For many companies AV has become part of the brand identity and workplace culture. Beyond the practicalities of connecting people through unified communication, AV experiences inspire innovation and connection, both internally for teams and in relationships with customers.
The winding path of experience AV in the workplace has brought new ideas and creative professionals to the table, people with storytelling expertise combined with technical fluency. Chicago-based Next/Now is one such company, specializing in digital experiences for 14 years. Alan Hughes, founder and chief creative officer, founded the company in 2010 to specifically create digital content and interactivity that would feel “as one” with the physical experience and environment. The technical palette for doing that has expanded greatly over years, as Next/Now has drawn on continuing improvements in display technology, interactivity, social media, and digital reactive surfaces to enliven in-person digital branded environments.
Those environments include workplaces writ large. In these installations, Next/Now brings the engagement of public spaces like LG’s Times Square brand launch, Intel’s Super Bowl activation, or the NBA flagship retails stores, to workspaces where the AV can be dramatic, but the goals are interpersonal, even inspirational. The following examples demonstrate the broad, diverse technical opportunity for AV-driven experiences for both internal and external stakeholders, regardless of their physical footprint and in keeping with interactivity goals that can only be served by AV.
Next/Now’s longstanding creative collaboration with United Airlines on its terminals went to a new level the design and development of the Airshop innovation center.
Created in partnership with Airshop visionary Mark Chowaniec, the immersive experience reimagines what’s possible in aviation innovation through visual storytelling, projection mapping, and multiple interactive content modes. Built with innovation and adaptability in mind, the AV presentation platform and content framework is data-driven and able to evolve alongside the needs of the innovation center as a whole.
The custom content management system features several content modules to support both internal development and demonstration purposes. With the ability to control modules through a tablet, users have the flexibility to conduct the room from any vantage point necessary.
This modular CMS software allows for nearly any form of content feature. As the innovation center grows and user needs shift, modes can be added, updated, and reimplemented quickly and remotely so as never to hinder the space from being utilized to its fullest.
For ABB Robotics, a leader in electrification and automation, Next/Now transformed the company’s customer experience center into an immersive space to serve both employees and customers.
Next/Now designed and implemented the custom fabrication and AV installations that enhanced the dynamic environment, aimed at boosting customer engagement and highlighting ABB’s technological advancements.
As ABB’s fabrication and AV installation partner, Next/Now was responsible for supplying custom-crafted elements for the Robotics Room across five categories: structured SEG walls, pedestals, direct view LED wall, supplemental down lighting, and wall graphics.
This collaboration between Next/Now and ABB Robotics successfully transformed the Customer Experience Center into a captivating innovation space. By seamlessly blending technology, design, and functionality, the bespoke environment sets a new standard in client engagement and showcases ABB’s commitment to innovation and excellence, giving employees a powerful platform for connecting to and showing off the company’s robotic technology.
Situated in the center of Cushman & Wakefield’s new Washington, D.C. headquarters, an ever-changing digital canvas over 24’ in length serves as the artistic focal point of the future-forward workplace.
This permanent installation was designed with both visitor and employee in mind, as the content is both visually stunning and dynamically driven so as to never once look the same. The generative content library at the heart of this installation is fueled by real-time data that reflects Cushman & Wakefield’s vast array of international real estate services.
The concept is rooted in visualizing the ever-evolving real estate landscape. Relevant industry and environmental data fuels how the content behaves. The integration of real-time data visualization aids in the longevity of the installation and ensures content doesn’t grow stagnant over time.
Next/Now developed a software toolkit that utilized Derivative’s TouchDesigner, Unreal Engine 5, 10bit FX’s Notch, Maxon’s Cinema 4D, and Adobe’s After Effects and Photoshop. By working across multiple platforms, the team was able to harness the strengths of each and create a work that is more than the sum of its parts.
Serving as a central hub for the entire North American continent, the International Union of Operating Engineers’ (IUOE) Training and Conference Center hosts hundreds of international engineers, site managers, and equipment operators daily.
Next/Now was invited to help tell the union’s story through a full renovation of the center’s lobby and common areas. New content gives an in-depth view into the history, achievements, and aspirations of the organization. It spans over a dozen digital touch points and supporting physical structures across two floors.
