When 250 Hewlett-Packard employees walked into a new product introduction meeting at their Little Falls, Delaware facility, they saw a drab array of audio-visual equipment at the front of the room: dull gray drapes, overhead projector, tripod
screen. And yet, by the time the attendees
walked out of the room, they'd experienced a
memorable, exciting and motivating product
introduction that thoroughly energized them for
the task of selling the new HP 6850 series gas
chromatograph—an important new addition to the Hewlett-Packard product portfolio. The HP 6850 needed a very special introduction—and event producer Media Matrix provided that introduction, from creative concept to equipment, staging,
lighting, product display, and special effects.

But what about those overheads and 1950's slide screens? Have they become "state-of-the-art" again? Hardly—but for Media Matrix, these items were as important

as the state-of-the-art elements that came later. "We wanted to hit the audience with some really upbeat, energizing meeting elements to get them fired up about this new product, and we also wanted to play the "New Attitude" against
the "old way" in a manner that was humorous
and memorable,"said Media Matrix President Michael Olenski. "We also found a means to use the old versus new contrast to get the audience more involved."

The event's structure called for the site's General Manager to introduce one of HP's top scientists, who began a "presentation" using overheads
and dry, technical charts. After a few moments, the General Manager came back on-stage and demanded that the old-fashioned AV equipment be taken down, calling for a "New Attitude."
As stagehands removed the equipment,
the General Manager addressed various people
in the audience "Do you have a New Attitude?"