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Pico Ranked 2nd of 50 Top Event Companies

Pico Wins at Malaysia’s RAWR Awards

IN THIS ISSUE... 1// ART BASEL 2// BIPA IIAS-IASIA Joint Congress 3// Audi ‘Land of Quattro’ Launches in Shangri-La, China 4// Celebrating Ramadan in Bahraini Shopping Malls 5// Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb 6// Ferrari Racing Days 7// GOYS Youth City 2030 8// Emirates Jazz Festival 9// Philips Shines at the Guangzhou Lighting Show 10// Ninth China (Beijing) International Garden Expo 11// IFF Guangzhou Plant Opening Ceremony 12// Asia Salt Opening Ceremony in Kampot Province 13// United Nations Public Service Day Awards and Forum 14// West Kowloon Cultural District Xiqu Centre Ground-Breaking Ceremony 15// MENA Launch of the Porsche 918 Spyder 16// Ministry of Education ExCEL Fest 17// Essential EAMES: A Herman Miller Exhibition 18// Red Bull Illume Awards 19// Pico’s Sadara Stand Wins at MEPEC 20// Official Opening of the Beijing Pico Creative Centre 21// Insights

IMAGEMAKER // FALL 20132

Pico Ranked Second of the 50 Top Event Companies by Special Events MagazineThe September/October 2013 Issue of Special Events magazine announces its 12th Annual 50 Top Event Companies. Matching our achievement from last year, Pico has once again been ranked first runner up. Special Events is a specialist publication based in the U.S. for those who design and produce social, corporate or other public events in hotels, resorts and banquet facilities and other venues. Introduced in 2002, the title’s authoritative listing ranks event companies by annual revenues, breadth of offerings and expertise in everything from fundraising to corporate and social events. For more details about the list, please visit the Special Events website at: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/f898b0fc#/f898b0fc/12

Pico Wins at Malaysia’s RAWR AwardsThe inaugural ceremony for the ‘Recognising Award Winning Results Awards’ (RAWR) for business events took place in

September 2013 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Presented by the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau

(MyCEB), the ceremony highlighted the significant contribution of the business events sector to the Malaysian economy.

The ‘Best Booth Design’ (73 sq. m. and above) went to Pico Malaysia for the stand it created for Panasonic for the

International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference (iGEM 2012).

Pico thrilled visitors using an immersive, interpretive, symbolic and iconic structure and storyline in the booth. Using the

structure of a tree, Pico teams used ‘leaves’ to form a series of hanging multimedia stories, explaining Panasonic’s use of

sustainable technology and integrated solutions and leaving visitors with lasting memories of Panasonic.

Pico Group

Company Noteworthy Events Top Trends

Pico’s hard work on test events in Russia has led to contracts for the 2014 Winter Olympics. “We also won another five-year contract for the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix,” management notes. Other notable events included the Hong Kong Sevens, HSBC Golf and Barclays Golf Championships, and a series of car launches and dealer conferences for Audi, BMW, Chevrolet and Toyota.

“Technology doesn’t really count as a ‘trend’ any more, it’s here to stay. But within technology, ‘apps’ is the buzzword of 2013,” management says. Also, “Many events are striving to be ‘zero-waste,’ and technology is helping to cut down on paper waste through electronic communications and e-catalogues.”

Pico Takes the Chequered Flag at Ferrari Racing Days 2013

Pico and international luxury car marque Ferrari have had a long and successful history of working together. In June, 2013 we took this partnership to the next level with the Ferrari Racing Days in Shanghai. An event designed to reward upwards of 25,000 Ferrari fans for their constant support, the weekend featured something for everyone: off the track there were displays of all the current Ferrari models alongside limited edition or special models; as well as a field of entertainment and customer experience programmes - from electric cars for kids to an actual F1 car tyre change demonstration to a movie-style cinema screening.

On the track, Shanghai’s famous F1 circuit where Fernando Alonso won the Grand Prix earlier in the year, Ferrari hosted the APAC Ferrari Challenge, where 32 drivers fought hard for victory; and an F1 show provided by Ferrari test driver Marc Gené, who entertained the crowds with amazing displays of speed and showmanship. As a trusted partner, Pico played a huge role in creating and delivering this remarkable event.