Members of IUOE have contributed to many of the greatest advancements in cities and building construction. Taking these innovative feats into account, each experience mirrored this mission in both content and function, utilizing interactive tables and Web AR.
All of the content created for the experience is hosted through a custom content management system. As IUOE evolves and their story continues to grow, this CMS empowers their internal team to add, remove, or update anything they may need, prolonging the lifetime of the exhibits.
The final result was a work which clearly and creatively celebrates IUOE’s members in every aspect: diversity, skillset, history, achievements and potential. The innovative use of web-based AR matches the progressive nature of the organization, while providing a sense of pride for members and intrigue for new visitors.
AHEAD, a world leader in digital enterprise solutions, recently relocated their Chicago office to incorporate a new executive briefing center. As part of the expansion, Next/Now designed a multi-touchpoint digital experience, expressing their brand through custom fabricated displays and story-driven content.
A hospitality-forward approach begins from the moment visitors arrive upon the 30th floor. The 7.5’ x 12’ Welcome Wall serves as the first touchpoint off the elevator bay, greeting them with a personalized message. An abstract backdrop captures the style and voice of AHEAD’s brand. This visual language is synced across the remaining touchpoints, maintaining the intended tone of sophistication and confidence throughout the Executive Briefing Center.
Another key element is the Partner Wall. Lush greenery pairs with logo lightboxes and customer testimonials to tell a human story of collaboration, partnership, and trust. This, in tandem with the Welcome Wall, gives guests an immediate sense of who they are working with and the responsiveness they can expect throughout their discussions.
Further down the hall, the Design Wall provokes deeper conversation through branded visuals and process-driven questions. The five-part story starts with an overview of the AHEAD brand before diving into each of their main service categories: data, development, infrastructure, and future-proofing. By thoughtfully and intentionally crafting the AHEAD story across content, materiality, layout, and function, the environment gives visitors an immediate connection to the brand. By providing non-verbal cues of hospitality, the new executive briefing center fosters an innate sense of comfort and openness heading into sales discussions.
The briefing center inside Jeld-Wen’s North Carolina headquarters shows how expansive concepts can apply to a more compact space.
The Experience Briefing Center for the premium door and window manufacturer gives visitors a chance to learn, explore, and visualize the company’s immense catalog of products via several immersive touchpoints. The showroom utilizes a wide range of solutions, ranging from touch screen walls to AR product showcases. From start to finish, the experience is designed to immerse visitors in the Jeld-Wen brand by providing access to brand ethos, timelines, global reach, partnerships, instructional videos, and more.
The immersive engagements needed to personalize the experience to each guest and showcase hundreds of products and multiple colorways, in order to streamline the selection process. Techniques of VR, AR, and multi-touch interactives were put to work to aid in this product visualization and exploration process.
Walking up to the various vignettes within the showroom, clients can visualize Jeld-Wen’s full variety of products in real time using a bespoke AR tablet application. The app allows them to change the product shape, color and features visible within each vignette, then take photos or select favorites to email for later reference.
By allowing users to quickly explore a wide range of offerings in a small footprint, the JeldWen Immersive Showroom takes an innovative approach to data and product visualization. Further, the back-end system automated followup contact with each guest, making sure the digital journey was always associated with a human to drive sales.
The customer experience format took a new turn for Weber Grills with the smallest possible footprint for an “experience center” inside each user’s phone.
NEXT/NOW collaborated with Weber Grills to create an engaging web augmented reality (AR) experience that enables users to explore the Genesis, SmokeFire, and Weber CRAFTED from the comfort of their handheld. In the experience, viewers can interact with 3D models of the products, with features that enable scaling to size and informative hotspots. The result is an accessible and intuitive experience that both those new to and familiar with AR can enjoy.
The experience brings the anticipation and detail of viewing a Weber product to meet customers wherever they are. Hotspots on each product triggered animations that brought key features of each grill to life. The project reflected Weber Grills’ desire to engage the audience with a classic brand in an exciting new way. The formula for an interesting and accessible AR experience: expert 3D rendering of brand-accurate models, UI/UX design focused on usability and accessibility to both new and experienced AR users, programming development in the industry’s top custom web 3D engine, and internal QA of the experience.
