The traveller experience takes on new feel

by carly_mchugh | 6 September 2023 12:19 pm

It has been 10 years since Montreal-based multimedia studio Moment Factory unveiled North America’s largest airport multimedia ecosystem, at the Tom Bradley International Terminal in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Produced in collaboration with top global strategists, the series of immersive media features put LAX on the map as a place where visitors could rediscover the romance of travel, along with the glamour of Hollywood. It also set a new standard for airports and train stations around the world.

Over the past decade, the studio has continued to draw on its high-quality technical and creative expertise to transform the world’s busiest and top-ranked travel gateways into destinations in their own right. Through this approach, transportation hubs not only reinforce their position as strategic gateways to the destinations they serve, but they also become a central part of the passenger journey, driving visitorship and revenue-generating opportunities, while reviving the wonder and grandeur of the travel experience.

Reinventing the passenger journey (2013)

With the opening of the next-generation Tom Bradley International Terminal, outbound travellers encountered a completely new airport experience. Instead of a stressful environment, they stepped into an oasis of harmony and calm, created with a multi-canvas multimedia ecosystem. Inspired by the iconography of L.A., the Moment Factory team crafted immersive video content featuring the latest in high-resolution imaging, 3D effects, interactive capsules, and real-time information, to bring continuity and romance to the passenger journey. From this point on, the airport would no longer be viewed as an uninspired place to transition through as quickly as possible.

Pushing the boundaries (2017)

In its constant pursuit of excellence, Changi Airport Group commissioned Moment Factory to create two transformative media features for the Singapore Changi Airport. As travellers pass through security, an immersive media wall comes to life with picturesque landscapes and animated bas-relief sculptures, bringing levity to a typical pain point in the journey. In the retail zone, large-format LED screens create a trompe-l’oeil effect, seamlessly merging real and virtual storefronts to recreate Singapore’s traditional shophouse architecture. This cinematic backdrop sets the stage for a local love story that entertains travellers as they shop and dine. Each installation was designed to blend into the airport environment and cater to specific traveller needs, while forging emotional connections to the country’s culture.

Inventing the aerotropolis (2019)

The ongoing relationship between Moment Factory and Changi Airport Group attests to their confidence in the transformative role multimedia storytelling plays in airports, as well as its contribution to their dominance in the market. As part of the group’s vision for an aerotropolis—a place where city merges into airport—Moment Factory was asked to create two inspiring multimedia experiences to anchor the Experience Studio within Jewel, the Singapore Changi Airport’s new, mixed-use, landside visitor attraction. Designed to entertain, engage, educate, and encourage the health and well-being of visitors, Moment Factory developed an interactive multiplayer game powered by human movement, along with an immersive theatre which provides a virtual tour of the evolution of the airport and its crown Jewel. Since opening, Jewel has attracted an average of 300,000 visitors per day, showing airports can be venues for much more than takeoffs and landings.

Celebrating a city and its regions (2020)

Building upon the monumental history of New York City’s Penn Station, Moment Factory developed a multimedia content strategy to help reinvent the Moynihan Train Hall as a world-class transit hub and central gathering place for visitors and locals. Celebrating the romance of travel, the heritage of the architectural landmark, the vibrancy of the city, and the beauty of the state at large, seven animated capsules play across four massive LED screens, casting a sheen of splendour
over the visitor experience and contributing to a positive halo effect for the restaurant, retail, and business tenants that overlook the new atrium.

Calming the commuter rush (2021)

An estimated 3.7 million visitors pass through Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station each day, making it the busiest transportation hub in the world. Its East-West Passageway serves as a crucial artery for subway, inner-city, and commuter-rail travellers, who cross the 100-m (328-ft) corridor daily. However, the overcrowded and stressful atmosphere had previously earned it a negative reputation. To improve circulation and create a sense of harmony, Moment Factory created The Colour Bath, which envelops the corridor with glowing gradients, themed moods, and ambient digital content. Drawing inspiration from Shinjuku’s diverse culture, the large-scale multimedia ecosystem—one of the largest of its kind in Japan—uses light, video, and sound to offer commuters calming and colourful moments of wonder. In support of railway company JR East’s business goals, The Colour Bath also creates room for revenue-generating content within a unified and entertaining ecosystem.

