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TLD Helps Launch Mercedes Benz B-class
The show also served as the platform for the European premičre of the Mercedes Benz M-class, the world debut of the redesigned and technically upgraded Mercedes Benz CLK-Class and the unveiling of the Manufaktur Maybach 57S.
Tasked with making the lighting of an overall area of 2200 m2 look stunning, TLD pulled out all the stops to ensure that the show was a success for Mercedes Benz' and Manufaktur Maybach's parent company DaimlerChrysler AG. With extensive planning needed for an exhibition of this magnitude, TLD started work four months prior to the show's opening. Firstly, the company's chief lighting designer Richard Profe analysed how the vehicles would look under the different colour temperatures of various fixtures and in this way, the most suitable fixtures were chosen and positioned. Once the interior of the stand had been finalised, Richard could go on to specify the lighting for the service areas, offices and conference rooms. Finally, the emergency lighting was set out.
In order to get a clear perspective of how the booth would look, a mock up of the principal stand elements, including lamps, was built in a huge hall close to TLD's Stuttgart office. This established that the choice of lamps was correct and Jens Probst, one of TLD's regular freelancers, was then able to pre-programme the stand lighting.
"The challenge of a big trade-show stand is to create a new design while staying true to the corporate image of the client," said Richard. "Although similar materials will be used to maintain continuity, no two show stands are ever the same. Building a prototype of the stand saves the client time and money, plus ensured that the concept works as expected. In addition, the time setting up at the Geneva Motor Show is always very tight, so it is essential to ensure in advance that everything is exactly right and can be set up as quickly as possible."
TLD also had to be extremely flexible communicators, as DaimlerChrysler AG and its brands employed a number of companies from different disciplines, such as architects and a communication agency, with whom TLD had to liaise.
As well as the booth itself being different at each show, so, too, is the lighting. At Geneva, TLD began by hanging 6,500 vertical white neon lamps, designed in partnership with architect Kauffmann Theilig & Partner of Stuttgart and communications agency Atelier Markgraph GmbH of Frankfurt, under the ceiling of the hall. This provided a stunning visual link between all the stands occupied by the DaimlerChrysler brands, symbolising the parent company as a 'roof' over all of them. But it wasn't just a case of hanging the fixtures: TLD also had to ensure that the neon lamps did not compromise the lighting plans of other DaimlerChrysler brands such as Dodge, Smart or Chrysler. For this, all light and rigging plans had to be exchanged with the respective companies.
The 'creative' lighting element was both comprehensive and complex. In total, TLD specified 2,650 feet of black powder-coated 16" box truss, 1,550 feet of black powder-coated steel pipe, 200 black PAR 64s, 180 2500W and 1200W Arri Sun HMI, 100 High End ColorCommands, 20 High End Studio Beams, 10 2500W Robert Juliat d'Ártagnan followspots and 300 floodlights. All the lighting was controlled by Wholehog III lighting consoles.
The next stage was to experiment with different lighting temperatures, ensuring that they perfectly complemented the stand materials and cars while ensuring that the lighting fixtures themselves didn't detract from the focal point of the design. "Although we do a lot of preparation, this work doesn't replace the necessary fine-tuning on location," said Richard. "Colour balance, colour matching and final focusing are all things we have to do on the booth, but the pre-programming saves us lots of time, because one minute of timecode equals two hours of programming and at most shows we have to synchronise about 20 minutes of film."
He added: "The most important thing is to create an atmosphere on the stand which complements the brand and its corporate identity. The only way to achieve this is by analysing each individual element, exhibit and lighting plan. That is what makes our work so complex, because we consider everything - every piece of architecture, every car, every stand and every meeting room."
photo: Ralph Larmann
9th June 2005
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