Presentation technology at The Edge

The new Saab Group headquarters in downtown Stockholm opened in April 2018. With a diverse product offering from five divisions, the company decided to dedicate an entire 1500 sqm floor to a premium corporate showroom, The Edge – Saab Visitor & Experience Center. The presentation environment had to be equally suited to hosting large or small groups of visitors, corporate events, press conference and product launches, as well as providing an impressive setting to display the product range. 

With a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve, Patrick Mollbrink, project manager at Saab, turned to system integrators, Adapt, and PixiLab, Linköping, to develop the technical solution. Both companies are long-time suppliers to the company’s events group which manages a rigorous international schedule of trade shows, industry events and, not least, high-profile visits.

Dataton’s WATCHOUT multi-display system provides seamless, impactful content in key areas of the showroom, including the centrepiece LED wall in the 80-seat auditorium which acts as a backdrop to the stage and the main presentation display. To meet the client’s demands on performance and cutting-edge solutions, PixiLab deployed WATCHPAX 4 media servers to handle playout to the LED wall and 4K screen groups in the center.

“The small but powerful WATCHPAX units were selected as servers and positioned close to the panels,” says Trond Solvold, business director, Dataton. “Installation space is limited at the centre. The WATCHPAX 4 units offer four outputs and support NDI network streams, which gives the solution great flexibility in working with captured content and announcements, for example.”

The fully-automated, experience center was installed in six intense weeks during March and April 2018. Besides the auditorium, The Edge features five core areas for Saab’s main product divisions: Air, Land, Naval, Security, and Civil Aerospace. Each product area is highlighted using lights, displays, and interactive technology with all presentation areas controlled with the PixiLab Blocks system.

“The idea was to create a state-of-the art visitor and experience centre where Saab can meet and engage with stakeholders with direct access to the Saab HQ,” says Mollbrink. “The centre displays the company’s past, present and future whilst giving visitors engaging product demonstrations. Simulators and virtual reality installations will further enhance the visitors’ experience.”

Photos: Simon Gate