In late July, Ideum was proud to host our Summer Studio Party, inviting industry professionals from all over the country to visit our campus in Corrales, New Mexico. Thus marked the revival of our biannual studio parties, a longstanding tradition that had been on hiatus since 2020. Over 100 people attended, and enjoyed experiencing our newest projects firsthand, exploring our in-house hardware workshop and fabrication studio, as well as meeting many of our talented designers, programmers, developers, and technicians.

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Given the four years since our last party, there was a wide range of projects and exhibits to showcase. Visitors learned about (and tasted) wine with the interactive Helios Wine Bar, got a close-up view of colonial-era American maps and prints with the Colonial Williamsburg Map Explorer, took a dive deep into the human brain with our newly redesigned Touchless Pedestal paired with the Brain Odyssey exhibit, and even became penguins foraging for food and avoiding predators with the ABQ Biopark Chow Time interactive. In addition to these completed projects, attendees got sneak peeks of several in-progress and unreleased exhibits.

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In between enjoying exhibits and refreshments, guests were given the opportunity to see our studio in its entirety. The hardware workshop hosted guided tours, giving the opportunity to interact with our industry-leading multitouch tables, including the extra large Colossus and the ultra wide Pano, and to learn about the design and manufacturing process directly from our technicians. Visitors could then hop on a shuttle for a quick ride to our fabrication studio in the heart of Corrales to see a brand new exhibit just days away from shipping out for installation, as well as getting up close and personal with all the precision tools and talented artisans that contributed to its creation.

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We are excited to resume hosting these events. We're proud of the hard work and creativity that's gone into our exhibits and technology, and love sharing the experience. It's always fun to discover that some out-of-state visitors travel all the way to New Mexico just for the event, but it's even more wonderful that the event brings together locals who might not otherwise cross paths, fostering connection among our community members in often unexpected ways. We heard a number of serendipitous stories about chance meetings, and even had the chance to help advance some potential local project concepts. With friends new and old, neighbors, and other design and exhibit professionals from all over the country, each event feels like a hometown reunion. 

Thank you to everyone that attended, including each visitor and our dedicated staff. If you’d like to attend the next one, make sure to sign up for our newsletter. We are looking forward to hosting everyone again!