Built in Alabama. Installed in Peru.

What comes to mind when you visualize Peru? Probably the beautiful coastlines, amazing Amazonian animals, a rich culture steeped in colorful history, and amazing cuisine.

MediaMerge partnered with world-renowned amusement ride and animatronics manufacturer Sally Corporation and completed a project called “Peruvian Experience.” It’s a unique two-hour experience that features a guided tour, entertainment, culture, and cuisine. 

Adding AV to “The Experience”

MediaMerge’s involvement focused on the “dark ride” portion of the Experience, a 30-minute train journey that takes visitors through a specially-lit environment featuring fog, surround sound, and special effects.

MediaMerge created AV integrations consisting of high-quality video projection screens for video and still images, audio systems for the space, and speakers to integrate into the cars themselves – all to further immerse visitors in the culinary and cultural richness of Peru.

Since the operational staff at the Peruvian Experience is small, they needed a robust, user-friendly system to handle most of the dark ride. In response, MediaMerge custom-built an automated program that managed the ride’s technical elements, including the ability to control the language of the experience based on guest preference.

The Distance Challenge

None of these technical challenges are unusual. The real challenge was delivery and implementation. MediaMerge wouldn't be installing any of this tech themselves. Not one speaker, not one LED display. Every bit of it had to be shipped from their headquarters in Chelsea, Alabama, all the way to Peru.

So how do you get all that technology into place… when you’re never in the place?

Planning Makes Perfect

MediaMerge received blueprints for the Peruvian Experience's dark ride. The team visualized the ride’s space with these blueprints and molded their tech to fit. The MediaMerge team provided detailed instructions on assembling and installing every piece of the exhibit, noting the precise screen angles, audio levels, and control setups necessary to get the most out of the exhibit.

The fact that MediaMerge also created the programming responsible for running the entire experience helped keep everything coherent. 

“We had to do quite a bit of programming logic to deal with the issue of specific language playback as cars sequentially moved through and triggered video,” said Tim Ogletree, owner at MediaMerge. “This all had to be done with fairly basic hardware so  troubleshooting would be easy for the staff in Peru.”

Peru-bound

Fortunately, the trip was a smooth ride. Sally Corp technicians installed everything on-site, and MediaMerge provided the Peruvian Experience staff remotely with several weeks of intentional tech support to teach them how to use all their new systems.

The client loves the installation, MediaMerge loved the challenge, and guests have ranked the experience the “#1 Attraction in Peru.”