National WWI Museum and Memorial Celebrates Blooloop Innovation Award Win

Electrosonic, the award-winning audiovisual and technology services company, was recognized with a Blooloop Innovation Award in the Storytelling category for its work on Encounters, a new exhibition at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. The exhibition shows how thoughtful design and immersive technology can transform history into a deeply human experience—one where visitors don’t just learn about the past, they step into it through first-hand accounts.

Encounters’ brings visitors face to face with history to share personal stories.

The 80,000 square-foot National WWI Museum and Memorial at Kansas City, Missouri was founded in 2006. The Museum is dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War. Its vision is to redefine history through innovative storytelling that connects visitors with the past by bringing personal stories to life. 

To deliver this vision, the Museum developed a strategic upgrade plan to create a richer and more immersive visitor experience. Electrosonic was chosen as a partner for its extensive background in immersive audiovisual exhibits and its 20-year history with the Museum, which began as a partner on the original Museum opening.

‘Encounters’ is an important example of the technology-led transformation that is taking place throughout the Museum. The exhibition leverages multimedia content, audio, interactivity and immersion to share the powerful stories of 16 individuals from their personal historical accounts of the war. The immersive exhibition brings visitors face to face with different characters, including combat soldiers, female munitions workers, colonial soldiers, a child, a dissenter and more. 

Advanced technologies enable visitors to step directly into the stories of the war, interpreting the history of World War I in a way that encourages thought and empathy for those who lived through the conflict.

“Supporting the Museum’s vision on such an innovative and technically demanding project was a privilege, and its success reflects the strength of the partnership between the museum team, our partners, and Electrosonic’s project team,” said Ewan Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Electrosonic.

Storytelling through innovative technology brings a distant war to life.

At the heart of ‘Encounters’ is a carefully choreographed blend of storytelling and audiovisual technology, designed to create an environment that is educational, inspiring and deeply sympathetic to its subject. The exhibition is structured around a series of intimate, character-led alcoves, each dedicated to the personal story of a Great War individual.

When a visitor enters an alcove, sensor technology triggers an interactive experience that brings them face-to-face with one of the 16 individuals. As the character approaches the screen, LED light strips begin to flash, creating a life-like shadow effect that mimics their silhouette walking through the shadows to tell their story.  

When the character enters the frame, Christie projectors create a forward shadow, transforming a 2D Nanolumens LED screen into a 3D portal that looks back into a window of history. The HOLOPLOT audio system creates precise sound beams that transform the way visitors experience the sound of war. 

As one character’s story concludes, another begins, seamlessly connected by the ISAAC platform and PIXERA media servers. One character exits the screen as a second begins their journey into the portal.

Collaboration and teamwork deliver a world-class exhibit.

Audiovisual solutions like ‘Encounters’ offer museums new ways to tell their stories – and attract and engage a digital-first generation of visitors who value experience.

“Our goal was to make the museum more immersive and Electrosonic helped make that happen by bringing in the technology that made it possible for people to come in and experience the war and what we have to offer in a brand-new way, said Chris Wyche, National WWI Museum and Memorial's Vice President of Facilities, Public Safety and Technology,”

Electrosonic took responsibility for technical design, engineering and integration of cutting-edge audiovisual and acoustic technologies, while partnering closely with Ralph Appelbaum Associates, who led exhibit and media design, and Dot Crew who led the interactive multimedia design. The team carefully integrated the new technologies with existing structures to create a totally new experience while preserving the authenticity of history.

The project was shaped through close collaboration with Ralph Appelbaum Associates, designers of the exhibition, whose vision guided the experience from the outset. A broader team of industry partners including: Christie, Dot Crew, HOLOPLOT, ISAAC, PIXERA, JE Dunn, Nanolumens, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Smart Monkeys and Technical Artistry supported a seamless, end-to-end delivery.

The prestigious Blooloop Innovation Awards, now in their fifth year, celebrate the incredible dynamism, imagination and creativity that elevate visitor experiences. 

“This award reflects the increased power of storytelling when it's supported by the right audiovisual technology," said Sean McChesney, Senior Vice President, North America at Electrosonic. "Our role was to help bring the museum’s vision to life in a way that feels immediate, human, and emotionally resonant. We’re proud to celebrate this win with all of our partners who share that commitment and we feel honored to be recognized again by the Blooloop Innovation Awards.”

About Electrosonic

Electrosonic is an award-winning international audiovisual and technology services company. Our team designs, builds and supports innovative, experiential and immersive environments that create lasting experiences by fusing architecture, storytelling and technology. For more than 60 years, Electrosonic has been recognized for its commitment to innovation and unsurpassed technology design, system integration and support services. Through technical consulting and strong industry partnerships, we deliver complex, world-class experiences in museums, themed entertainment, transportation, sports, enterprise, media, energy and utilities and higher education.