At major trade shows like the SAE—the World Congress of the Society of Automotive Engineers in Detroit—the Evonik stand will be particularly attractive and draw visitors. Bea Moosdorf from the Evonik for Automotive Team is developing digital exhibits for this in conjunction with the participating business lines. An augmented reality app on iPads and an interactive touchscreen will provide information about Evonik products, for example.

“Visitors to the stand will be given an iPad with which they will wander around the Evonik stand,” Moosdorf explained. The iPad app will project a car along with the installed Evonik products on the display onto the real environment. This will allow visitors to walk around the virtual car and look at individual components from all sides. Users can view elements such as the engine in detail by touching the display. Evonik products will be presented in deep purple and their advantages over conventional products shown.

“By choosing this gadget we will give the staff working the stand the opportunity to interact directly with visitors to the exhibition and explain the advantages of our products,” Moosdorf clarified.

While the app is simple for visitors to use, the technology behind it is complex. For the app to know how it is required to position the car, there are markers that visitors scan in using the iPad. The markers are assigned to the four core competencies presented at the exhibition stand: “We save weight,” “We boost efficiency,” “We create surfaces,” and “We manage light”. “During development this didn’t always work properly,” Moosdorf explained. “Sometimes the car stood on its head, lay on its side or was far too big. A lot of detailed work went into it.”

All of Moosdorf’s work involves paying attention to detail. She is coordinating Evonik’s participation in the trade show and aims to meet the different requirements of the individual business lines. “We need to give serious consideration to where and how we position which content because ultimately, the Evonik stand is a synthesis of the arts,” said Moosdorf.