Being in charge of the overall design concept, props production and installation, all AV elements, show management and hospitality, among other responsibilities, meant that our workload was high. Additionally, with less than a month to complete design, pre-planning, production and setup, our teams needed to move fast. This did not present a problem, as speed and quality are at the core of both Pico’s and Ferrari’s philosophy of business. Working hard to go above and beyond our usual scope, our focused team delivered the best event experience possible to this valued client; winning high praise in the process.

“Ferrari Racing Days held in Shanghai is one of the best cases of sharing the unique passion and true racing spirit of the prancing horse, which makes Ferrari the strongest brand in the world.” -Edwin Fenech, President and CEO of Ferrari Greater China

– Shanghai, China

Pico’s Fourth GOYS Youth City 2030Youth City 2030 is an initiative organised by Bahrain’s General Organisation

for Youth and Sport (GOYS). This month-long event focuses on the

development of Bahraini youth, particularly in areas of media, leadership

development, arts, science, information technology and sports.

Successfully held every year since 2010, Youth City is now an annual

event eagerly looked forward to by the youth of Bahrain. This year, Pico

was commissioned to create and fabricate an innovative setting for the

fourth Youth City 2030.

The transformation of an ordinary exhibition hall into the 6,000 sq. m.

Bahrain Youth City began and ended with colour: we wanted to make

everything bright and exciting - from the lights to the walls to the structures

themselves - in order to make everything as vibrant as possible.

While our teams had prior experience successfully activating past Youth

City events, the challenge this time was that we had less than six days

to completely transform the exhibition hall, necessitating several round

the clock shifts. Thanks to our past experience, we were prepared for

the many last-minute variations and new requirements onsite, and had

already factored most of these changes into our initial planning.

The event is further testament to the capability, expertise and commitment

of Pico teams to pull together and pull out all the stops in the face of an

important deadline.

– Manama, Bahrain

Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb

ArtScience Museum at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands opened in 2011. Since

its launch, the museum has run 15 exhibitions - nine of which have been

created by Pico. Our recent collaboration saw Pico collaborate with Wy-To

architects to design, fabricate and maintain the mysterious and intriguing

Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb exhibition.

The exhibition combines mummies and other priceless artefacts borrowed

from the British Museum’s famous Egyptian collection with an amazing

3D cinematic experience. With six mummies and more than 100 artefacts,

the exhibit’s showstoppers include the pristine mummy of Nesperennub

- a priest who died almost 3,000 years ago - and a groundbreaking 3D

film showing the ‘virtual unwrapping’ of a mummy filmed using modern

medicine’s most advanced scanning technology.

Given the incredible value of the artefacts, preservation and conservation was

top of the agenda for our teams. Great care was taken in the selection of the

wood, paint, glue, silicone and fabrics - all of which had to be sent to the

British Museum for six weeks of testing before they could be approved.

The pricelessness of the artefacts meant that none of them could be

touched by visitors. So, to make sure the public could still enjoy an interactive

experience, an immensely entertaining ‘embalming workshop’ was created,

complete with a tactile wall featuring 15 different elements used in the

embalming workshop. Age-appropriate activity bags are also given out by

the museum education team with six tasks to be completed by the ‘young

Egyptologist’ visitors during their stay.

Running from April to November 2013, Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb is

Pico’s highest profile ArtScience Museum exhibition to date - missing it

would be a ‘grave’ mistake!

– Singapore

Photos: Courtesy of Marina Bay Sands

IMAGEMAKER // FALL 20134

Audi ‘Land of Quattro’ Launches in Shangri-La, China

After rolling out in Australia, Canada, Japan, Italy and other globally significant

locations, Audi’s ‘Land of Quattro’ strategic launch campaign arrived in

China in late May; making its debut in China’s magical Shangri-La county, in

northwestern Yunnan province.

This innovative campaign, which was both global in scope but localised for

each country was designed to demonstrate and show off the capabilities

of Audi’s Quattro four wheel drive series over a range of demanding and

inhospitable landscapes.

Pico was appointed to decorate the immense 15,000 sq. m. site, constructed

on a deserted steppe in Yunnan’s Napa grassland. Event locations do not get

more challenging than this: besides the ever-present danger of serious acute

mountain sickness lurking at the 3,200 m. high site, our teams needed to

communicate in several languages, including Tibetan. The site area was

enormous and the task schedule was tight with no room for error.

There was still time to consider the environment though - we used solar

panels to generate electricity onsite, lowering the demand for other power

supplies. We also constructed a large stage to protect the grassland from

the impact of the numerous visitors, VIPs and the show vehicles.

