Last Holiday season, we enjoyed bringing two light show experiences to Cheyenne, Wyoming, through architectural mapping. Projected across the front of the historic Cheyenne Depot in downtown Cheyenne, we created a multimedia extravaganza for their traditional Downtown Lighting Celebration and dazzling the crowd.
Picture this:
A timer projected onto the Depot Museum tower ticked away the seconds as the evening event approached. With about 10 seconds to go, children that were gathered in the Depot Plaza began to yell out each number as it counted down, and as the timer hit zero, a loud boom sounded, and every light illuminated all at once. From all around the lights beamed – strung on trees, framing downtown buildings, and on tall evergreen trees.
The music started, and 3D shapes began to dance on the museum’s façade creating colorful projections of ornaments, wreaths, candy, fireworks, snow, and strings of lights that were all designed to the shape of the building. Since this was part of their 2020 Old West celebration, people laughed and cheered at the dancing cowboys on horseback herding bison, and at the end of each song, they whooped and cheered some more.
The event was such a success that a city council member was even seen wiping a tear from her eye. Alt Ethos was thrilled to help bring the holiday spirit and some much-needed sense of community safely to the folks in Cheyenne.
We are excited to be back in Cheyenne, Wyoming!
This 3D projection mapping holiday lights show was such a hit that we have been asked to make a more permanent attraction.
Our challenge is to address and impact the economic and cultural engagement throughout the city. As a permanent project our aim is to invite locals and tourists back into the city for celebration-themed holiday and event-specific content to keep visitors delighted and engaged and help drive economic development.
We look forward to the opportunity to exceed the creative expectations in the design and implementation of this visual experience. See you soon Cheyenne!
Interested in developing a projection mapping experience for your community or event?
eFlow is a fun and creative way for people to engage and connect while physically distancing. Whether at a drive-in event or virtual event this collaboratively creative platform can be easily branded or themed.
eFlow‘s platform is fully customizable – custom stamps, brushes, and backgrounds are all possible to create branded experiences for your event. The ongoing live collaboration can be displayed publicly by projecting the canvas large-scale at your physical event as well – creating a hybrid experience for both onsite and virtual attendees.
eFlow is an artistic collaborative WebGL fluid simulation that works in your browser. You and other online participants can collaborate with colors and shapes on an ever-changing canvas. See the networked artwork shift and grow in real time as others join in on the fun.
Previously…
Outdoor Immersive Storytime
At the Anythink Brighton Drive-In Storytime event, as attendees got settled into their parking spots, they were able to play with eFlow on the screens across their personal devices and see their the projection screens in the lot.
Virtual Dia De Los Muertos Experience
Alt Ethos created a custom Dia De Los Muertos interactive experience for Thornton, Colorado’s 5th year of its annual celebration. While October 2020 restrictions transformed this hybrid event into online-only, visitors were able to connect and share the community memorial video online and play with others decorating the sugar skull on eFlow.
Let’s talk about ways that Flow can bring magic and play into your event! Interactive and immersive exhibits take your event to the next level.
“I don’t know about you, but I have caught the travel bug. COVID-19 has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health it seems, and more often I find myself longing to get away. The urge to travel is partially a longing to connect, not just with other people but with the natural world.”–anonymous
COVID-19 has affected the lives of every American in ways we are still grasping to understand. From financial stress to unprecedented changes in school and business, there is nothing our nation has faced quite like this. Now more than ever, people are longing for something to pull them out of the chaos. And now more than ever we need to make wise choices in how we travel. We are longing for opportunities to experience the beauty and to connect with what’s around us.
One of the ways people in the Northwest have increasingly chosen to connect during COVID-19 is through the National Park system. Wyoming, for example, has had some of the lowest numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths in the nation. Their national parks, including Grand Teton and Yellowstone, were able to remain open for the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic with very little outbreaks. Enjoying the great outdoors has become one of the easiest and healthiest ways to be physically distant and remain in-tune with the outside world. The outdoors will remain throughout the winter months.
