LeSportsac Dome at Pool Party

AUGUST 17 & 25, 2008

LeSportsac recently added a new design to its line of popular nylon bags and they are selling them out of a portable dome.

This 20 ft. Event Lite dome has a full wrap digitally printed cover that showcases the work of artist Merijn Hos, otherwise known as Bfree. He is an illustrator from the Netherlands who works on commercial products, such as the Bfree for LeSportsac Collection, as well as his own projects that include exhibitions and independent publishing. Bfree’s colorful psychedelic artwork not only looks fantastic on the handbags, it turns the dome into an eye-popping advertisement for the brand.

This custom event dome is being used by LeSportsac as a “pop-up” shop that travels to various events and sites throughout New York City. On August 17th and 25th it was at the McCarren Park Pool Party in Brooklyn, attracting attention while promoting and selling handbags.

The event was produced by JellyNYC Pool Parties, a series of free summertime gatherings that take place at various locations around the city. They usually include live music, food, dodge ball, slip-n-slide and an increasing number of vendors. The McCarren event was held inside a huge empty pool and, on the 17th, featured performances by Aesop Rock, Chin Chin and Panther.

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Domes Provide Respite at Virgin Fest

AUGUST 9-10, 2008

The Virgin Mobile Festival hosted three Pacific Domes this year, known as the “activity domes.” In addition to the Dell Dome (see previous post), there were two more 44 ft. Event Lite domes called Refresh and Recharge. They were co-sponsored by Kyocera Wireless, the premiere handset sponsor for the 2008 Virgin Festival. The domes offered concert-goers a place where they could escape the heat, sit down and relax.

The Recharge dome, in line with this year’s environmentally conscious theme, featured organically-made lounge chairs where visitors could relax in front of plasma screen televisions.

It also housed a solar-powered Recharge Bar for cell phone batteries. Attendees were allowed to pedal a bike in order to recharge their phones, cameras or iPods. They could also check out the new Kyocera Special Edition Virgin Mobile Festival “Wild Card” phone.

The Refresh dome was filled with tropical plants, enhancing the eco-friendly atmosphere.

Inside there were showers and misters for those who needed to cool down, as well as bamboo furniture for chilling out.

This dome was an oasis where people could get out of the summer sun and find much needed shade and relief.

“Green it like you mean it” was the motto for V-Fest this year in Baltimore. Festival organizers put several programs in place, aiming to be as green as possible. These efforts included: using compostable products such as plates made of sugarcane, cups made of corn and utensils made of wheat and potato; composting all food items at a local farm; recycling nearly all materials and enlisting the help of volunteer “Green Angels” to monitor waste disposal; using recycled and sustainable building materials; using clean energy such as biodiesel to power light towers and generators; purchasing green tags to offset carbon as well as donating clean energy to the local community; encouraging carpooling and providing mass transit shuttles; and educating the public through the use of art installations and interactive eco-educational experiences.

 

This was the third Virgin Festival held in the U.S. and it attracted approximately 60,000 people. Over 40 bands performed including big names such as Bob Dylan, Kanye West, Jack Johnson, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, The Offspring, Chuck Berry and Moby.

The event was held at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Dell Dome Travels to Summer Festivals

AUGUST 5, 2008

The Dell Dome is making an impact this summer as the Dell Summer Rocks Festival Tour makes its way across the country. It debuted at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 1st and then moved on to Virgin Mobile Festival (shown here) in Baltimore. The dome will also make an appearance at festivals in San Francisco, Seattle, Morrison, Colorado and Austin, Texas.

The Event Lite cover of this 44 ft. dome became a huge canvas for the work of Mike Ming, an artist based in Brooklyn, New York, who has created a series of designs that are now available on Dell laptops. According to Lisa Hassel, experiential marketing manager for Dell’s Consumer business, “The Dell Dome is a multimedia playground that celebrates self-expression and promotes sharing through art, music and design.”

Inside the dome, visitors can choose from a variety of activities including making a digital mix tape, getting a rock star hairdo, making a do-it-yourself button or custom tee or even getting a Mike Ming original airbrush tattoo. At each Dell Dome event Ming will create a live painting on a fresh canvas located in the dome.

The dome, air-conditioned inside to the delight of festival-goers, features an array of Dell computers for people to use. It’s the coolest place to gather at this summer’s biggest festivals and it’s the easiest tent to spot among the huge crowds!

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Domes in Nigeria

JULY 31 – AUGUST 1, 2008

The largest telecommunications company in Northern Africa recently changed its name from Celtel to Zain (“Zain” is an Arabic word that means beautiful, good and wonderful). Zain is striving to become one of the leading mobile communication groups in the world by bringing together its African and Middle East operations under one network. This 14-nation rebranding effort was launched with a colorful extravaganza that took place all across Northern Africa. The two-day event featured street shows, helicopter shuttles, VIP parties and celebrity performances.

In Lagos, Nigeria, a 90 ft. Event Lite and a 60 ft. SunLite dome were set up at the Tafawa Balewa Square (T.B.S.) for parties that took place on two different nights. On Friday night Zain held a party for its Nigerian employees and on Saturday night the party was strictly for VIPs.

At the VIP party there was a live feed from 13 other countries where people were celebrating simultaneously. The video footage broadcasted a speech given by Zain Group CEO Dr. Saad Al Barrak, in Nairobi, along with cheerful reactions from the other audiences located throughout the continent. Guests were also treated to musical performances by “9ice” and “Asa.”

The T.B.S. venue in lagos is a massive concrete parade ground that was built in 1972 as a racetrack for horses. Although is has fallen into disrepair, it continues to serve as a gathering place for national and historical celebrations.

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Wasaga Dome Opens in Ontario

JULY 31, 2008

The world’s longest freshwater beach, located in Ontario, is now home to Canada’s largest event dome! The Wasaga Dome is a 90 ft. Blackout Vinyl structure that has been permanently erected on the shores of Nottasawaga Bay at Lake Huron.

The dome is part of an effort to revitalize Wasaga Beach, one of Ontario’s leading tourist destinations. Considered to be the premiere venue for summer entertainment in the area, Wasaga Dome will host live comedy shows, movies, circuses and theatre productions.

On July 31st, The Wasaga Dome held its grand opening with 200 tickets made available for free to the public. The evening featured performances by The Second City Touring Company, Absolute Comedy, and a preview of the hottest new show on the beach called “Ignite.” This new show is produced by Zero Gravity Circus, one of the main groups responsible for bringing The Wasaga Dome to Ontario. Zero Gravity Circus is a circus production house and creative agency that has also been involved with film and television, international festivals and gala events. They initiated the concept of a permanent dome venue because of its circus friendly environment. According to Eli Chomenki, Wasaga Dome’s creative director, “Circus is designed to be experienced in-the-round and the dome gives more front row seats.” Although it can seat as many as 1,000 spectators, “No-one is more than ten rows back” from the action. Mr. Chomenki, “First saw (the) domes a few years ago and was so excited” about the possibilities they offered.

The expansive interior space is not obstructed by support poles and the steel geodesic frame can support sound and lighting equipment as well as aerial performers. With fire artists, wire walkers, contortionists and aerialists, “Ignite” is sure to excite the imagination and dazzle audiences with lighting, sound and special effects unlike any other circus.

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