After a massive effort where the team put the pedal to the metal in demanding

conditions, we ended up with a fantastic site and a project we can all be

proud of.

– Shangri-La, China

Pico Plays it Cool at the Emirates Jazz Festival

The Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival is an 11-day annual gathering of world-renowned jazz musicians. Welcoming fans from all over the Emirates, the festival boasts an impressive lineup of main stage events, backstage experiences, VVIP treats and of course - incredible music.

This year, the festival experience was further enhanced with a beer garden (including a sideline stage), F&B and even an arts centre. Main sponsor Toyota added another dimension to the event with a series of activations, giveaways and light-based interactive displays which brought the concepts and elements of jazz to life.

Pico provided a full turnkey activation of this event for Toyota: from campaign conceptualisation to design and build, creating a conventional yet hip image which broke down boundaries between Toyota and jazz music. Creating a KTV ‘concept stand’ and using advanced technology in an open concept festival setting were just two ways in which we cemented the link between Toyota and this free-form innovative music genre.

The event was held in Dubai, close to the edge of the desert, and weather played a large - and unwelcome - part in our preparations. However, the strong winds, flying sand and chilly late nights had no effect of the dedicated Pico production and accounts teams. As with many projects, once the scope of work was confirmed, there was minimal time to deliver the project, but with tight, highly organised teams that were able to look 10 steps ahead, the production and delivery of the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival went off without a single wrong note.

“The continuous support we get from Pico is heartwarming. Aside from the creative and outstanding production work, the accounts team is simply the best - thank you Pico.” -Kelly Allison, Account Director, Gmasco Communications LLC

– Dubai, UAE

MENA Launch of the Porsche 918 SpyderRecently, Pico were instrumental in delivering the successful launch and

presentation of Porsche’s 918 Spyder in the Middle East and Africa.

Designed to create awareness and generate excitement about this incredible

hybrid sports car and to allow VVIP customers to start placing orders, the

‘007’-themed event was a smooth, luxurious experience all the way.

Part of a 10-market world tour, this roadshow needed to be meticulously

planned and executed, as all materials needed to be moved from the

airport to the event site and set up in less than 24 hours. Pico’s professionals

managed the fastest project turnaround time in the world, completing

this herculean task in only 15 hours.

There was also an incredible level of planning involved in transporting

the VVIP guest and media representative from airport to hotel to Porsche’s

final - and secret! - event destination, involving limousines, flying on

seaplanes and moving across deserts.

The event itself was a huge hit, with the sunglasses-sporting staff -

including camels! - and the ‘007-themed’ music providing a dramatic

backdrop to the guests’ first glimpse of this powerful performance car.

The client was particularly impressed with Pico’s efficient team and the

‘out-of-the-box’ experiential journey we provided their customers.

– Dubai, UAE

United Nations Public Service Day Awards and ForumDesigned to celebrate the value of public service delivery and shed light on the contribution of public services to development across the world, the United Nations Public Service Day Awards is the largest event organised by the United Nations worldwide.

2013 marked the first time this event was held in the Middle East, and Pico was entrusted by Bahrain’s eGovernment Authority with the design, fabrication and project management of the entire event. With the attendees including more than 700 leading politicians, policymakers and high-level official delegations, this high-profile event was a huge achievement for Bahrain, and a large responsibility for us.

The size and profile of this international event meant detailed preparation and planning were necessary to deliver perfect execution.

The lead time to produce and prepare the event was very short, but by staying focused and working hard, the team managed to ensure that all necessary logistics, staging design and event proceedings were managed with the utmost professionalism. A series of onsite changes due to various changes in programming and delegate requirements, as well as additional ‘above and beyond’ requests gave rise to numerous challenges; all of which were professionally addressed by Pico.

– Manama, Bahrain

IMAGEMAKER // FALL 20136

Asia Salt Opening Ceremony in Kampot Province

Much of our work is conducted indoors, safe and cosy and away from the elements. This comfortable working environment was not forthcoming when Pico was commissioned to design and manage the opening ceremony for Asia Salt - Cambodia’s first evaporation-method salt farm. An important venture for Cambodian industry, Asia Salt’s goal for its first year is to deliver 20,000 tonnes of salt to South Korea. The opening ceremony had to ensure that the project got off on the right foot.