However, experiences in the outside world don’t have to be limited to the national parks. In a world with an ever-increasing demand for individual, and oftentimes virtual experiences, digital designs are playing a vital role in a physically distanced pandemic America.
Digital designs are one of the most affordable and diverse ways to transform public spaces in ways that would be too cost-prohibitive for traditional capital improvements to take place. For example, holiday tree lightings, modern drive-in theatres, and socially-distanced architectural projection mapping offer the opportunity to set up live experiences with minimal changes to the structural environment. Drive-thru and drive-in live experiences offer the chance to mimic the traditional performance environment without costly overhead or unsafe practices during COVID-19 shutdowns.
Experiential design has been at the forefront of our culture preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. They offer the benefits of a communal social function while allowing individuals to participate from the safety and comfort of their cars, outdoors, or from the comfort of your home. These options offer the blend of privacy and community that many are craving right now. And, there are many other options for virtual live experiences that are just scratching the surface of what we’re able to accomplish within the digital pace.
Join us this holiday season in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Where Cheyenne is bringing the lights to the holidays this year. Alt Ethos will feature two light experiences in Cheyenne this holiday season. On Saturday, November 21st, and Friday, November 27th we light up the Downtown Lighting Celebration through architectural mapping of the train depot located at 121 W 15th Street. That’s not all! From November 21 through January 1st, 2021, come by the Prime Time Holiday Drive-Thru at Blue FCU located at 2401 E. Pershing Blvd, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001.
The post-pandemic world is undetermined. What do we want to use to shape it, and how will we as individuals and communities contribute? That is the question that digital art and technology can provide if we are confident enough to venture out.
Free Consultation
Note: Always follow the recent guidelines from local health and state agencies as well as the recommendations of the CDC to stay safe. If you or someone you spend time with have compromising health concerns, please avoid crowds.
Themed Future-Proofing Museums & New Realities, the New Mexico Association of Museums (NMAM) will offer their annual conference in an innovative, live-streaming format. Alt Ethos experiential design studios hosts NMAM’s 2020 virtual event. Alt Ethos’ CEO, Ethan Bach will present at the conference, as will his 14-year-old daughter who will hold a demonstration in Minecraft. Over 40 talented speakers in the Museum industry will present at this year’s annual conference. The conference is held November 4-6, 2020. Registration for the conference starts at $38 . You can register here.
The conference theme, Future-Proofing Museums & New Realities, will explore the process of anticipating, coping, and preparing for future impacts beyond our immediate control. Changes in our world, including climate change, technological advances, shifting demographics, and a global pandemic are transforming all aspects of museum and cultural work, from marketing and fundraising, policies and procedures, and collections management, to visitor experience. NMAM, a professional interest group for the museum field, isleading by example as they continue to provide their network with professional development and support. Museums are faced with site closures, staff reductions, budget cuts, and even the specter of permanent closure. According to NMAM President Adrienne Trunk Boggs: “We cannot allow this to happen in New Mexico. Museums are key to our social recovery from Coronavirus. The nature of how we serve our communities must evolve to ensure that museums remain relevant for the next seven generations.”
Alt Ethos’s CEO, Ethan Bach will speak on technology, museums, and the future. He has a long history with NMAM and it’s partners. Bach served at the Institute of American Indian Arts for over ten years with his most recent role as the Digital Dome Director where he led 360 research and education at the Digital Dome @ IAIA. Bach also provided media consulting and services for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs during his time living in Santa Fe.
The featured keynote address will be delivered by noted Chicana writer and cultural activist Denise Chavez and the full program includes half-day workshops, interactive networking opportunities, a variety of streaming multimedia productions, a virtual expo and tech showcase for vendors and sponsors, and live sessions on a variety of themes, including online learning, planning for continued disruption, human rights, and cultural equity. The program will culminate with live virtual exhibit tours. “It’s an honor to collaborate with NMAM to ease them into their first virtual conference.
