There is nothing fun about long hours waiting in an airport terminal during a layover. It can be challenging to while away the hours as you wait for your next flight. Or maybe you have experienced the long lines and crowds at airline ticket counters that have become the norm since the COVID pandemic has loosened its grip on the world causing many stressful hours of waiting or the cancellation of a flight due to a severe snowstorm.
One of the major U.S. air travel hubs, New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), has taken steps to take the stress out of flying. It’s making layovers more fun with a complete makeover of its Terminal A by adding a surprising and entertaining multimedia show throughout the facility called the Digital Journey of Surprises.
The Digital Journey Of Surprises
Located throughout the terminal — at ticket counters, gates, and walkways — visitors will be taken on a journey of surprises through various multimedia interactions, each designed to give visitors a unique experience and encounter the iconic spirit of New Jersey’s people, landmarks, and innovations.
As a traveler enters the terminal, a large glowing welcome banner radiates a peaceful and calming energy before a runaway beachball and errant kite breaks the tranquil scene to reveal a digital fresco featuring a star-studded lineup of New Jersey celebrities and firsts.
As the traveler makes their way into the retail hall, they will pass the Forest of Firsts. It features eight towering LED pillars that pay homage to the state’s spirit of innovation. You’ll then arrive at the gates where display pillars provide easy to find and read flight information, intuitive boarding cues, and fun New Jersey-based trivia and facts like when in Jersey, do you go to the beach or go to the shore? What in the world is Taylor ham (or is it pork roll)? What town was Frank Sinatra born in? In what city was the first recognized baseball game played?
If you are arriving at EWR, you are greeted by a large 12-foot-tall LED abbreviation NJ set on a lush island representing the Garden State.
The Brains Behind The Journey
The reimagining of Newark’s Terminal A comes to us thanks to the work and vision of the New York-New Jersey Port Authority, the Electrosonic company, and Moment Factory, a Canadian based entertainment studio that has created similar dazzling displays at airport terminals around the world, including Los Angeles International, Singapore’s Changi, and Japan’s Shinjuku Airport. Moment Factory is best known for bringing immersive outdoor multimedia attractions to the world including the sensational Astra Lumina located at the Anakeesta theme park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The creators call the project a “smart multimedia ecosystem” that rewards attention without demanding it.
Mikael Charpin, a Moment Factory producer, says that the company’s goal was to produce an enhanced passenger experience “infused with an authentic sense of place.”
“With the new Terminal A, travelers and the state of New Jersey are at the heart of the Digital Journey of Surprises,” Charpin continued.
Indeed it is, so much so that you may find you will want to make New Jersey a regular vacation destination after experiencing the multimedia extravaganza.
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