What is your next vacation destination? The travel experience center "World of TUI" in Berlin offers a taste of dream vacation countries. The specialist company for extraordinary media technology installations, ict AG, based in Kohlberg,  in cooperation with the company Werbeteam GmbH from Braunschweig, installed a multitude of audiovisual equipment in this center. A world of experience has been created in the recently renovated historical Hotel Carlton building which was first constructed in 1902. Visitors to the "World of TUI" can enjoy the adventure of travel with all their senses.

Interactive vacation booths

Vacation booths on the first floor carry the visitors off to their future vacation destinations. The visitors can select a video clip of their dream vacation spot on several 15" TFT displays with headphones. Additionally, several of the booths can be aromatized for particular video scenes - the orange plantation scenes are orange scented and the beach scenes from Cuba have a hint of sun cream aroma. Two 37" plasma displays integrated in the rear wall of the bar in the Café-Bar area provide television entertainment by showing TV Travel-Shop. A special eye-catcher for passers by is provided by three Holopro screens in the shop windows on which graphics and travel information are projected.

Digital holiday greetings

A camera system is installed behind the vacation booths which enables customers to create postcards or E-mail greetings even before they leave for vacation. The versatile application ict TouchVision PICTUREMAIL has been installed on a stainless steel TouchMachine with LCD 15" Touchscreen. Using a digital camera, a photo of the customer is taken and using an automatic bluebox process, it is integrated in a selected background scene. The customer can see the "postcard" on the screen and print it or send it per e-mail.

Multi media consulting area

Consulting and sales take place on the second floor of the travel experience center. The area is sub-divided into individual counters using room dividers. Each counter is equipped with a 37" plasma display, a built in loudspeaker a trackball keyboard and a feed computer. Several TV sets and Glastron glasses (video glasses with two LCD displays which create the impression of a large image) connected to a DVD player and video recorder are available in the waiting zone.

Audio and projection technology control is achieved with a 12" Touchdisplay and two new compact 6,5’" touch displays including a control PC for each. The interactive control surface, programmed with ict TouchVision, is optimized for a comfortable and reliable Touchscreen operation and is analog adapted to the "World of TUI" Corporate Design. The control surface facilitates direct and timer programmed control functions, for example the direct influence on sources or sound levels of the audio system in the rooms and timer programmed switching off of projectors and displays at night. Using networks, the units interact with each other and together with the core of the system, an ict ControlMachine, form a high performance and expandable system.

Both floors can be independently supplied with audio. Moreover, several loudspeakers have been combined in groups, thus facilitating a sound level adjustment using individually independent signals in each area. An Acouro central system is included in the audio system. Thus, virtual acoustic rooms can be consciously arranged using a psychoacoustic process. The virtual sound room masks the speech understanding and thereby separates individual acoustic rooms. The central system includes a Daytime control, which adapts the functions depending on the time of day. All switching and control functions of the audio signals are accomplished with a DSP-Matrix – controlled by the ict ControlMachine CM2. Source feeds are provided by two CD players, two tuners, a cordless microphone system and an MP3 server also operated from the controls.

The installation work in the travel experience center lasted approximately two months. Martti Tammelin, Project Manager for ict Berlin, is satisfied with the result. "The project presented several challenges for today’s technology. However, a lot of what appears utopian at first glance, can be easily realized by our extensive range of products."