However, being responsible for the design and managing the logistics, collaterals and press coverage for the event meant that our team had to spend a lot of time ‘down on the farm’, outside, in Mother Nature’s embrace. Strong winds, extreme weather and poor road conditions added a lot of complexity to the team’s tasks.

Still, our professionals hunkered down and gave their all, delivering a memorable event to a niche crowd of 50 guests, including the Singapore Ambassador and the Korean Counselor - proving that Pico people can adapt to any environment!

– Kampot, Cambodia

Pico’s Sadara Stand Wins at MEPEC

The Middle East Process Engineering Conference and Exhibition (MEPEC) is a trade exhibition in the Gulf region which fully focuses on process engineering for the oil, gas and petrochemical industry. 2013 was the third edition of MEPEC and saw over 150 exhibitors.

Pico was selected by Sadara Chemical Company, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and the Dow Chemical Company, to design, create and deliver its 120 sq. m. stand at the Middle East Process Engineering Conference and Exhibition (MEPEC).

Using a “little for more” concept which involves building fewer structures with less reliance on printed graphics leading to an optimised use of space; the Sadara stand was innovative from the outset. Vertically-slanted TVs with vertical digital graphics became digital posters; while the key central feature - a circular double deck - provided open and inviting space for the visitors to interact.

Excellent client rapport and solid teamwork completed the picture, and in the end the Sadara stand won First Place in the Best Exhibition Stand of 60 sq. m. of above segment of the MEPEC awards; a great result for everyone.

It was great to receive the recognition on the team’s behalf as we won the best stand award. Again, thank you for the good work, and we certainly look forward to future collaboration opportunities.

“Please help convey our appreciation and gratitude to your team. Thank you!” -Chris Chan, Sadara

“You did great job in reflecting our identity and make Sadara very well-known company in its first participation in MEPEC.” – Marwan Mohammed Al-Zori, Sadara

– Manama, Bahrain

IFF Guangzhou Plant Opening Ceremony is a Delicious SensationIFF, short for International Flavors and Fragrances, has been in business

since 1833 - an incredible 180 years. Beginning as a small concern

specialising in spices and scents, IFF is now a global market leader in the

creation and distribution of flavours and fragrances.

The company recently invested in a new plant in Guangzhou, China and

Pico were sought out to take charge of the event planning, design and

fabrication of the new IFF plant’s opening ceremony, including the ceremony

itself, Media interview, luncheon, factory tour and cocktail reception.

The opening ceremony was designed to do more than celebrate and

enhance IFF’s position as a market leader - the client wanted this event to

maximise their exposure and tell investors, potential investors and other

stakeholders about their commitment to continued growth in Asia.

After eight months of careful planning, the ceremony went off without

a hitch. Themed as a ‘China Flavor Discovery’, the customised settings,

decorations and performances won high praise from the attendees and

our detail-oriented management resulted in numerous compliments from

top IFF executives, staff, local government representatives and the media.

“Our Board of Directors couldn’t stop raving about it afterwards!

For our company, we don’t have events like this every year, however, in the

future if we have another event yours will be the first number we dial!”

- Ben Adam, IFF Marketing and Consumer Insights Manager, Flavors

– Guangzhou, China

Red Bull Illume Awards 2013

The Red Bull Illume Image Quest is the world’s premier action and adventure sports photography contest. This year, the prestigious awards ceremony

for the contest took place against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s dramatic skyline and Victoria Harbour, and was followed by a two week exhibition of

50 of the most stunning images from the contest along Hong Kong’s famous Avenue of Stars.

Pico was an integral part of the success of Red Bull Illume 2013, building the stage for the opening ceremony and coordinating the 2m x 2m life-size

light box displays for the night time exhibition. The ceremony was a true celebration of action and adventure sports photography with hundreds of

leading photographers and editors attending, made all the more spectacular thanks to Pico and the Hong Kong skyline!

– Hong Kong, China

IMAGEMAKER // FALL 20138

2013 BIPA IIAS-IASIA Joint CongressOur client for the highly significant 2013 Joint Congress of the International

Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) and the International Association

of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA), held in Bahrain, was

the Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA).

This was a complex and intricate project from the start. With three

months’ lead time, Pico teams had to develop, refine and execute

multi-level plans to fulfill our full service management obligations, which

included public relations, advertising and promotion, hospitality

management, information management and event logistics management.

On the ground, we were responsible for meet and greet services, airport

transfers, hospitality, PR, branding, photography and video coverage,

outdoor advertisements, event logistics, delegate and speaker management

and souvenir production.

