“The Stampede is a place where everyone is welcome to gather together and celebrate — a place where everyone belongs between the hat and the boots.“
The Sam Centre stands as a captivating addition to the renowned legacy of the Calgary Stampede grounds, boasting a century-long history as “The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth”. This contemporary community hub is dedicated to showcasing the rich narratives of the Calgary Stampede through a blend of captivating exhibits, immersive multimedia displays, and interactive stations.
It was our privilege to undertake the display fabrication for this state-of-the-art facility, building everything from exhibit cases and graphics panels to 3D signage, vinyl wall murals, and other artistic dimensional installations. Over recent months, we’ve devoted ourselves to building out the vision for the Sam Centre’s interpretive space, and we couldn’t be more excited by the outcome!
The journey of the Sam Centre commenced in 2019, with our involvement kicking off in the spring of 2023 as we partnered with GSM Project to build their designs into a tangible reality. Numerous other professionals contributed their expertise to this community endeavour, spanning multimedia, architecture, curation, and guest experiences.
Exhibition Welcome Area
zone 2 – Galloping Horse Sculpture
One of the very first elements that we started to build was a monumental galloping horse sculpture, crafted from a series of vibrant slat panels on a dynamic angle. The colourful slats forming the body and steel frame result in a hefty showpiece weighing in at 1.5 tonnes! Each panel for the body received a vibrant geometric pattern that was directly printed onto the surface using our large-format flatbed printer. Our print and production team tested a variety of prototypes to capture the bright, vivid colours onto the material perfectly. This was achieved through meticulous colour matching, priming, and sealing processes.
After printing, each panel was run through our laminating machine to apply a protective mask to the surface before passing it along to the CNC department. Once all of the pieces were perfectly cut, our fabrication team sanded & painted the edges to match the vibrant hues of the panels. Installation took a team of 5 to maneuver the steel base into position and lift the steel horse frame using a 10′ rolling hoist. Once the frame was elevated, the supporting pegs were inserted into the base. Over the next few days, our installation crew assembled the body panels piece by piece, gradually shaping the form of the horse. The panels were secured with a combination of adhesive and screws, with discreet pins out the outer panels for a seamless finish.
Between the Boots & Hat
zone 3 – Stampede style
As visitors move their way past the entrance area and put themselves “Between the Boots & Hat,” they are immersed in the style of the Calgary Stampede. This zone showcases the style and culture of iconic Stampede visionaries.
The body of each mannequin was created with lightweight PVC pipe and 3D-printed ball joints, allowing the hands and limbs to be manipulated on multiple different axes. The limbs and torso were covered in foam, which was cut into sections using our CNC machine. The foam wraps around the pipe and gives the mannequins a human shape. A backing plate attached to the torso connects to an adjustable steel post, secured into a base plate hidden within the display platform. The hardware supporting the 2D printed faces were crafted from orbital PVC pieces to move the head in any direction, along with the hands.
Following this section is a curated display of hats worn by Stampede visionaries. We designed hat support mounts featuring an acrylic reader rail to elegantly present and label the hats alongside a graphic detailing their significance. This leads into the interactive Get Stampede Ready station, an augmented reality (AR) experience inviting visitors to place themselves within an iconic Stampede poster. Positioned in front of the station, a striking wall-mounted light display engages visitors with a light sequence, orchestrated by interacting with the photo booth. This AR station was built using bendy plywood to create a unique arched display that houses the monitor display & electrical components.
The saddle display extending past the AR station uses dramatic blue lighting to showcase silhouettes of riders that correlates with the saddle displays in front. This area also features the continuation of aluminum rails and graphics panels. A custom-built curved wooden display supports each saddle. Steel aircraft cables connect the display to the ceiling, creating a suspended saddle exhibit that emulates how it would sit on a horse.
The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth
zone 4 – Stampede sensations multimedia experience
Once visitors have immersed themselves into the style of the stampede, they are greeted by an impressive set of branded double doors leading them to experience The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. No matter what time of the year, visitors can experience what it’s like to be a part of the Stampede energy through an inspiring 4D Stampede Sensations multimedia show.
This horseshoe-shaped space was built from a series of whitewashed barn wood wall panels that serve as the background for a video with different synchronized effects. A projection mapping display creates intricate motion design effects with light, sound, floor vibrations, and even gusts of air to make it feel like you are in the video scene. Our team also crafted the stages built around a round platform that hosts sound transducers below. This creates vibrations that you can feel and hear as if you are on the rodeo grounds experiencing the rush of galloping horses racing by. Hundreds of lights are suspended from the ceiling that are programmed to create visual effects matching the sequence of the video.
