Where the customer is not only king, but the focus of every single display and activity: that is how surface specialist Continental welcomes customers. Indeed, Continental was recently joined by a number of select guests from business, industry and the media to celebrate together the opening of its new Customer Event Center (CEC) at the company’s Weißbach location. So, what is this venue all about? It is a 300-square-meter space that perfectly showcases everything to do with Continental’s surface solutions, and invites visitors to enter into, experience and discuss this world of materials in a relaxed, informal ambience.
“With the Customer Event Center, we wanted to create a place where we could present our product world and inspire our customers,” says Bruno Lehmann, head of Product Management Interior Living EMEA, summing up the philosophy and motivation behind the creation of the CEC. When designing this multifunctional space under the tagline “Experiencing surfaces – a new dimension,” great importance was attached to creating a platform for professional inspiration and sharing of ideas and information. In other words, the CEC is the result and expression of a particularly strong focus on customers. Not only do they have the opportunity to experience first hand a wide range of surfaces from the Exterior Living, Interior Living, Automotive Interior and Home Decoration segments, but they can also collaborate with Continental to create new, custom-tailored solutions.
One space, many possibilities
Oriented to these various requirements, a modular concept was chosen for the design of the CEC, which allows flexible use of the venue’s space. This led to the creation of three areas: the Intro, Showroom, and Forum. The “Intro,” or entrance area, is designed in a modern “Scandi” style to create a feel-good atmosphere with bright, warm colors and natural shapes. In contrast, the “Showroom” – an exhibition space – and the “Forum” – a lecture and conference room – are designed in the Bauhaus style, and impress with their simple elegance and clear lines and shapes. One positive side effect is that this setting stages and spotlights the exhibits so well: and there are many exhibits on show.
From the Exterior Films range, for example, the products Conti® woodec, presented in the shape of two facade elements, and Conti® mattex on a raised flower bed, can be discovered directly in their intended application. Both products count among Continental’s innovative new products, and show to their advantage strikingly well in combination. This is particularly impressive in the ContiHome and the Outdoor Kitchen, which were presented at the Fensterbau Frontale trade fair at the beginning of the year.
But that is not all: in addition to the outdoor exhibits, Continental’s innovative cool colors technology is also presented and explained live at the CEC. What exactly is this technology? Normally, dark colors are not suitable for windows or doors, as the surfaces can heat up considerably in sunlight, and their shape can start to deform as a result. Continental has found a solution to this problem with its cool colors technology: exactly how it works is demonstrated in a simulation using permanently installed cameras at the CEC.