£700 000 on-board exhibition for QM2

The Open Agency has received approval from Cunard for a £700 000 exhibition on the nascent Queen Mary 2, which will be the world’s largest passenger ship when it sets sail at the end of 2003.

The Open Agency approached Cunard three months ago ‘on spec’ with suggestions for an on-board interactive exhibition based on improving what it did on other ships, such as the Queen Elizabeth 2. Its appointment is ratified by approval for its plans.

‘We wanted to show the history behind Cunard and bind it with the new product,’ says The Open Agency marketing director David Dean. ‘We convinced [Cunard] to use its 180 years of history and to open up its museums around the world to the public.’

The Heritage Trail will be a mix of interactive entertainment, such as a virtual reality tour of the ocean liner, and memorabilia, such as vintage posters (pictured). It will be based around 20 to 30 interactive devices, most of which will be flat-screen PC displays, although handheld devices are also being considered.

‘The objective is to give consistent entertainment 24 hours a day,’ Dean comments.

The Queen Mary 2 will weigh in at more than twice the size of the Titanic and 41 000 tons more than the biggest ship afloat, which is Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess. The 150 000-ton liner will accommodate 2600 passengers, cost more than £490m to build, be longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and as long as 36 double-decker London buses when it is complete.