Naturally, with so many variables in play, the teams were faced with

multiple and at times seemingly impossible challenges, but through solid

strategic planning and the intelligent deployment of resources, problems

were minimised and this international event, a first for Pico in Bahrain,

impressed the delegates with its ‘wow factor’.

– Manama, Bahrain

West Kowloon Cultural District Xiqu Centre Ground-Breaking Ceremony

The Xiqu Centre will be the first major performing arts venue in Hong

Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. Scheduled for completion in 2016,

the 7-storey Centre, which sits on a prime site of 13,800 sq. m. on the

corner of Canton Road and Austin Road West, will provide more than

23,700 sq. m. of gross floor area and will house a 1,100-seat main theatre

and a tea house with a performance stage, in addition to 2,000 sq. m. of

arts education facilities and generous public leisure space.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the Xiqu Centre was to be an outdoor

event with senior government officials and celebrities officiating, but un-

fortunately as the event date grew closer, it became apparent that Typhoon

Usagi - a large and dangerous storm - was bearing down on Hong Kong.

As a professional event company with a great deal of experience operating

in typhoons, we immediately draw up a detailed contingency plan with

options catering for several different scenarios. The original venue set up

schedule was expected to fall on the day the typhoon was forecast to hit

Hong Kong. Three days before, we sat down with the client to evaluate

the situation and decided that the day before the typhoon was expected,

we would set up only the basic elements of the event, like flooring and

structures, which would not be affected by the wind or heavy rainfall. All

subsequent add-ons, including marquees and ground-breaking props,

were to be set up on the morning of the event. As it turns out, this plan

worked perfectly and the event proceeded smoothly and successfully.

– Hong Kong, China

The Ninth China (Beijing) International Garden Expo is the biggest event in

Beijing since the 2008 Olympic Games. Beginning in 1997, the International

Garden Expo aims to raise the profile of the art of gardening in China and

is held every two years. This year, the Expo is being held over 513 hectares

and comprises 128 exhibition parks. It began on 18 May and will run a full

six months until 18 November.

Pico had no small part in this huge undertaking: we were responsible for

designing, fabricating and project managing all interior sections of the

Garden Expo’s only indoor exhibition hall.

As the centerpiece and focal point of the entire Expo, expectations were

high for the 10,000 sq. m. hall. From exotic content development to

Ninth China (Beijing) International Garden Expo

unique display positioning, there was no margin of error for Pico’s teams

and enormous effort was put into ensuring a perfect delivery.

Naturally, green elements played a large role in this project - we used

bamboo for the building’s structure, adjusted the indoor temperature

and humidity levels through the use of living plants as opposed to air

conditioning, and used plants to purify circulating water.

As the event is ongoing, no awards have been received yet, but the hall

has been entered in the Expo’s ‘Top Three Popular Pavilions’ contest. The

results will be announced in November.

– Beijing, China

Those of you who don’t already know the names Charles and Ray Eames

need to get to Singapore before the end of the year for Essential Eames:

A Herman Miller Exhibition. Billed as the most famous design couple,

Charles and Ray Eames’ innovation extended beyond furniture to architecture,

photography, filmmaking, toy making and exhibition design. Essential

Eames showcases the vastness and variety of the couple’s unmatched

creative output.

Their philosophies continue to have an enormous influence on the design

world today. Essential Eames captures their spirit and ideas and explores

the life and work of Charles and Ray, who “changed the way the 20th

Century sat down” (The Washington Post). Combining over 200 Eames

artefacts with rare and never-before-seen works and images from the

Eames family collection, the Eames Office and the Herman Miller archives,

Essential EAMES: A Herman Miller Exhibition

the exhibition gives guests the chance to see and interact with these living

pieces of history.

Building an exhibition worthy of the world’s greatest design couple was

a nerve-wracking task, given that expectations were sky high. The team

scrupulously followed the Eames’ building mantra: “the blood will never

show”. Precision and hard work went into the production, allowing the

exhibition to look easy and natural to the viewer.

We are proud of the fact that this challenging task covering 1,500 sq. m.

was completed in less than four weeks from the day the contract was

awarded. Essential Eames will run until January 2014, so be sure to get to

Singapore in time!

