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Case in Point

Client Company Info

Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of more than 27,500 megawatts of generation, 12,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,000 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates the nation’s largest natural gas storage system with 942 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 12 states. Corporate headquarters are located in Richmond, VA.

Dominion’s strategy is to be a leading provider of electricity, natural gas and related services to customers in the energy-consumption-intensive Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the U.S., a potential market of 50 million homes and businesses, where 40 percent of the nation’s energy is consumed.

Challenge

As Dominion Resources, Inc. looked to commemorate its 100th anniversary, it sought to engage with and celebrate the employees who devoted their professional lives to bringing power to millions of businesses and customers throughout the years. Dominion wanted to preserve this centennial milestone as a spectacular, arresting exhibit suitable for touring the country and eventually resting in the Library of Virginia. And it wanted West Cary Group (WCG) to make it happen.

Solution

The task of portraying a century of change in graphic form was daunting, but WCG and Dominion’s design team united and developed a plan to use portable panels to depict four major themes in the company’s history: early years, growth, innovation and the company’s corporate evolution.

Research for the exhibit was meticulous. WCG mined the historical contents of Dominion’s vast archive and visited area libraries to unearth articles and photos from the past. What emerged was rich and historically significant content that could withstand the same scrutiny as any museum exhibit. 

WCG thought to include several additional elements to make the exhibit even more engaging.

For the centerpiece, it designed a leather-bound scrapbook, a tangible presentation that literally allowed users to get their hands on Dominion’s history. The 32-page scrapbook brought the Dominion story to life in the context of cultural and historic events. The scrapbook and shone a spotlight on Dominion’s advertising campaigns, and it’s contributions to the community, technological innovations and safety programs.

To protect the originals, photographs were reproduced and then distressed and stained with tea or coffee to create an authentic look. Each photograph and document was adhered to the background pages of the scrapbook individually to create a three-dimensional effect. 

Another focal point of the exhibit was a kiosk with a high-definition video monitor that played historic videos created especially for the centennial. Using rich production values, WCG created videos that illuminated Dominion’s technological evolution, the changing face of energy sources over the years and the company’s active engagement with the public. 

Outcome

The goal of delivering 1,000 quality impressions was achieved in the first two months of the exhibit’s run. It became the center of attention at Dominion-owned properties and was featured at the company’s public exhibit at the 2009 State Fair of Virginia, an event that generated attendance just shy of 250,000 persons, including 10,000 school children for whom the Dominion display was a destination for educational purposes.

After Dominion concludes its centennial celebration, the company will donate the traveling exhibit and scrapbook to the Library of Virginia, where they will be available for future generations to enjoy.

In addition, for its effort and accomplishment, WCG was chosen as a 2010 Virginia Public Relations Awards winner in multiple categories by the Richmond Public Relations Society of America.

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