Toyota's Chicago Auto Show Press Event Was As Cool As Ice
With the help of Chicago Scenic Studios Inc., the 2005 Chicago Auto Show Toyota Press Event held in February at the McCormick Place in Chicago was cool as ice.

George P. Johnson came to Chicago Scenic to help create an exciting reveal for the Toyota Press Event. CSSI Paint Department Head Kevin Taylor collaborated with Designer Carl England of George P. Johnson to develop a magnificent reveal for a Toyota concept car. The result: a massive 70-ft by 16-ft ice floe complete with Toyota’s new prototype, the FJ cruiser, ready to drive right off the ice of Lake Michigan. The approach Taylor took to create this impressive look was four-fold: researching various styles of ice and snow, creating a three dimensional clay model, cutting the model into manageable sections and then drafting those sections for the carpentry department to build.

The carpentry department assembled the gigantic sections, wrapped them with screen, and sprayed them with Urethane foam. The large, busy crew at CSSI then began to carve and shape the foam with chainsaws, and the giant icebergs began to emerge. A layer of Dryvit hard coat was applied to simulate the look and texture of snow. In the final stage, iridescent paint and glitter were added to give the iceberg a brilliant sparkle.

To conceal the Cruiser for the reveal, the car was placed on a turn table and tucked behind two icebergs. As the show progressed, fog began to pour out, the icebergs separated, and tumbling ice spilled out to reveal the new FJ Cruiser.

CSSI Senior Project Manager Ken Zommer oversaw a large crew to get this job out of the shop on time. The team included job lead Dave Kaina, assisted by Beau Hale.

Dodge Spices Up Press Event
Chicago Scenic Studios helped Dodge produce noteworthy displays for two of their press events at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show held at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Once again working with events and communication company Clear!Blue, CSSI was contracted to build a bold and powerful set to reveal the all-new 2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab. In keeping with claims that the new Ram is the fastest, strongest and most spacious, CSSI created a set that incorporated theatrical magic to give the illusion that dozens of people could fit in this truck. For added impact, a large backdrop banner was produced with the Dodge and Mega Cab logos printed all through the banner.

The reveal of the Nitro, a Dodge concept car, proved to be one spicy event. In order to conceal the Amigo, CSSI constructed a 16-foot-tall by 12-sq-foot spice bottle mounted to a bridge that tipped on cue, allowing the car to drive through while foam spice flowed over the top of the jar. Two additional spice bottles flanking the set popped open revealing a mariachi band creating additional excitement.

Senior Project Manager Ross Hamilton worked with Set Designer Duke Durfee, Producer Amy Abbott of Clear!Blue, and Technical Director David Capanile, while our good friend John Featherstone served as Lighting Designer.

CSSI’s Gabe Segoviano drafted the project. Tim Steimle served as the job lead while Dan Yuen and Beth Smith worked hard leading the metals and mechanical departments.

Exhibit Group-Giltspur Gets Themed Tradeshow Booth
When fellow exhibition company Exhibit Group-Giltspur was looking for additional assistance in fabricating their unforgettable trade show booth for the 2005 Exhibitor Show, they called on Chicago Scenic Studios for some help.

Exhibit Group wanted to bring an intimate and personal experience to their booth while incorporating high technology and interaction amidst a bewitching theme of ‘Arabian Nights’. In order to bring these elements to life, CSSI built a giant magic lamp with a plush velvet interior with carpeting and seating for visitors. The lantern was composed of plywood ribs, layered with foam, topped with a hard coat and painted with metallic automotive paint to finish the enchanting look.

CSSI job lead Dave Kaina built a 30’ rail system and the accompanying carrier to create a magic carpet ride experience. Adding final scenic touches, 65 beaded and mirrored rotating strings were crafted to surround a giant crystal ball provided by Exhibit Group.

Senior Project Manager Ken Zommer supervised the project including a hardworking team consisting of Deb Miller, who upholstered the lamp’s interior, and Paint Department Head Kevin Taylor, who carved and painted the magic lamp in less than two weeks.

Chicagoland Traveling Exhibit Excites and Educates Kids
The Kohl McCormick StoryBus is a comprehensive literacy program designed to build enthusiasm for reading among young children. Traveling to schools and events throughout greater Chicago, the program highlights two stories each year and allows youngsters to be immersed in learning by bringing a story to life. The hands-on learning starts in the classroom where educators read the story to a group of kids before they enter the bus in order to create excitement. Utilizing CSSI’s help, past stories include The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and most recently, The Red Hen.

Chicago Scenic facilitated the Red Hen story by designing and fabricating several colorful enhancements to already existing elements. CSSI Designer Robert Kovach led the creative team for this project and, most notably, the creation of a beautiful soft sculpture garden. The raised city style vegetable garden box includes cucumbers, carrots, beets, broccoli and pumpkins. Each soft sculptured vegetable is accompanied by a label including its name, its picture and colored dots that correspond to the number of existing vegetables. This interactive plot is designed to encourage reading, counting and word association. It also facilitates coordination by offering the opportunity to remove, play and return a vegetable to its original location.

Additional elements designed to create storyline flow include a themed red hen mailbox and a variety of applied graphics of the interesting characters in the Red Hen story.
Chicago Scenic Project Manager Mark Ewing, along with Kovach, worked with Gail Sikevitz and Katie Dolney of the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation for successful completion of this traveling exhibit. Luis Salces served as the job lead.

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