In June of 2009, USA, Inc. and Bally Design made a winning joint presentation for the refurbishment and redesign of the Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center for the Central Pennsylvania Convention & Visitors Bureau (CPCVB), located in State College, Pennsylvania.

The Center operates as self-guided tour with 100,000 visitors a year. CPCVB’s goal with this contract was to update the exhibits installed in the visitor center ten years earlier and to integrate the new brand strategy into the visitor center experience.

Incorporating the CPCVB brand focuses on three primary themes—“Tour, Roar and Explore”—to highlight major tourist attractions and activities. The concept “Tour” refers to the many cultural, historic and community activities visitors can enjoy in the region. “Roar” is the roar of the Nittany Lion, mascot of Penn State University, whose main campus is in State College, home to over 40,000 students. Penn State is, therefore, a major employer and tourist draw to the area as thousands of fans and alumni flock to the region to cheer on their favorite teams and support their alma mater. The prime location of the visitor center and its optimal view of Mt. Nittany served as the perfect backdrop for the third theme element, “Explore”, which is intended to highlight the many outdoor activities – from hiking and biking to boating and fishing and spelunking – that are possible in Centre County.

The CPCVB requested to reuse or refurbish some of the elements from the original visitor center design to support working within the available budget. The main features of the existing design were five large architectural elements and graphics evocative of local historic buildings. USA and Bally saw that these three components could be repurposed to open up the space and improve visitor flow in coordination with new design elements. The result is open, airy and modern.

USA acted as the Prime Contractor for this project and managed the design development process from start to finish; CPCVB developed the written copy for the entire facility. A custom interactive map kiosk was developed in coordination with Bally Design for visitors to plan their trip to Central PA.

An interactive fiber optics exhibit highlights the region’s annual fireworks display, one of the largest in the country. This exhibit was designed from concept to execution by USA through brainstorming sessions with CPCVB and Bally Design.

Large murals and photos are a frequent asset in regional visitor center’s presentation to the public: beautiful full color or historic photos entice people to get out and see what the location has to offer. Bally’s graphic treatment of the space included new environmental murals, historic photographs, and informative text panels. Fifteen digital picture frames were also employed, giving the client the ability to change the images or news whenever they desired. The result is a fun, bright and active space that entices visitors to get out there and Tour, Roar and Explore.

The installation was made more complicated by the reuse and repurposing of some large exhibit elements and the resurfacing of existing wall structure. USA phased the decommissioning of the gallery, completed site construction, and installed shop-built exhibits over a period of two months. USA transformed the gallery into a self-guided visitors’ experience with adventure, history, and an enlightened view of the area. The project was completed on time and under budget.

The Centre County/Penn State Visitor Center held an opening ceremony celebration on June 29th.