Acer and Sid Lee Launch the Predator with a Ferocious High-Tech Installation at Next@Acer
New York, NY – When looking to introduce over 140 new products, most prominently the revolutionary new Predator gaming line, global technology company Acer partnered with creative agency Sid Lee to set a new benchmark for launch events, establishing Acer as one of the most innovative companies in the space. The result was Next@Acer, a single day tech event that took place last Thursday April 23rd at NYC’s Four World Trade Center. With the Predator installation at its nucleus, created with Tool Interactive Director Aramique, Sid Lee transformed the massive venue into an interactive playground for hundreds of tech journalists, creating the perfect setting for visitors to explore and experience the cutting-edge world of Acer.
“For the Predator installation, Acer tasked us with dramatizing the system in the most spectacular, engaging way possible,” noted Sid Lee Executive Creative Director Daniel Chandler. “We’ve always admired Aramique’s work, and knew that he’d be the perfect person to pull off the technical execution we needed to deliver something really striking.”
To achieve this one-of-a-kind interactive experience, Sid Lee and Aramique displayed the Predator above a pool of ferrofluid, an exotic liquid that forms sharp “spikes” when affected by a magnet. A sign reading “Ask and the Predator will answer” invited guests to speak into a microphone in front of the Predator display, turning the vocalizations into magnetic charges which brought the ferrofluid to life beneath the display.
“I wanted to make a dark and mysterious interactive world that the audience would step into and, as a team, we had fun making this world a reality,” commented Aramique. “Ranjit Bhatnagar (Engineer) and Jeff Crouse (Technical Director), did an amazing job figuring out the software and hardware systems that let us control the ferrofluid with 43 magnets on 43 motors.”
Adding to the effect, the ferrofluid spikes were then captured by 4K cameras and fed into 16, 4K monitors that surrounded the audience. The immediate visualization of the participants’ voices energized the installation, giving visitors the impression that the ferocious Predator system had come to life, right before their eyes.
“It was an exhilarating experience to partner with Acer CMO Maarten Schellekens and Tool,” continued Chandler. “The process was incredibly collaborative and involved lots of late night calls and early morning brainstorms. We worked with the team in Taiwan to bring to life the most progressive, innovative event that Acer has ever held.”
The additional launch installations included 140+ products divided into seven distinct categories. Each product grouping contained bespoke installations designed to highlight key product features, helmed by Sid Lee’s Jessica Marak.
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About Sid Lee:
Sid Lee launched its American presence in the fall of 2012 by establishing the company in the melting pot of US creativity, New York City. The Tribeca-based team has swiftly gained an enviable reputation as a thought-leading hot shop servicing many of the United States’ most progressive and iconic brands. Now firmly established, with more than 60 professionals, the team delivers transformative strategies for globally engaging clientele and offers a rarity in fully holistic international media and brand solutions, supported by the production, technological, and architectural weight of the mother ship just 300 miles away. Sid Lee New York often builds teams consisting of specialists from all our offices (700 professionals) to leverage the group’s various skillsets and bring the best that Sid Lee has to offer for both East and West Coast clients.
Credits:
Client: Acer
Chief Marketing Officer: Maarten Schellekens
Sr. Program Manager: Aileen Yen
Program Manager: Jill Mao
Agency: Sid Lee NYC
Managing Partner:: Lukas Derksen
Executive Creative Directors: Dan Chandler, Dan Brooks
Head of Digital: Kwame Taylor-Hayford
Design Director: Verena Michelitsch
Copywriter: Dan Dominguez
Art Director: Morris Lee
Designer: Jessica Marak
Designer: Rui Ma
Creative Technologist: Dofl Yun
Account Director: Christian Parsons
Account Executive: Abby Kron
Executive Producer: Anthony Moschini
Junior Producer: Ariel Lim
Director/Editor: Adrian Yu
Production Co.: Tool
Interactive Director: Aramique
Managing Partner – Digital: Dustin Callif
Managing Director – Live Action/EP: Oliver Fuselier
Executive Producer: Chris Neff
Technical Director: Jeff Crouse
Engineer: Ranjit Bhatnagar
Designer: Mau Morgo
Producer: Jennifer Baker