Fashion Show’s Plaza w/ Cutting-Edge LED From @Daktronics
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
As seen by our team attending #CES2016 earlier this month in Las Vegas, the outdoor plaza of Fashion Show Las Vegas – the front door of the Strip’s largest retail destination at 2 million sq.ft. – recently got a lot brighter and more entertaining with the completion of new and dynamic LED video displays created and developed by Daktronics.
Fashion Show Mall 2016
The LED video capable displays include LED video columns, billboard and marquee pylon displays, all part of a recently completed redevelopment and expansion of Fashion Show’s Plaza that fronts the property along Las Vegas Boulevard.
Massive in size, covering a combined 10,000 sq. ft. and reaching 112’ at its tallest point, the signage features Daktronics’ proprietary LED video display technology, a specially blended formula designed for the Las Vegas environment with increased brightness and sun-cutting contrast to mitigate the wash-out experienced by other technologies. In total, the signage encompasses 12-plus million LEDs, 4-plus million pixels, approximately 7,000 LED modules, a color capacity of 281 trillion colors and 69 speakers on 68 amplifier channels capable of 48,000 watts at maximum output. They cover the entire plaza organized into 20 zones to provide customizable coverage for everything from localized background music to small concert level performances. Fifteen truckloads were used to transport the displays 1,450 miles from Daktronics’ Brookings, South Dakota, corporate facility to Las Vegas.
“While the numbers speak to the significance of these installations that now rank among the largest and brightest on the Las Vegas Strip, they don’t begin to speak to the significance of our proprietary technology which ensures a brighter and more impactful experience,” says Ed Wasserman, Daktronics special projects director. “At Daktronics, we consider Times Square and the Las Vegas Strip as two major global locations that completely embrace LED technology. We installed more than 30,000 sq. ft. of LED signage in Times Square this year, and we believe Las Vegas is on the cusp of similar growth. On the heels of our installations at SLS Las Vegas in 2014 and Fashion Show in 2015, we are proud to lead this LED evolution in the city of neon.”
Daktronics served as the lead project designer and LED sign provider, acting as general contractor on the project that took more than 18 months to complete and involved various sub-contractors. This includes all the large format displays on the plaza, in addition to renovated LED displays inside the mall, including the iconic three-screen LED video display over the runway in Fashion Show’s Great Hall. General Growth Properties, Fashion Show’s owner, was responsible for the primary structural improvements. Las Vegas-based Vision Sign Company installed the displays; and Las Vegas-based Best Agency oversees network operations – running, scheduling and providing proof of performance reports for Fashion Show and its advertisers.
According to Wasserman, content is always king, so considerable focus was directed to retaining the best in the business to ensure the delivery of premium video and imagery. The content was provided by a variety of content creation teams. New York City-based Show+Tell, in partnership with Las Vegas-based Brian Henry Design, created a full menu of programming for the platform. This includes 3-D animated Fashion Show brand spots, three animated mood spots featuring iconic Las Vegas imagery, a curated Artist in Residence program from up-and-coming artists, and Instagram Selfie Spotlight, a custom application that gives Las Vegas visitors the opportunity to take an Instagram selfie and then see their face larger-than-life on the Las Vegas Strip.
“Fashion Show’s new LED displays are an immense and unique digital canvas,” says Phil Lenger, president/chief creative officer, Show+Tell. “Multiple screens, curved surfaces, and colossal scale require a whole new visual language. Storytellers and marketers relish the challenge and the opportunity to craft compelling content through the use of imagery, color, scale, motion, and interactivity in the animations and videos that are now part of the Fashion Show on-screen show. Fashion Show’s new plaza has transformed the experience for all visitors to the Las Vegas strip.”
Houses in Motion from Brooklyn, New York, created a special four-minute holiday spectacular that launched on Nov. 12/15 and ran through Jan. 1/16. Dan DeGloria, partner/creative director at Houses in Motion, says that the unique shape and configuration of these one-of-a-kind screens opened up a whole new world of creative possibilities.
“We conceptualized ways to tell a story utilizing design, animation, live-action, and visual effects in ways we never had before,” says DeGloria. “Imagery travels across the plaza from screen to screen, wraps around the towering columns, and syncs in dynamic ways, giving the audience a show from any vantage point. Having audio capabilities in addition to the marvelous screens made the holiday spectacular all the more special. Partnering with Antfood for music and sound design, made this piece really come together, creating a memorable show for all audiences to enjoy.”
Another collaborator on the project is House of Current, an Atlanta, Georgia-based advertising agency that created the Fashion Show branded images on the pylons.
“A project of this size and scope obviously requires the collaboration of many companies working in concert to bring to fruition our vision to deliver the most technologically advanced LED video in existence today,” says Daktronics’ Wasserman. “We are proud, excited and honored to have led such an amazingly talented group of contractors and consultants who each contributed to the overall experience.”
Jim Heilmann, senior general manager at Fashion Show and ICSC Certified Shopping Center Manager, the evolution of brick and mortar shopping centers in the age of e-commerce requires the delivery of an experience shoppers are unable to get online.
“Today, retail destinations are about so much more than shopping,” says Heilmann. “They offer experiential entertainment in a variety of forms, from retail therapy and dining to pure performance. The newly enhanced video imagery on Fashion Show’s plaza offers yet another form of quality entertainment before our guests even step inside. We are proud and excited of this visually stunning and captivating feast that is reflective of the brands and distinctive experience Fashion Show delivers every day.”
Fashion Show is anchored by Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Macy’s Men’s, Dillard’s, Nordstrom, DICK’S Sporting Goods and Forever 21. It houses an eclectic mix of more than 250 stores and one-of-a-kind boutiques.
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