Exceeding Expectations
Method-1 and Mercedes have a long-standing relationship that includes many amazing interior projects. Over the years Mercedes has come to us for help to transform their After-Sales Experience showroom, their Body Shop Café, their Visitor Center and their MBUSI cafeteria. We have worked together on each of these projects with great success and continue to transform their spaces with both technology and functionality.
In May of 2019, Mercedes contacted us about a potential project that would be unlike any other we had done for them in the past. They wanted to host a very large training event in Birmingham, AL and it would require transforming spaces both inside and outside. This event had previously only been held at a training facility in Germany. The event would be focused on employee training for the Mercedes AMG class of performance vehicles. These vehicles are tuned in a specific way that allows for additional power and sets them apart from a “normal” Mercedes vehicle.
Needless to say, we were very intrigued by both the size and scope of the event. Honestly, who wouldn’t be excited about the opportunity to work on this project. It’s the best of the best from Mercedes and it was an opportunity to stretch the limits of our capabilities to heights that even we didn’t know.
The event was to take place at two locations within Birmingham. The hands-on training would happen at Barber Motor Sports Park and the classroom training at Ross Bridge Resort. These locations are approximately 12 miles apart and would need to be transformed to become two separate, yet cohesive AMG branded facilities. The vision was that attendees would recognize the same branding in both locations and that branding would truly transform the two locations into what looked and felt like an AMG facility.
After having multiple site meetings with management from Mercedes Birmingham, Atlanta and Germany to discuss the event we felt as though we had a firm understanding of what would be required to make this event successful.
Once we were all in agreeance on the plans for the project, our design team went to work!! We were able to utilize designers from both our custom interior division as well as our tradeshow division in order to create branding that would be fluid for both inside and out.
Between the two locations, we designed, fabricated and installed hundreds of components. We as a team worked simultaneously in both locations to ensure that the timelines were met for this week long event. It had to be flawless to be an accurate representation of Mercedes and we made that happen.
Graphics and furnishings included the following:
– Tension fabric arches and structures, Large format mesh banners, SEG fabric walls
– Vinyl on glass and cars – Banner stands – 3D foam letters at various sizes
– Large format fabric banners – Faux plants
– Furniture in the restaurant @ Ross Bridge
– Accent Battery powered LED up-lighting – Accent lighting for cars
– 80” monitors on rolling carts
– PA systems for training modules
This event turned out to be a very successful one for all involved. The team at Mercedes AMG was thrilled with how everything looked as well as how smoothly the weeks’ events ran. We at Method-1 were proud to step back and look at the overall accomplishments of our staff. We knew that we had stretched the limits of anything we had done prior and we had superseded our own expectations.