Pacific Domes and Earthdance

SEPTEMBER 12-14, 2008

Earthdance, the Global Dance Festival for Peace, is the world’s largest simultaneous music and dance event that takes place each year in 60+ countries. Its goal is to inspire people all over the globe to support humanitarian causes. It aims to unite people through the universal language of music and dance while joining in a day of peaceful celebration and harmony. The objective is to create as many Earthdance events around the world as possible.

Pacific Domes has been working with Earthdance in Laytonville, California since 2001. Every year we sponsor the festival by providing event domes which are used for multiple purposes throughout the weekend. This year there were two domes at the event. The Lotus Temple was a 44 ft. dome that was decorated with various altars, plants and tapestries. It was furnished with lots of rugs and pillows and offered festival goers a peaceful environment to relax in during the daytime. At other times it was bustling with activity while workshops took place inside. The Temple of Electronica was a 60 ft. dome that lit up the night. It was mostly empty during daylight hours but when the sun made its descent, the music and lightshows took over. The atmosphere inside was like a nightclub with bands playing and people dancing until sunrise. The dome was full of festival energy!

Earthdance is expanding its circle to include anyone interested in world peace. At each event around the world, promoters donate at least 50% of their profits to a local charity. There are no conditions on how big or small an Earthdance celebration needs to be. We encourage you to participate on whatever level is comfortable for you, whether it’s a public or private event. If you would like to get involved please visit http://www.earthdance.org/.

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Arts-in-Nature Festival in Seattle

Photo by Catherine Anstett

AUGUST 23-24, 2008

Seattle’s Nature Consortium hosted its tenth annual Arts-in-Nature Festival at the end of August. It was held at Camp Long and drew close to 2,000 visitors. One of the most popular attractions at the festival was the 36 ft. dome. Inside the “Geodesic Sound Dome” guests could listen to local musicians and enjoy some eclectic sounds produced by various artists.

Photo Courtesy of The Nature Consortium

Valerie Doerrfeld, a cellist who performed at the event said, “My string trio enjoyed so much playing in the dome, the acoustics were so surprising, AND we could actually perform in the rain which is usually a death threat to string insturments! It was such an interesting combination of sounds, the rain pitter pattering on the canvas of the dome and our playing. It truly was Art in Nature! We couldn’t resist and performed several of the pieces from Handel’s famous “Water Music!”

Photo by Catherine Anstett

Many of the attendees were very thankful that the dome also provided a place to escape from the rainy weather that started up on the second day.

The Arts-in-Nature Festival is an event that aims to teach environmental lessons through creative arts and hands-on conservation projects. The Nature Consortium, which is a grassroots, community-based organization, brought in a wide array of talent to ensure that there would be something for everyone

Photo Courtesy of The Nature Consortium

There were activites for kids and lots of good, healthy food as well as dance troupes, costumed stiltwalkers, fire performers and even a funky museum of sound. It was a place where kindred spirits could gather in a forested setting to share their passion for nature in a creative way.

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Indaba 2008 in Durban, South Africa

One of the most significant tourism marketing events which takes place on the African continent each year is called “Indaba” (a Zulu word meaning important meeting). In 2008 Durban, South Africa was home to the largest Indaba ever. Close to 4,000 visitors came to the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Conference Centre over a four day period in May.

This year’s Indaba attracted 14% more people than last year. The event was busier than usual because of the much anticipated 2010 Fifa World Cup which will be held in South Africa; many of the buying decisions for the World Cup were made at this Indaba.

South African Tourism, the company that organizes the Indaba, had a 30 ft. event dome at the show. They chose a dome for their exhibit because they wanted something very different that nobody else would be doing. The domed exhibit was such a success that they plan to use it in London for the World Travel Market faire that takes place in November.

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Dome is Center Court for Sharapova

AUGUST 20 – 21, 2008

For the second time this year there was a dome erected at the South Street Seaport in New York City. It was a 50 ft. event dome custom-made for Obscura Digital and used by Canon to launch a new line of cameras. This dome, which has a unique design, is only the third of its kind to be produced by Pacific Domes. It has an aluminum frame which can be seen on the outside and a gray cover that is suspended from it on the inside. This arrangement, which is the inverse of our standard dome design, is ideal for Obscura’s state-of-the-art digital projection. They are able to install their proprietary projection liner inside, confident that their full-surround video footage will not be obstructed by the geodesic frame.

Tennis diva Maria Sharapova was the star of this promotional event that took place in New York. The dome, known as “Canon Center Court,” was set up to mark the start of the U.S. Open and to launch Sharapova’s new TV spot for Canon PowerShot cameras. On the evening of August 20th the dome welcomed members of the press, Canon executives and radio station contest winners for a private party. Inside the dome guests dined on hors d’oeuvres while they were treated to scenes of Sharapova, sports, nature and wildlife that were projected onto the dome’s ceiling. The highlight came when Maria Sharapova introduced her new commercial while standing on a stage covered with Astroturf and white tennis court lines. The she presented the Canon PowerShot Diamond Collection which features five limited-edition diamond studded cameras that she helped design. These cameras, which will be given away in a sweepstakes, were on display as the centerpiece inside the dome.

The dome was open to the public earlier that day and the next day, targeting consumers. Situated in an area with a high volume of foot traffic, the large structure drew lots of attention. Those who ventured closer to see what all the buzz was about were invited to walk the red carpet leading into the dome. Visitors were swarmed by fake paparazzi only to see their own faces projected on the ceiling as they entered. Inside they could compete against Sharapova in a game of virtual tennis on a Wii console; have their picture taken with a Sharapova look-alike or cardboard cutout and see it reproduced on a Canon printer; or even play with the latest Canon digital cameras that were attached to tables. It was an immersive environment intended to engage the consumer and create an unforgettable branding experience.

You can watch a brief video by clicking here.

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