– Singapore

Photos: Courtesy of Marina Bay Sands

IMAGEMAKER // FALL 201310

ART BASEL 13Founded in 1970, Art Basel and is a prominent series of art shows primarily

displaying modern and contemporary art works. Beginning in Basel,

Switzerland, the show expanded to Miami Beach in 2002, and to Hong

Kong in 2013.

Pico is proud to have been appointed the official contractor of the inaugural

Art Basel Hong Kong, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition

Centre. This first show traced twelve decades of art history across four

sectors: Galleries, Insights, Discoveries and Encounters.

During the surprisingly short setup time of two and a half days, Pico teams

worked closely with the organiser and exhibitors and capably delivered 244

booths carefully crafted from 5,900 pieces of custom-created seamless panel.

Over 2,000 artists from Asia and further afield contributed paintings,

sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs and video; while discussions

and presentations created a platform for cross-cultural exchanges between

the artists and the visitors.

The opening ceremony was officiated by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive

Mr CY Leung, and a celebrity and VIP preview kicked off the show in

fine fashion. The first edition of Art Basel was a huge success, attracting

60,000 guests, including patrons of major US and European art museums,

celebrated figures from the art world and established private collectors

from around the globe

– Hong Kong, China

Celebrating Ramadan in Bahraini Shopping Malls

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, is marked by fasting and religious

observation but also by festivities and celebrations. This year, Pico designed

and fabricated special Ramadan stands at three major malls in the

Kingdom of Bahrain.

At Bahrain City Center, the largest mall in the Kingdom, Pico designed, set

up and managed the Lewan Ramadan stand in the mall’s main galleria.

Hosting family-oriented activities and bringing to life traditional Bahraini

culture and traditions, the stand was designed to keep family values

alive and connect all visitors to the essence of Ramadan. Pico have been

involved in the mall’s Ramadan decoration projects for years and we are

pleased and proud to be a trusted provider for the client.

Seef Mall is Bahrain’s second-largest mall and they also turned to Pico

to design and manage a Ramadan stand to increase footfall and create

an attractive and memorable environment for visitors. With fun activities

like face painting, a quiz show and a raffle at the end of the month, the

brief was to create something for everyone. The project was not without

its challenges - especially the design’s hanging features, which looked

spectacular but were highly complex to install safely.

Finally, at Moda Mall, the Kingdom’s most exclusive shopping destination,

Pico provided Ramadan and Eid decoration setup services. Again, ensuring

decorative items were safely and uniformly installed proved to be a very

labour-intensive process, especially given the 9-10 metre height of the

domes into which some of the decorations needed to be hoisted.

Thanks to Pico’s belief that ‘nothing is impossible when the team pulls

together’, we managed to set the stage for a perfect Ramadan celebration

for these three special places.

– Manama, Bahrain

Philips Shines at the Guangzhou Lighting Show

As a global leader in the lighting industry, Philips is constantly seeking new

and pioneering lighting solutions for city, road, office, commercial, industrial

and household applications. In particular, Philips’ continuous development

and innovation in the field LED lighting technology field aims to change the

way people think and feel about the world and the environment. Philips

wants people to not only to discover ‘the other side of light’, but also to

discover ‘the other side of the environment’ through the magic of light.

At the 2013 Guangzhou Lighting Show, Pico activated Philips’ presence

through designing, fabricating and project managing their 600 sq. m.

booth. Working closely with the client, much work went into preparing for

the show, from pre-planning, carefully choosing and producing the materials

all the way to the opening. The planning and coordination stages involved

liaising with many stakeholders, including complex discussions with Philips’

engineers and Pico electricians on the control systems for the LED lighting.

In terms of design our teams used transparent cloth for partitions, instead

of the traditional wood, which added a mystical, almost supernatural

quality to the booth. We also used a new material called Procedes Chenel,

a type of paper which is rapidly gaining traction in exhibition decoration -

being attractive, environmentally friendly and extremely flexible.

Despite the long lead time, we had only two days to install thousands

of LED lamps and lanterns before the show started. Thanks to excellent

preparation and communication, this went even more smoothly than

anticipated.

The combination of the stunning LED lights, interesting and unusual materials

and excellent coordination produced an amazing result for Philips and

really brought their slogan to life: ‘See what light can do?’

– Guangzhou, China

MOE ExCEL Fest is an annual event that celebrates and shares exciting and innovative practices in Singapore schools. ExCEL stands for Excellence through

Continuous Enterprise & Learning and is a government-wide initiative to develop the capacity of public officers through continuous learning and improvement.