Expanding the journey landside (2022)

With nearly 72 million passengers served in 2019, Hong Kong International Airport vies with Dallas Fort Worth as the second busiest airport on the planet. The Journey of Discovery in the recently renovated Terminal 1, originally designed by Foster + Partners, strengthens the airport’s reputation as a leading destination for passenger experience innovation. Positioned at strategic touchpoints, four multimedia activations contribute to this holistic effort to create a welcoming atmosphere and impart a deep sense of place for arriving and departing passengers, from curb to gate or gate to curb. Integrating interactive technologies was key to the client’s vision, including original content and storytelling from celebrated local artists, crafted to resonate with local travellers and spark the curiosity of visitors. Extending the passenger journey on both ends, the immersive Twin Gardens in the Meeters and Greeters Hall offers visitors a lush environment to play, relax, and share excitement for their trip with friends and family, whether in person or on social media.

Reinvigorating the travel itinerary (2022)

As part of an expansion to increase Hamad International Airport’s capacity to more than 75 million visitors, Moment Factory was tasked with creating a rejuvenating multimedia environment for the new concourse’s indoor tropical garden, The Orchard. Surrounding the oasis, a 1-km (0.6-mi) LED ribbon unfurls across two storeys, amplifying the beauty of nature with native botanical themes, and showcasing Qatar’s rich cultural heritage on a 24-hour ambient loop. Ideal for long layovers, or even a quick recharge, the serene space encourages travellers to meander and dwell in the terminal’s retail, food, and beverage zones, and repositions Hamad as a refreshing, rather than draining, leg of their journey.

Taking local pride global (2023)

As part of the largest design-build project in the state’s history, the transformation of the New Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) extends a proud New Jersey welcome to domestic and international travellers. Seamlessly integrated into the terminal’s architecture and systems, The Digital Journey of Surprises was strategically designed to provide an entertaining experience within a highly functional space. Located at key touchpoints, a series of permanent large-scale installations evolve to meet traveller needs from curb to gate, with New Jersey pride front and centre every step of the way. Moment Factory consulted with numerous experts to capture the distinct yet diverse personality of the state’s 21 counties, and to pay homage to innovators shaping its history and future.

The future of the passenger experience

These world-class travel hubs exemplify a paradigm shift in passenger experience innovation.

“In today’s experience economy, travellers leave home with heightened expectations,” says Mikael Charpin, general manager and producer in the cities unit at Moment Factory. “Transportation hubs are no longer simply where the travel journeys begin and end. Increasingly, they have become a vital extension of the travel experience, where cultural discovery and entertainment open the door to higher satisfaction rates, increased brand value, and revenues.”

Art and immersive experiences can also boost traffic, dwell times, and on-site profits, proving transportation hubs can be places where both travellers and non-travellers choose to spend their time and money.

Where is Moment Factory headed next?

Since its inception in 2001, Moment Factory has created more than 525 unique projects worldwide, including the enchanting Lumina Night Walk series. The studio’s team combines their specializations in video, lighting, architecture, sound, and special effects to create remarkable immersive experiences. Productions span the globe and include clients such as Singapore Changi Airport, Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, Disney, Arcade Fire, Microsoft, Sony, Boston Museum of Science, Madonna, Cipriani, Universal Studios, the Toronto Zoo, and the Reims Cathedral.

Travellers can expect to see more innovative work from the studio’s ongoing collaborations with the world’s busiest and top-ranked transportation hubs, including Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, and another collaboration with Singapore Changi Airport.

Evidently, every step along the travel journey counts. By embracing the transformative potential of transportation hubs, each experience has the chance to leave a personal and lasting imprint on every traveller.   

This article is based on a press kit Moment Factory prepared for v2com newswire. For more information, visit v2com-newswire.com.

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/the-traveller-experience-takes-on-new-feel/

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