The New Mexico Association of Museums (NMAM) Annual Conference is held November 4-6, 2020. Basic Registration for the conference is just $38. You can get your registration here.
On Tuesday, September 1, from 9pm-midnight, theaters and event venues across North America will be asked to light ghost lights on their stages, light their buildings in red, and use hashtag #WeMakeEvents to symbolize the struggle of the industry, which has been shuttered since March 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Alt Ethos is supporting our colleagues, clients, and friends in the event industry by lighting up the mansion at 2345 7th St, Denver. Thanks to Reactiv.io for collaborating on this lighting installation one of their many event rental spaces. Check out the mansion as you drive down I-25 near the Denver Aquarium, or stop by to snap some photos – and tag #WeMakeEvents to raise awareness.
By the Numbers
The live entertainment industry is a cornerstone of the U.S. economy. It employs over 12 million people and provides upwards of $1 trillion in economic impact – more than the transportation, agriculture, and tourism industries. However, due to the global pandemic, the live events industry is in grave danger. A devastating number of arts professionals are currently out of work and will be for some time, with the pandemic having shut down nearly all entertainment functions in all sectors.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has been completely shattered reporting that:
• 95% of entertainment events have been canceled.
• 62% of entertainment workers are fully unemployed.
• 94% of entertainment workers have lost income.
• The average arts worker reports $23,500 in losses thus far.
• 66% of entertainment workers are unable to access spaces, staff, resources, or supplies needed to do their jobs.
Local Colorado non-profit Conscious Alliance has joined #WeMakeEvents to distribute meals to out-of-work industry workers in the area on 9/1 – DONATE HERE to provide a meal and support the cause.
Now that we are starting to have small attendance-capped in-person events, Hybrid Events are a great opportunity to enhance real-world events while integrating online interactions. There have been numerous successful virtual trade shows, events, and conferences which have increased worldwide attendance over their previous physical events.
Keep the increased worldwide engagement going, while offering diverse ways for your guests to join your in-person and virtual Hybrid Events. By gathering a smaller group in person and a larger group virtually, we are able to achieve some of the face-to-face interaction while also keep attendees safe.
There are several ways to throw Hybrid Events that are engaging, productive, and fun. The Alt Ethos team began creating hybrid experiences over 13 years ago and would love to help you find the best solutions for your audience and goals.
In the BizBash article, What Will Hybrid Events Look Like?, Cara Kleinhaut, founder and CEO of AGENC Experiential & Digital Marketing, notes:
“We must deliver a simultaneous digital experience that mirrors the live experience in quality and interaction—and not leave digital participants on the sidelines with a Zoom chat or a passive viewing experience, which is still the majority of what we see out there.”
What was a memorable experience you had in a virtual streaming conference? Could you tell us about the most unique Zoom meeting you had last week? Can’t think of anything? Us either!
We are being inundated with video streaming in chats, conferences, and events. Repetitive experiences, day in and day out, are creating a lapse of memory and connections. Where once we attended in-person events – networking during a mixer, listening to a speaker, and lining up for free drinks – now we find our virtual events have a lack of engagement.
Your event and audience engagement is important to us.
Alt Ethos wants to help you succeed in creating dynamic connections that create lasting impressions. We want to partner with your organization to achieve your goals in the virtual and partially-virtual event spaces. We provide unique and engaging platforms and environments that highlight your sponsors, integrate live entertainment, and provide a variety of virtual world experiences.
Alt Ethos’s CEO, Ethan Bach will speak on technology, museums, and the future. He has a long history with NMAM and it’s partners. Bach served at the Institute of American Indian Arts for over ten years with his most recent role as the Digital Dome Director where he led 360 research and education at the Digital Dome @ IAIA. Bach also provided media consulting and services for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs during his time living in Santa Fe. 
