Environments : 3M
“Sparks has left an indelible mark of excellence on our company. When the next generation comes "In Search of Excellence" they will still find 3M and Sparks in the same view.”
| Category: | Executive Briefing Center |
|---|---|
| Location: | St. Paul, MN |
| Challenge: | Design and outfit the 3M Innovation Center to host and provide high-level executives, brand managers, and visitors with a holistic sensory experience taking them on an engaging and educational journey through 3M's history and offerings. |
| Solution: | The center's entrance reflects an international theme reinforced by multilingual "think maps" of the innovation process, which are etched into the sidewalk and emphasized by background music and a voice-over track welcoming guests in 24 languages. An interactive video wall introduces visitors to the people of 3M, including past and present innovators while a three-dimensional interactive theater featuring video testimonials from customers capitalizes on 3M partnerships to improve their businesses. The Vision Dome Theater, the first permanent installation of a 3-D, 360° domed theater, showcases an original film, "The Spirit of Innovation," developed and produced by Sparks and our partners to convey the center's image of innovation and partnership. At the film's conclusion, an illuminated platform that surrounds the audience reveals each of 3M's 45 core applied sciences. Outside the theater, two interactive "Innovation Stations," 84 "technology platform" exhibits and 10 product walls give visitors the opportunity to connect with 3M's processes and products. |
| Performance: | By the end of 2006, the center hosted over 14,000 visitors and 285 events. The center also won Event Design magazine's Gold Award in the Best Permanent Installation category. |
