AmericanAirlines Arena Unveils Three Story High Media Mesh

MIAMI, FL – May 27, 2009 – The AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami’s top sports and entertainment venue and home of the 2006 NBA Champion Miami HEAT, unveiled MiamiMediaMesh at AmericanAirlines Arena, the first-of-its-kind energy-efficient digital media façade that will transform downtown Miami into Times Square South.  Blending seamlessly with the Arena architecture, MiamiMediaMesh covers 3,400 square feet of the Arena’s west face, making it the largest digital LED display in the Southeast region of the United States. 

“MiamiMediaMesh is a transforming advertising and promotional platform never before seen in the Miami community,” said Eric Woolworth, President of Business Operations for The HEAT Group.  “MiamiMediaMesh will be a centerpiece for our city, serving as an innovative and bold advertising stage and event marquee, and giving Miami its own version of Times Square.”

MiamiMediaMesh will provide official sponsors of the Miami HEAT and AmericanAirlines Arena with tremendous reach for their sponsorship and promotional messaging.   Moreover, concerts and special events taking place at the Arena will reap quantifiable benefits from having constant exposure on MiamiMediaMesh. The new LED display will face South Florida’s high-traffic Biscayne Boulevard and will be visible to traffic heading to the Port of Miami.  In addition to the more than 1.4 million visitors to AmericanAirlines Arena annually, this will make MiamiMediaMesh viewable to the over 3.8 million cruise passengers visiting the Port each year and the 65,000 cars on Biscayne Boulevard every day.  The first sponsors creating uniquely visual campaigns for the MiamiMediaMesh include American Airlines, Assist-Card Corporation, Bacardi, Doctors Hospital Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, a part of Baptist Health South Florida, the Miller Lite Concert Series, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming and RRA (Rothstein, Rosenfeldt Adler). The Miami HEAT / AmericanAirlines Arena Corporate Sales Division is the primary sales agent for MiamiMediaMesh.  Potential sponsors interested in learning more about MiamiMediaMesh should contact Stephen Weber, Executive Vice President of Corporate Sales at 786.777.4203 or sweber@heat.com or MiamiMediaMesh@HEAT.com.

In conjunction with the unveiling, the AmericanAirlines Arena also plans to have some fun with the local community by making the new MiamiMediaMesh interactive and opening it to the local community as a message board.  Residents and visitors are invited to send messages and well wishes or answer the traditional “What are you doing?” via Twitter and see some of their selected comments become larger than life on the AA Arena’s new digital display. To participate, send Tweets to @MiamiMediaMesh or traditional emails to MiamiMediaMesh@heat.com.  Selected messages will be randomly displayed throughout the day.

AmericanAirlines Arena worked with A2aMEDIA, a next-generation media company that designs, installs and operates large-scale outdoor LED displays as transparent building facades, to bring the patent-pending Mediamesh® technology to the South Florida venue. A2aMEDIA has applied Mediamesh, which the company licenses from the two German organizations that manufacture the product, ag4 and GKD, to create a uniquely-transparent surface for exhibiting digital images on large-scale buildings. 

“We are thrilled to have a prominent landmark building like the AmericanAirlines Arena as our first-ever entertainment venue installation,” said Andrew Melton, president of A2aMEDIA. “The application of this unique technology will transform the already remarkable venue into an icon of architectural and digital media harmony. The Arena’s application of the Mediamesh façade to engage and interact with the local community is not only progressive, but evidence of their commitment to employing cutting-edge technology in order to continue to serve as a premier South Florida destination.”

A2aMEDIA is the first to bring Mediamesh technology to the U.S. and Canada through an  agreement to purchase and sell the technology, while developing a national network of transparent, energy-efficient media facades which will serve as branding and advertising platforms. This unique motion graphics advertising platform represents A2aMEDIA’s and The HEAT Group’s commitment to applying efficient technology to enhance the public’s media experience, while integrating creative and impactful sports marketing sponsorships.  

How it Works
Mediamesh® is a high-grade architectural woven stainless steel mesh that is embedded with linear tubes filled with LED nodes that provide “pixels” for displaying high-resolution digital imagery. Mediamesh combines architectural aesthetics with a powerful digital media platform and uses just one-sixth the electricity of conventional LED boards.  In addition, Mediamesh requires no external cooling, and provides passive solar gain. The Mediamesh “curtains” are very flexible and can secure to any shape building or structure, including glass and rounded surfaces and at only three quarters of an inch thick, the mesh panel displays are incredibly durable, and have the ability to withstand extreme heat and cold.  This technology is owned jointly by ag4, technology provider and GKD, the manufacturer.

Mediamesh’s unique design enables it to be up to 70 percent transparent, allowing for unobstructed viewing from inside the Arena out to Biscayne Boulevard. Simultaneously, onlookers outside the Arena will see a full range of exciting, visually engaging digital media content — viewable from the steps of the Arena, Biscayne Boulevard and beyond. Any content that can be shown on a computer screen can be displayed on a Mediamesh façade. When the screen is off, the screen blends with the building architecture. When it’s on, images float across the screen surface in high-pixel resolution.

To find out more about upcoming events, sponsorships and the latest news at AmericanAirlines Arena, visit www.aaarena.com or call 786-777-HEAT.

About AmericanAirlines Arena
Since its opening on December 31, 1999, the 19,600-seat AmericanAirlines Arena has hosted such diverse musical superstars as U2, Madonna, Cher, Gloria Estefan, Andrea Bocelli, Luis Miguel, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Usher, Marc Anthony, Phish, Shakira and Paul McCartney. The Arena has become South Florida’s number one entertainment destination with championship events in boxing, wrestling and gymnastics as well as rodeos and family shows such as the Harlem Globetrotters, Disney On Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, The Wiggles and WWE.

AmericanAirlines Arena has also played host to several live televised events including the 2004 and 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Britney Spears’ “Onyx Hotel” Tour, Cher’s “Living Proof – The Farewell Tour” and the prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, each placing Miami in the international spotlight. Private events have included product launches, corporate basketball tournaments, gala dinners and a host of meetings, large and small. In addition, the Arena has hosted several special events utilizing the East Plaza with its stunning view of Biscayne Bay and the ultra-exclusive Dewar’s 12 Clubhouse.

About A2aMEDIA and Mediamesh®
Boston-based A2aMEDIA, Inc. is a next-generation media company that designs, installs and operates large-scale outdoor LED displays as transparent building facades that use just one-sixth the electricity of conventional LED boards, require no external cooling and provide passive solar gain. A2aMEDIA has applied Mediamesh® technology — a high-grade architectural material made of woven stainless steel mesh — to digital LED displays, creating a unique surface for exhibiting digital images. When the display is off, it blends seamlessly with the building architecture. When it’s on, images float across the surface in high-pixel resolution; because it’s transparent, views from inside the building are unobstructed by the screen.  A2aMEDIA installations harmonize building form and function, giving owners the ability to monetize real estate through an advertising-supported, visually engaging, digital media display that doubles as a platform for communicating marketing and branding messages.