BMW @ Frankfurt Motor Show 2013-2017

BMW Frankfurt Motor Shows

From 2013 to 2017, I had the privilege of overseeing the lighting design for BMW’s 12,000 square meter exhibition at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Spanning the entire space of the largest exhibition hall at the Frankfurt Fair, the project was nothing short of monumental. We utilized 800 rigging points, 5 kilometers of trussing, and a
staggering number of more than 5000 lighting fixtures. These ranged from large moving lights to 800 meticulously crafted pendant lights designed specifically
for the event. The planning phase alone lasted several months, and the setup required a total of six weeks to complete.

One of the most distinctive and impressive features of the booth was the use of moving cars—not merely static displays, as seen with many competitors. Each year, a new track was constructed, eventually reaching lengths of up to 380 meters and, in 2017, even spanning two floors.

To further showcase the vehicles, I introduced a Zactrack system to monitor the real-time positions of both the cars and the live performers on stage. This cutting-edge technology enabled precise, seamless control of the lighting, dynamically highlighting the passing cars—even as they reached speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour.

Ben Schiller was the lighting designer/operator for the daily shows, whilst Jerry Appelt was in charge of the press conference. Oli Ranft was in charge of programming the tracking.

Architecture: Meiré und Meiré