.8MM pixel pitch version of NanoSlim Engage introduced at InfoComm 2015 goes even further, delivering impeccable clarity and brilliance with one of the tightest pixel pitch available on the market today. “The introduction of a NanoSlim Engage solution that offers an even tighter pixel pitch than the solution introduced a few short months ago demonstrates our company’s ability to redefine standards we ourselves set,” Smith emphasized.

NanoLumens displays are extremely slim, ultra-lightweight, energy efficient, and feature a bright, seamless, high resolution picture quality that can be viewed from any angle throughout the display horizon without color shift or image distortion. The company’s patented display technology and highly innovative products are transforming the way companies engage their audiences in every type of higher education, retail, hospitality, stadium, arena, casino, transportation and public event environment.

All NanoLumens displays accept input from nearly any device or content management system. There is no need for additional software, hardware or specialized personnel to display content beautifully.  With a profile of only a few inches, NanoSlim displays can be installed on virtually any surface without being obtrusive, adding the ‘WOW’ factor to any environment without taking up precious space. NanoLumens’ patented display technology is optimized for indoor use, operating with minimal heat and no noise while producing bright, rich, consistent color as well as superior off-axis viewing with no color shift or image distortion throughout the display horizon.

The Calgary Stampede Adds Two New Mobile NanoLumens NanoSlim® 6MM LED Display Solutions

Anyone who has ever been to the Calgary Stampede knows it is an experience they will never forget. That’s because they and the approximately 1.2 million visitors the event — held annually since 1923 in the largest city in Canada’s Alberta province — draws each year are immersed in the largest rodeo in the world. Billed as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” the 10-day event held every July in the venue known as the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede Center features parades, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions and specialty events such as chuck-wagon racing, as well as typical rodeo events such as calf roping and bull riding. 

This year, the Calgary Stampede will also feature something totally new that will add to excitement the stampede generates — two NanoLumensNanoSlim 6MM 16 X 9 HD LED display platforms, assuring grandstand crowds in the Agrium Western Center venue of the Stampede that they won’t miss a single moment of the show. The portable NanoSlim displays will be moved to various locations within the venue, depending upon the type of events taking place any given day or night. Effortlessly suspended from a beam above the ground, the NanoSlim will portray live video, graphics and programmed information in a bright, easily visible image. These same screens will be used throughout the rest of the year, supporting conventions, expos and other events that make the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede Center one of the busiest event venues in Canada. 

“We did a lot of research for LED displays, because the Calgary Stampede has very specific needs that have to be addressed,” explains Mark Muench (RTPM), Events Services Manager for the Calgary Stampede. “I looked around and saw that NanoLumens displays were in a lot of the same kinds of major venues as the Calgary Stampede, such as Cleveland’s International Exposition Center.  Also, weight was a crucial consideration for us, because the displays would have to be hung in multiple locations in the venue. The NanoLumens solutions were less than 500 pounds per rigging point, which was the lightest weight of any display available. So these screens were easy to hang and to move, offered excellent brightness, and were extremely cost effective. That made NanoLumens an easy choice.” Muench was even more delighted once he experienced NanoLumens’ customer service, from NanoLumens’ Quebec office, which he described as fast and responsive. 

While the Calgary Stampede is still several months away, the two new NanoLumens displays are already getting a workout at convention and expo events taking place at the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede Center. Since March of this year, they’ve drawn compliments from event attendees for their brightness, vividness and visibility. “They were used for the Calgary Comic Expo recently and we had a chance to compare the NanoLumens LED displays to a projector and screen they also used for that event, and there was no comparison,” says Muench. “The NanoLumens displays simply look phenomenal. The 6MM pixel pitch offers excellent resolution. They were just what we needed to capture the excitement of the Stampede, or any event here.” 

Burt Smith Appointed Executive Vice President For Business Development at NanoLumens

Emphasizing the importance of developing its core business outside of the United States, NanoLumens (www.nanolumens.com), the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of visualization solutions, today announced the appointment of Burt Smith to the position of Executive Vice President for Business Development, reporting directly to NanoLumens CEO Rick Cope.

“While we continue to build our base of sales in North America, NanoLumens must and will broaden the focus of its business development efforts throughout the UK, Europe, Middle East, and Asia,” Cope said today. “Burt Smith has the global business development experience that we need to help us achieve our sales objectives in all of these critically important target markets.  He has driven sales, marketing, and business development programs in small and large software and hardware companies in developing high tech markets.”

Karen Robinson, who has held the position of Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing since 2010, is moving on to direct the company’s mergers and acquisitions initiatives. “Karen’s talents make her the ideal executive to identify companies and technologies that complement and extend the NanoLumens eco-system of visualization,” Cope said today.  “She has done an outstanding job over the last five years in building out our executive team and I expect she will do the same in her new role with the company.”

Burt Smith has more than 25 years of success in professional sales management, channel sales management, marketing management and operations experience with large and small technology companies. With an electrical engineering degree from Georgia Tech, he has spent his entire career in technology, helping to launch numerous category-defining products. He has strong international channel sales development experience in the UK, EU, Middle East and China and has been directly involved in successful IPOs/acquisitions/exits including the sale to Autodesk of the Constructware SaaS (Software as a Service) collaboration software, the sale of the industry leading content management solution MediaBin to Interwoven (now HP) as well as the international IPO for MediaBin. 

Smith’s industry experience spans many fast growing markets including the AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) market for Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM), content management for consumer brand advertising, healthcare/medical SaaS solutions, high-end graphics visualizations systems and most recently big data and predictive analytics. 

As Executive VP for Business Development, Smith and his teams will be focused on expansion of the sales pipeline of business opportunities through targeted sales programs, direct marketing and messaging. Additionally, he and his teams will drive the marketing and evolution of the company to become the industry’s top provider of visualization solutions, utilizing the Visualization as a Service (VaaS) model, through the expansion of whole product solutions that offer increased value, greater repeatable sales, increased margins and substantial revenue growth.