Dimensional Gallery Wall & Mural
zone 6 – Bold Moves Wall
Stampede’s long history of bold moves has kept its tradition alive for well over 100 years. This multidimensional wall exhibit features a variety of historic items, backlit photo displays, and interactive elements. As you walk down the gallery, visitors are introduced to how Stampede brought the world to Calgary, global competitors, arts & culture, along with volunteers & resilience.
Each wall-mounted light box display was crafted by our team and designed for cable management that could be accessed behind the walls. The boxes were constructed from a plywood frame with a dimmable light box integrated to showcase artifacts.
The shadow boxes also utilize barn wood material for the frame, with reader displays featuring graphic panels produced by our print department. The informational graphics panels also have built-in support for LCD touch screens.
This exhibit area also notably features a large-scale vinyl wall mural, and red dimensional powder-coated letters that compose the Calgary Stampede logo. These letters were installed an inch away from the wall to create intentional shadows for impact.
30-foot Freestanding Exhibit Section
zone 7 & 9 – Stampede roots, Souvenirs and Story making
This dimensional gallery space is a 30ft-long section with dynamic angles. The purpose of this display was to feature different artifacts and interactive zones. This large display was constructed from 7 sections, starting with the floor, which houses all of the wiring underneath the elevated base. Next was the framing and internal ribbing, followed by the exterior panels and built-in shadow boxes. To access the inside of the unit for maintenance, a hidden removable panel was constructed behind a cleated graphics panel. All offset graphics panels throughout the display are secured using french cleats, which makes them simple to remove for future graphic updates.
The Stampede roots section of this wall (zone 7) facing the Stampede Bold Moves wall area showcases the beginnings of the Stampede through visual and interactive exhibits. Built-in casing houses a variety of touchable items that visitors can connect with, along with custom-built saddle stations and a leather stamping display.
The final section of this freestanding structure is on the opposite side, zone 9, which is dedicated to souvenir exhibits and story writing prompts. A custom freestanding postcard receptacle was constructed with a hinged countertop, for staff to access postcards that visitors have written about their visit. Selected postcards are featured on a section of the wall made from standoff ledges. Postcards are housed within clear acrylic frames, while the larger-than-life postcard displays at the top of the structure are ACM prints with large cleat systems. This allows the postcard panels to be removed and updated with graphics in the future.
Multimedia Experience
zone 8 – Behind The Scenes
This interactive zone features a large screen backdrop that allows each visitor to play different interviews simultaneously through different projectors. The wall-mounted backdrop frame was constructed from the same rustic barn board as the zone 4 multimedia experience. Custom-built chairs allow guests to sit comfortably and use wired headphones to experience video interviews from various Stampede families. The armrest features interactive controls to browse through the media library, which also acts as a partition between double seats. The frames were constructed to conceal media access panels, and feature red upholstery resistant to erosion.
The chairs were fabricated by our team with a slotted grid-like structure for stability. Next, the armrest was added followed by a custom upholstered seat. The upholstered back panels are magnetically mounted onto the fixture to allow easy access for maintenance and wiring.
Community Learning Space
zone 10 – Parade interactive
This final zone of the Sam Centre features a media wall showcasing an animated digital parade march that reinforces the connection between the Stampede and city of Calgary. Along with the screen frame similar to the zone 8 multimedia experience, our team constructed a long set of tables used by visitors and for school groups or other interactive programming.
The tables were constructed from solid maple wood and steel tube legs, with removable power bar brackets hidden underneath the side. Six tables were arranged to create a surface area of 27 feet long by 8 feet wide.
The Sam Centre project was a large and exciting collaboration that hundreds of thousands of visitors will experience for years to come in Calgary. We were thrilled to meet this challenge with hard work, creativity and dedication!
The Sam Centre is a place where everyone is welcome to gather together and celebrate the Calgary Stampede — a place where everyone belongs between the hat and the boots.
Exhibit Fabrication
We take your creative visions for exciting and interactive exhibits and build them into reality. Our creative and dedicated team has a reputation for building amazing displays for museums, galleries, and interpretive centre displays. Get in touch to discuss your next project with us!
