We’re thrilled to announce the winners of LAVNCH [CODE]’s inaugural Out of This World Experiences Awards (OoTWEA).

This year, we have three incredible winners and two honorable mentions. These stunning installations were chosen from our finalists via a vote by you, our readers.

2023 Out of This World Experiences Awards Winners

Here at LAVNCH [CODE], we’re big fans of creative uses of technologies—the ones that make make you say “WOW!” as your jaw drops. The OoTWEA winners do just that.

The winners are (in alphabetical order)… drumroll please …

LEGOLAND California Resort

Location: Carlsbad, CA

Submitted by: Dimensional Innovations

Integration Firm: Dimensional Innovations

Why It’s Out of This World: LEGO Ferrari Build & Race is an edge-of-your-seat, out-of-this-world racing adventure, offering a whimsical and exciting experience that puts children of all ages behind the wheel for a race they’ll never forget. Integrating history, education, technology and hands-on interaction, LEGO Ferrari Build & Race creates a physical, digital and content-rich attraction unlike anything most have ever experienced. Three interactive zones bring the space to life and offer a drastically different yet uniquely-interwoven encounter, keeping LEGOLAND adventurers engaged and excited. As the checkered flag waves, may the best LEGO Ferrari win!

TELUS Spark Science Centre

Location: Calgary, Canada

Submitted by: Solotech

Integration Firm: Solotech

Why It’s Out of This World: Thanks to the eight Christie Griffyn 4K32-RGB projectors, the Infinity Dome now offers the brightest planetarium experience in North America.

“When you see eight 34,000 lumen projectors perfectly calibrated, it’s mind-blowing,” said Philippe Giron, account manager at Solotech. “The client brought in international expert consultants Bill Peters and Ian McLennan. They were impressed with the work we had done.”

According to Solotech, “The new RSA Cosmos – Konica Minolta/Solotech system in Calgary provides a world-leading combination of brightness, color saturation, and resolution. Audiences are delighted by the clarity and quality of the images.”

The National WWII Museum

Location: New Orleans, LA

Submitted by: Panasonic Connect

Integration Firm: Mousetrappe and Solomon Group

Why It’s Out of This World: First-person accounts are so powerful when teaching history. As the Greatest Generation who fought in and were affected by World War II continues to age, it has become all the more important for educational institutions and museums to find new ways to tell the history of the war and make a lasting impression on younger generations. The WWII Museum’s Expressions of America experience tackles this challenge creatively, developing a unique sound and light exhibit that immerses visitors into the real-life thoughts and emotions of soldiers who fought in the war and those who contributed to the war effort here, at home. Combining Panasonic projection technology with the unique architecture of their space, the exhibit reimagines the way in which museums communicate history by taking advantage of powerful visuals, written words, songs, and personal reflections of the WWII generation. Expressions of America ensures these individual stories and experiences live on for years to come thanks to the Museum’s partnership with Panasonic Connect and the use of innovative projection technology for immersive storytelling.

2023 Out of This World Experiences Awards Honorable Mentions

While we could only have three winners, there were two other outstanding installations that blew our readers away—so we gave them honorable mentions to recognize their creativity and hard work.

Orlando International Airport – Terminal C

Location: Orlando, FL

Submitted by: Electrosonic

Integration Firm: Electrosonic

Why It’s Out of This World: This exhilarating space redefines the way experience design and experiential technology can transform an international airport. It’s exciting, engaging and sets the standard for passenger experience for the next decade.

For passengers arriving or departing, the message is clear, “You’re in an amazing place and we want you to keep coming back to our airport”. That message comes across in unmissable terms on Windows on Orlando—three giant floor-to-ceiling displays that attract attention as soon as travelers enter the terminal.

There’s also entertainment too in The Moment Vault, an immersive, interactive 360-degree space. At first sight, travelers think it’s a just series of panels displaying content but, when they move inside the space, they find they’ve become part of the show.

Behind the scenes, an innovative AI-based motion tracking and processing system captures travelers’ images in 3D, translating their movements in real time into digital wireframe silhouettes that become part of the display. The displays feature hours of original, extremely-high-resolution video of scenes that celebrate Orlando, creating a first-of-its-kind digital public art installations in an airport. These inspiring, engaging experiential spaces are a major differentiator for the airport operator, ensuring Orlando can attract even more passengers and airlines.

Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow AR

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Submitted by: BUCK

Integration Firm: N/A

Why It’s Out of This World: Visitors to The Broad are greeted by Murakami’s mascot, Mr. DOB, who floats on a cloud over the lawn of the plaza, surrounded by blooming and smiling Ohana flowers. This site-specific location is designed to celebrate the iconic facade of The Broad, a perfect backdrop to the festive scene. This activation, created by BUCK, was also accessible to the public, expanding the reach of the exhibit beyond ticket holders.

One of the benefits of AR is it allows museum curators to put on a bigger and more ambitious show than budget might allow. There was a desire to include in the exhibit Murakami’s giant-sized Demon sculptures (Embodiment of ‘A’ and Embodiment of ‘Um’). They were traveling at the time and it wasn’t possible to get them to Los Angeles. By building them in AR, Mr. Murakami and The Broad Museum did not have to compromise their vision to have them included.

Congrats to the Out of This World Experiences Awards Winners

Congratulation to all of our OoTWEA winners! We look forward to seeing more stunning installations from you and your teams in the future.

And thank you to our readers for taking the time to carefully select the 2023 OoTWEA winners and honorable mentions.