Branded tent covers record-setting gamers

A tent installed for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif., in early June provided the space where gamers set a Guinness World Record™, and where Qualcomm, the challenge sponsor, maximized its brand with custom printing and graphics.

Hollywood Tentworks of Pacoima, Calif., installed the 30-by-50-foot Losberger P7 structure at the Los Angeles Convention Center for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Gaming World Record Challenge, where contestants set a record for the longest video games marathon using tablets.

“Our ability to offer brand-centric custom roof panels and sidewalls really appealed to the client,” says Donald Potts, president and CEO of Hollywood Tentworks. “This client, Night Vision Entertainment, loved the idea of limitless possibilities with design. The same went for their client, Qualcomm.”

The client requested glass walls so contestants could see out and be seen by onlookers during the gaming marathon, and the entire structure needed to function as a marketing vehicle for the client. Every possible area on the tent was branded, including a custom top with Qualcomm logos, interior gable-ended panels that read “Game On” and the glass walls, to which stick-on graphics were applied.

“We achieved a two-tone look [on the roof] by printing the black logo onto the white vinyl exterior roof panel and painting the interior with red vinyl paint,” Potts explains.

Over three weeks, Hollywood Tentworks revised the design several times and manufactured new roof panels and gable ends with HVAC hookups.

“We always wish for more time, but we pride ourselves on efficiency during installations with time constraints,” Potts says.
The structure was erected on a 48-inch deck, and required a seamless 36-hour installation.

“Right when the last bolt had gone into the stage our crew was erecting the structure during the evening, then the carpet, furniture, etc.,” Potts says.

During the challenge, contestants sat in easy chairs and played games for more than 26 hours on tablets powered by Snapdragon’s all-in-one processor. The event was win-win for both gamers and the client.

“This tent looked great from the ground and the sky,” Potts says.