SCIEX - The Quant Continuum Experience
An event.
We developed a phenomenal time-travelling brand experience for SCIEX which put the power to change the world into the hands of the scientists.
Overview
SCIEX, part of the Danaher Group, is the world's leading manufacturer of Mass Spectrometers - instruments that ascertain the molecular properties of everything from air and water samples to new drug candidates. ASMS is the mass spectrometry industry's most important annual event, and traditionally where SCIEX launches its latest instruments. We were tasked by the client with creating a more immersive and memorable experience than ever before, to launch two ground-breaking new instruments at ASMS.
The Process
01 - Strategic Thinking
We worked closely with our client to establish a strategic link between the benefits of the new instruments the relentlessness of the SCIEX 7500+ and the speed of the SCIEX Echo MS+. This enabled us to develop a central idea that leant into the strengths of both instruments.
03 - The Creative Treatment
The immersive 3D experience we had in mind required a substantial amount of CGI and rendering time, with lab interiors and exteriors to consider, all brought together with a dot fragmentation technique and synched to both the scripts and to the active light wristbands that would be worn by all attendees.
02 - Narrative Development
The complexity of the products means that we write scripts for SCIEX in lockstep with the client. We created the initial drafts that allowed the creative concept to unfold logically, and the scientific aspects of the products were added in an iterative process through a series of meetings with the client.
04 - The Creative Execution
While we handled all aspects of the CGI, sound design and scripting, we had to work closely with a remote events team on the ground in Anaheim, to ensure that the multi-screen, multi-light set-up would deliver at every performance. We also sent our own team to Anaheim for the event itself.
The Opportunity
ASMS was held in Anaheim, California this year, and was set to attract the brightest and the best scientists from around the world. The event blends networking, partying and lectures, and has a great many distractions for the finely tuned minds in attendance.
Our task was to create an immersive, entertaining and memorable experience that would be the 'must-attend' and most talked-about event of the year - while at the same time enabling a soft launch for SCIEX' incredible new instruments.
The Big Idea
The Quant Continuum was a communications mechanic based on the idea of time travel - we would virtually transport our scientists into possible utopian and dystopian futures - to show how their decisions in the present day could influence the course of history.
The Quant Continuum
A narrative that
transcends time and space
01 - Quant Past
No great scientific idea exists in isolation. The invention of the mass spectrometer in 1912 transformed science forever, and the ripple effects of that discovery are still being felt today. This fact is central to our strategy: that the scientists busy quantifying compounds and molecules today are part of an endless Quant Continuum.
02 - Quant Present
Today's scientists are under increasing time and budgetary pressures. They need speed, reliability and repeatability from their instruments. They're always working against the clock, and the ability to test thousands of samples overnight and act quickly on the results is paramount.
03 - Quant Future
Forever chemicals and toxic contaminants are everywhere. Many illnesses remain uncured. The world stands at a tipping point, where we have to act on environmental issues and develop new therapies at speed. The latest SCIEX instruments have the potential to to help the people in the room to change the future of humankind.
A narrative that
transcends time and space
The Big Picture
We created an immersive experience 'in the round', to fully involve the audience for each showing to around 150 people at a time.
The Small Screens
To truly immerse the audience, our CGI animation flowed seamlessly across multiple screens, interspersed with light panels.
The Wristbands
To fully involve every member of the Quant Continuum, wristbands flashed and vibrated in synch with key moments.
The Characters
Our synchronised VO explained what was happening through a duologue between an AI-enabled computer and a scientist.
Lights and Action
While the 3D CGI was doing a lot of the heavy lifting, we also ensured that the atmosphere was on point with interactive wristbands, a dramatic soundscape and imaginative use of light banks and dry ice.
Back to the Future
The Quant Continuum began at ASMS in Anaheim in June 1924, before flying into the not-too-distant future to see what sort of disasters might unfold without scientific progress being made. We then returned to show how the new SCIEX instruments could make a difference, before reverting to a new and improved future, en route to returning our honoured guests to Anaheim 2024.
Welcome to Dystopia
With so much new CGI to create, we had to find other ways to maximise the client's budget. That's where AI came in useful, enabling us to use Midjourney to create scenes from possible dystopian and utopian futures that were central to our narrative.
The Results
20%
uplift in product sales after the event.
“Honestly, our best ASMS to date - and we’ve been hosting at this event for over a decade! This year was an absolute blast that has been very profitable for us.”