Dream teams at client work – the virtual Raute RxEvent and showroom were a joint effort between firms and the client

The international virtual Raute RxEvent was created in close cooperation between several firms. In the core of the project was showroom aka RxMill which was created by Wakeone's team of 3D designers, Unreal Engine and web-developers and concept designers.

With clear roles and a good briefing, the result is sure to be first-class. Joint projects between several operators are commonplace for Wakeone.

Valve’s webinar on 26 May talked about the case and the cooperating parties.

Raute RxEvent?

Raute RxEvent, a joint project of Raute, Valve, Wakeone, Nitro, Crasman and Bright and many other partners, was held virtually in May. At the same time, Raute launched its digital showroom aka RxMill.

When Ligna, the largest annual event in the plywood industry, was canceled due to the COVID-19 situation, Raute sensed an opportunity: it filled the resulting void with its own virtual event to bring the industry together.

“We wanted to connect with stakeholders and current and potential customers and generate sales leads,” sums up Pauliina Kuokka, Head of Events at Valve.

At the same time, Raute implemented its vision with an event and a showroom. The showroom serves as a platform for the presentation of the latest products and services and as an expansion of the website.

It illustrates the plywood factory of the future with no people or dust and where everything is data-driven. The heart of the implementation was a 3D visualization of Raute’s vision for the future. It was realized as a photorealistic 3D visualization by Wakeone.

The event was the culmination of Raute’s digital year.

Many operators, more resources

There was only about six months to prepare and implement the project. According to Raute’s Chief Marketing Officer Päivi Talonen, no single party would have had the human resources to pull it off – in addition to Wakeone and Valve, more than twenty people were involved.

Seamless cooperation

Valve’s and Wakeone's combined team was responsible for the event as a whole: marketing, scripts, platform selections, HubSpot and integration between the showroom and the event. The first thing to decide was how to tie it all together and get all the parts to breathe in the vision created by Nitro and the client.

Wakeone was responsible for the implementation of the showroom: concept, visual design and technical implementation.

The 3D material produced for the showroom was utilized in the virtual setting of RxEvent’s keynote speeches, made using Unreal Engine. This ensured a straightforward progress of the project on a tight schedule and made sure that the visual look was in line with the concept everywhere. The studio production was impelemented by Bright.

Satisfied partners

Because the client wanted to avoid any redundant systems, it was important that there was open dialogue with Raute’s technical partner, Crasman, from the beginning regarding the showroom.

The client was kept at the center, and the open discussion made the roles and responsibilities clear.

According to Somerma, the cooperation with Wakeone and Valve went well, the Teamschat was used a lot and there was an active connection between the developers.

Marika Tulivuori, Executive Producer responsible for concept and branding at Nitro, is also very satisfied with the project. According to her, you can tell that cooperation is good when there is no need to intervene in the implementation:

However, Valve’s Project Director Tuulia Hakamäki emphasizes that the most important role is played by the client:

Joint offers are common

Nitro is familiar with the cooperation of several operators.

The decentralization of a project is also the safest and most sensible solution for the client.

How was it?

Were the desired results achieved – did the event do what was intended?

Detailed results are provided in Valve’s webinar, where you can also hear concrete tips on how to create an international virtual event and a digital showroom.