The QTBug Tour is an extremely imaginative concept devised by Dennis Biela to promote interactive video and immersive imaging, its use on the web and in everything from education to v-commerce and security. The content will utilize QuickTime and QTVR technology, as well as other digital imaging technologies and related hardware. The QTBug is a blue Volkswagen Beetle GLS coupe with a 5-speed transmission. But more on the Bug itself later. The QTBug Tour is a traveling tour and the first leg will be a series of cross-country trips to major events where internationally known immersive photographer Dennis Biela will capture the imagery of America. The tour will target large-scale events such as the Apple World Wide Developer Conference and the Mac Design and Macworld Expos, as well as more intimate settings such as User Group Meetings, Apple Store presentations, Educational forums and sporting events and more. From Washington DC to San Francisco, California the tour will build awareness and enthusiasm for this range of exciting leading edge technologies and the companies who produce them.
(One stop worth a special note is the International QuickTime VR Association Summit in Sedona, Arizona, October 25-29. As a gathering of QTVR enthusiasts from all over the world, the IQTVRA Summit offers a singular venue of international proportions with the Grand Canyon locales as a back drop and sure to be a highlight of the tour’s visual record.)
During a series of road trips lasting from three days to three weeks, Dennis will create imagery showcasing America’s uniqueness highlighting everything from airplanes and train engine cockpits, virtual tours of famous historical landmarks and locations, to video interviews with people of interest all across the US.
Capturing the Heart and Soul of America
These images, interviews and true spirit of America will be produced and delivered to the QTBug website for the viewing pleasure of thousands and giving them the opportunity to discover and experience the United States in a way that was never possible before.
Viewers of the QTBug website, and later CDs and DVDs, will have a chance to virtually travel to and experience the broad vistas of America, all through the generosity and enthusiasm of the tour’s sponsors - Mac Design Magazine, Kaidan, VR Toolbox, VRMAG, QuickTiming.org and IPIX Corporation.
When the tour concludes in February 2005, all the imagery and selected sponsor hardware used during the tour will be donated to a national museum for exhibit and traveling tour throughout the US.
As Dennis Biela writes on the website: “The unique caliber of this endeavor cannot be overstated. The goal is nothing less than creating a 21st century record of America using 21st century tools — an interactive, intra-continental, immersive catalog of turn of the new century Americana seen through the digital eye. The [museum] exhibit will be the first of its kind, just one of many firsts that are planned as part of the QTBug experience.”
Sponsorship
The QT Bug will have four sponsorship levels. Each of the sponsorship levels will have a limited number of slots. It is, after all, a VW Bug and there are only so many stickers that will fit. Each has specific sponsor benefits with regard to the level of promotion available.
If you’d like to become a sponsor of the QTBug Tour and schedule promotional events specific to your target audience to maximize your investment, please contact Loren Price at 888-515-6578 for details and scheduling.
The QTBug - A true super computer on wheels
The car selected for the tour is a Blue Volkswagen Beetle GLS coupe with a five-speed transmission, which gets about 35 miles to the gallon on the highway. First Sounds Deluxe of Il will outfit the car with high-end speakers and amplifier. To protect all of the gear and modifications there is a Lojack car alarm system being installed. A high amperage alternator, battery and inverter (a device that changes 12 volts to 110 volts) are to be installed. The car will have four standard 110-volt outlets, three in the back and one in front.
Other planned enhancements are: a Powermac Duel 2ghz G5 computer; a 12 inch high intensity touch screen in the front dash; a DVD-R/CDRW; for connectivity (802.11g) wireless will be used and several Firewire and USB ports will be installed throughout the car; camera mounts for both still and video will be located at front, rear and on top of the car; an APS will be included to protect the computer and data; a pci card radio & TV tuner; GPS system; and a mandatory Firewire coffee cup warmer. Finally the G5 computer will be wired into the stereo system.
Catch the Bug!
The QT Bug will be at the MacDesign Expo in Chicago June 2nd to 4th, where the Bug will be on display at the entrance of the exhibit area. The next stop is the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in San Francisco, June 28th to July 2nd. The WWDC is the premier Apple developers’ annual conference. The third stop is Macworld/Boston expo and conference July 12th to 15th. The fourth stop will be the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Fly-In Convention July 27th to August 2nd, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Fly-In is the premier private aircraft event in the world with over 10,000 aircraft and 750,000 people attending over the 7-day event.
Other stops scheduled are: IQTVRA Summit in Sedona October 25th to 20th, 2004; Macworld/San Francisco January 10th to 14th, 2005 .
Check upcoming appearances of the QTBug for a location near you.
About Lightspeed Media
LightSpeed Media is an international event production firm. Over the years it has produced numerous special events, workshops, creative promotional campaigns, and specialized training sessions all over the world. Dennis Biela, founder and guiding light of LightSpeed Media, is an internationally known photographer, immersive developer, and digital media expert. He is certified as an expert in digital imaging by the U.S. Government (don't ask, it's complicated) and is in great demand as a consultant to many Fortune 500 companies, including advertising agencies, major camera manufacturers, museums, and more.
Dennis Biela has been lecturing for Apple Computers with the "Nuts & Bolts of QTVR" mini-seminars that have received rave reviews from attendees and sponsors in over 44 cities though out Asia, US and Canada.
