Sports Run Exhibit

THE CUSTOMER

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a natural history and science museum in Dallas, Texas in Victory Park. The museum was named in honor of Margot and Ross Perot.

THE STRATEGY

In 2012, 900lbs partnered with the Perot Museum and the Science Museum of Minnesota to create an interactive exhibit to anchor the Sports Hall, an entire floor of the Perot Museum where patrons can learn and experience the science and technology behind running. The main objectives of the exhibit were to be physically stimulating, environmentally friendly and easily updatable.

“It is clear this exhibit is the crowd favorite! There are always people lined up to run against our virtual athletes…even classroom groups are cheering as their teachers take their turn at competing.”

Dan Kohl, Vice President for Creativity & Innovation at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

THE EXPERIENCE

As the content provider for the exhibit, we were responsible for creating life-size computer animated and live action characters for attendees to interact with on the 55 foot interactive wall. For the live-action characters, a challenging setup of 12 HD cameras, 72 feet of green screen and a crew of 22 was needed to film athletes ranging from professional football players to gymnasts. Computer generated characters were modeled and textured from research, photography and many discussions with the museum’s curators. A maquette from the movie Jurassic Park was used to create the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and the Cheetah Conservation Fund provided invaluable input towards the animation of the cheetah. The result was an unparalleled interactive experience that educates and entertains audiences of all ages.

THE RESULTS

The Proof:

• Approximately 2,000 kids per day (visiting the museum)
• Approximately 5,800 people running through the exhibit per week
• Last year, approximately 300,000 people raced a T-Rex, cheetah or athlete at the Perot
• Through data available via our tracking algorithm, we found the T-Rex ranks as the top competitor, constituting 28% of all daily engagements
• Approximately 57% vs 43% choose to race 3D computer graphics vs real-life filmed athletes
• Helped the Perot Museum reach its goal of 1 million attendees in 8 months (4 months ahead of schedule)
• Helped the Perot Museum exceed its charter membership (goal was 10,000 and the number of chartermemberships purchased was 50,000+)