AP Features, October 8th, 2007
The millions of tourists visiting Charleston each year now have an easy, high-tech way to become familiar with the historic city before hitting the streets in person.
A new video wall _ well, really a video floor _ was unveiled Monday at the Charleston Visitors Center, offering people a chance to see multimedia displays of attractions around the city.
A transparent screen was installed in the glass above a scale model of the city built into the floor when the center opened 16 years ago in an old railroad warehouse dating to the 1800s.
At the four corners of the existing diorama are kiosks with a simple trackball and a button. Visitors can move a compass rose around the map to click on attractions and see presentations on the floor and on wide-screen video screens above.
In all, there are 17 multimedia presentations. The system is innovative because at most visitor centers, tourists just press a button to call up a video on a small screen, Goldman said.
"It's magic when you look at that floor and it's suddenly transformed," said James Gordon, the creative director for Talisman.
"We wanted to take the existing diorama and update it and create an interactive experience," said Jerry Goldman, the executive producer for Talisman Media of Boston, which created the $300,000 system.
An estimated 4 million visitors flock to Charleston each year, about a quarter of them stopping by the visitor center. Tourism, which generates $16 billion a year, is South Carolina's largest industry.
Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said the display will help people get acquainted with the city, which encourages guests to park at the Visitors Center and ride one of the city's green trolleys or walk.
"Your marriage will be stronger," he laughed. "There will be no arguments about where to park."
