As the seasons come and go, so do live events and projection mapping. Smart planners can use this cycle to their advantage to plan ahead, to get the maximum attention and value to their 3D mapping display. Let us give you a peek behind the scenes of seasonal scheduling for the projection mapping industry!

First off, projection mapping “works” in any season, and for an interior display, seasons are completely irrelevant. February works just as well as August when your hardware is contained safely inside. This is really about people who are looking to do exterior or large scale projection mapping for live events, festivals, promotions, or anything in between.

May and June are typically the first projection mapping hot spots in the calendar year. The change from winter weather to summer foot traffic has a significant effect on eyeballs, and in turn, mapping ROI. This is also the start of festival season, which can often wrap up key staff from mapping teams with tours and long setups.

September to October are the next busy seasons in the year. At this point, we’re though the center of summer, and it’s the end of season blowout time. This means that the climactic festivals and event push is looking for ways to get as many last eyeballs as possible, and projection mapping is the way to get them. Additionally, as the days start getting shorter, there are added advantages from a mapping standpoint, allowing earlier setups and longer evening run-times.

Late November – December brings the end of the calendar year, and along with it, the last big push for projection mapping. End-of-year events, whether corporate functions, best-of award shows, or holiday spectaculars, all clamor for maximum impact, and projection mapping is logical accompaniment to it. Winter-themed mapping is also very popular, with tremendous

So what does this mean as you plan for your events? Start well in advance! 

The single best time to plan for May productions is January and February, which allows a comfortable workflow with plenty of lead time and content revisions. Similarly, May and June are the best times to start locking in your September activations, while July and August are best for November-December. These timelines give your mapping team ample time to create top-quality effects, and work out the technical complexities behind your custom display.

For more information about planning or scheduling your next projection mapping activation, email us at info (at) ChicagoProjectionMapping.com or call us at 630-620-0000