Case Study

Dimensional Innovations kicks a game-winner at Lucas Oil Stadium with NEC displays

Quick FactsFacility: Lucas Oil StadiumLocation: Indianapolis, IndianaChallenge: Create an interactive environment for fans to experience football firsthand, while involving a national sponsorSolution: 40” MultiSync LCD4020, 46” X461UN and 52” MultiSync LCD5220Date: Beginning August 2008

After the Indianapolis Colts were set to move in the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium, owned by the City of Indianapolis, the team wanted to create a branded, interactive area within the venue to support corporate sponsorships with the team and the National Football League. The bare 10,000-square-foot space needed a leading integrator to design the realistic sporting environment, and Kansas-based Dimensional Innovations (DI) was up to the challenge.

DI is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary firm taking ideas through design, fabrication and installation. Its mission is to translate its customers’ visions into reality by utilizing its full-service team of project developers and managers,

designers, engineers, artists and fabricators. The company, which prides itself on creating the unachievable, has proven experience in various market segments, including cinemas, casinos, retailers, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, entertainment venues, museums, zoos and libraries.

Lucas Oil Stadium is a seven-level facility with a retractable roof that seats up to 70,000 for both indoor and outdoor events. It covers 1.8-million square feet, features 137 corporate suites, two club lounges, meeting rooms and two exhibit halls. The stadium is home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and hosts major conventions, exhibitions, tradeshows and NCAA basketball competitions.

The ChallengeFaced with the challenge of a new, empty facility, DI began its planning with a core mission to defy standards and involve stadium visitors. DI had a vision of an interactive environment that communicated information and streamed videos through digital signage. “It’s not enough to create static spaces anymore,” said Jennifer Corwin, marketing coordinator for DI. “The space brings relevance for a new generation of consumers who are hungry for higher stimulation.”

The “Final Drive” 3D virtual game-play, located in Lucas Oil Stadium, uses a 3x3 video wall comprised of 40” NEC LCD4020 displays, along with four additional screens mounted above to provide instructions. Using gestural recognition technology, this game allows fans to make plays and throw for touchdowns as the quarterback.

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Key influences for the entrance were mainly aesthetics such as thin bezels and a crisp, eye-catching picture to attract the fans. After discovering that plasma displays were not versatile enough and LED displays weren’t available at the time, DI began considering LCD technology. DI previously had a positive experience with NEC products in past projects with good results and considered NEC one of the best providers in the industry.

The SolutionDI’s team was inspired by NEC’s professional-grade product line, which can be used endlessly throughout the stadium’s events, games and tradeshows. Looking for an aesthetically pleasing, industrial-strength display, DI chose NEC’s 40” NEC MultiSync LCD4020, 46” X461UN and 52” MultiSync LCD5220 models for interactive and eye-catching digital signage, totaling 48 displays.

Most remarkably, the 3D virtual game-play called “Final Drive” is comprised of nine 40” LCD4020 displays in a 3x3 video wall. Two of these gaming systems allow football fans to instantly become a part of the team by making plays as the quarterback and helping to score touchdowns through gestural recognition technology. Four LCD4020 displays are mounted above each interactive game. Two of the displays provide instructions for the 3D game, and the others show a live feed of the interactive game as it is being played.

“The reaction from fans has been phenomenal,” said Justin Wood, vice president of business development for DI. “We were able to interactively portray corporate brand messaging while also representing their sponsorships. The limits of traditional signage were pushed by constructing an engaging environment that immerses each fan in the gameday experience.”

One of the jaw-dropping additions to the stadium is a custom centerpiece light sculpture, comprised of six LCD5220 displays, creating a chandelier effect. Each screen displays corporate-branded content in different intervals so no two screens are alike at once. The mesmerizing structure captivates fans as they enter the stadium, compelling them to pause during the walk to their seats for a few seconds of awestruck interaction with digital signage.

DI’s team of project managers and engineers worked together to create an environment that seamlessly links to the Internet by providing instant connectivity through phone downloads, streaming live content and touchscreen kiosks. Another area of the corridor contains two 2x2 TileMatrix™ video walls comprised of LCD4020 displays. These video walls are used to showcase advanced technologies through commercials direct from stadium sponsors.

This award-winning area of the stadium continues to be covered by media outlets for its unique way of involving fans with the game and the team’s sponsors.

The installation has been so well-received that DI is designing and installing two additional video walls in August 2010. Each 2x2 video wall is comprised of X461UN displays with ultra-narrow bezels for a polished aesthetic to complement the dazzling Sprint advertisements that circulate on the screens.

“The ability to brainstorm, design and implement a total package for the Lucas Oil Stadium is what Dimensional Innovations is all about,” said Wood. “We thrive on challenging tasks, like incorporating a national sponsor into a professional arena. Developing solutions that work well, look interesting and get the message across is our ultimate goal. NEC’s large-screen LCD displays helped us achieve that for the project.”

The stadium captivates fans with its unique use of NEC LCD displays, including a custom centerpiece light sculpture featuring six 52” screens (shown in center and bottom).