It is also a platform for parents and members of the public to find out more about the latest developments in Singapore’s education landscape.

Known for our ability to design and create engaging experiences across various industries and audiences, the Singapore Ministry of Education appointed Pico

to provide full-fledged event services. From provision of design and build services for the 750 sq. m. MOE Pavilion and 55 exhibition booths, co-ordination of

95 sharing session and 25 seminars, creation of the event website as well as all collaterals ranging from informative brochures to event T-shirts, the Pico team

is proud to have played a pivotal role in activating a successful 2013 ExCEL Fest.

– Singapore

Ministry of Education ExCEL Fest

IMAGEMAKER // FALL 201312

Digital is growing strong, and at this point, it is only the laggards who have not yet created a digital group in their creative organisations, or at the very least hired someone they can call ‘head of digital’, ‘online media director’.

But is digital overused? I love a clever digital activation as much as anyone, but I’m wondering if we have created an environment oversaturated with media and digital content. Digital has become such a fixture that I fear we might forget there are other ways to reach people.

Admittedly, my background in theatre might mean the idea that live interactions will always outperform a bunch of moving pixels is deeply ingrained in me.

But I’m not the only one feeling a cramp from the digital reliance. When Sergey Brin introduced Google Glass – a screen integrated into a pair of glasses – last year, he said the main inspiration was to lift people’s faces out of their handheld devices and direct them back to the real world.

While Google Glass is just another piece of technology that delivers digital content, at least it’s a step in the right direction, and there is some acknowledgement – from one of the greatest content facilitators on the

planet, no less – that perhaps we are spending a little too much time in cyberspace and not enough time in the physical space around us.

Digital components are a permanent fixture in our world of communication and highly effective tools for engaging consumers when they’re used sparingly and with purpose.

But let’s not forget the power and beauty of analogue. In this cacophony of LED screens and flashy media where consumers are becoming desensitised, remember that well-designed architecture and cleverly messaged environments can be cases that viewers will gratefully explore.

So before you take visitors straight to the world of Twitter, microsites and branded games, first think about how you can engage them in this world.

Mr. Patrick Larsen, Chief Creative Officer of Pico Singapore,

was invited by CEI Asia magazine to share his opinions on our

industry in July 2013. We have obtained permission from CEI

Asia to publish a copy of this article in this issue of ImageMaker.

Source: CEI Asia July 2013

http://www.pagegangster.com/p/ZjFNx/

Insights: Tuning Out of the Digital Overload - Patrick Larsen

Please visit www.pico.com for more information.

Edited, coordinated, designed and published by Pico Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording without the written permission of the publisher.

The photos shown in this newsletter were taken by photographers and cameramen commissioned by Pico, courtesy of our direct and indirect clients, and were chosen to highlight Pico’s part in our clients’ projects and to place it in context. While care has been taken to select the most appropriate photos, no implication is intended that all elements in the projects shown were done by Pico.

For information, please contact us at Pico House, 4 Dai Fu Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, NT, Hong Kong SAR, or call us at 852 2665 0990, or email to corp.info@hk.pico.com.

On 27 August, Pico’s brand new 15,000 sq. m. fully-fledged R&D office

and production complex located in Beijing’s Shun Yi Industrial area was

officially opened, as VVIP leaders, hundreds of guests, Pico’s top leadership

and 120 senior executives from Pico’s global offices looked on with pride.

Official Opening of the Beijing Pico Creative CentreThe Pico Creative Centre represents the opening of a new frontier for Pico,

marking the successful expansion of our infrastructure in China and doubling

our production capacity to better serve the ever-growing China market.

During his speech at the ceremony, our founder Mr SL Chia said “With the

whole world captivated by China’s impressive growth potential, I have full

confidence that this market will remain the leading growth engine for the

Pico Group and indeed for the rest of the globe. I trust that Pico Beijing’s

rich creative culture will continue to flourish, while delivering consistent

quality and innovating for growth.”

Mr Steven Fang, President of Pico China and Hong Kong continued, “Due

to their longstanding support, we extend our thanks to the Beijing government,

the Shun Yi district government bodies, the Shun Yi Automobile zone

management committee, and in particular to our loyal clients. This new

complex will serve as a base for all our people in Beijing, allowing them to

further leverage our passionate, innovative culture and increase the reach

of our Total Brand Activation services to help our valuable clients achieve

and exceed their corporate and marketing goals.”

– Beijing, China