satis&fy Tricks Out Nike’s Training Van with Event Equipment and Custom Interior

Something completely different for the production company

This June a customized show van rolled out of the shop at satis&fy AG Deutschland (satis&fy). Nike Germany had tasked the technical service provider to convert the truck into a training vehicle. In just under a week’s time, satis&fy refurbished its ten-square meter interior to match Nike’s corporate design. The crew decked the side panels and floor out in faux concrete and wood and decorated the interior and exterior with large-scale graphics. Furnished with imitation leather couches, a standup counter, and a sideboard, the van’s interior is now a miniature version of a Nike shop. The mobile unit was also equipped with six loudspeakers, a 40” screen, twelve 1W LED lamps, an iPod docking station, and a 13" Mac Book Pro. The luxurious interior also sports a Nespresso coffeemaker and a refrigerator. With the company’s branding featuring prominently on the exterior, the Nike van set off on a three-year tour of Germany in mid-June.

Every gram matters

The job presented a daunting challenge because the added equipment was not to exceed 700 kilos. The dead weight of the van, a Futuria Boxx 1 built on a Fiat Ducatos chassis by a specialty manufacturer based in Fürth, was 2.8 metric tons. The maximum permissible weight of 3.5 tons left the satis&fy team little leeway to trick out the vehicle. “This was no easy job for us. We even had to factor the weight of the coffee tabs into our calculations," says satis&fy project leader Björn Kowalzig. For this reason, much of the interior fittings were made of light 15-millimeter poplar plywood, including the couches’ substructure, the central wood arch, wall panels, the counter’s underbody, and the sideboards. The crew also saved weight by economizing on the wiring, streamlining the circuits and using no redundant cables. The looming deadline also posed a challenge. “We had just a week to finish the van because the tour was to start early," notes Kowalzig. To save time, all interior furnishings were preassembled in satis&fy’s workshops.

Eye candy on the inside

The side panels were decorated with prints to add depth to the interior. The satis&fy crew applied self-adhesive film on one side. Split up into five strips measuring 2.50×1.20 meters each, the image was affixed to the panels with meticulous to-the-millimeter precision. Perforated film was used at the windows’ level to retain visibility. The satis&fy team used two Smart Frames lined with printed fabric to decorate the opposite side. Explaining the two reasons for the decision in favor of fabric, Björn Kowalzig says, “We wanted to make it easy to swap out visuals when Nike decides to launch a new campaign. Also, textile prints’ colors are more intense than those of adhesive films, and they improve the acoustics." satis&fy also furnished the cabin with a custom graphic.

The look & feel of a Nike shop

The running visual on the side panels was not the only feature that evoked the typical Nike shop ambiance. A wood arch spanning 116 centimeters serves as an eye-catching wall element. satis&fy put up three sheets of poplar plywood with a total length of 4.50 meters as ceiling cladding. Its ash veneer was stained to match the color of the wood used in Nike shops and sealed with varnish. Two sheets of poplar plywood were used to build the substructure fore and aft. The shadow gaps between panels were painted in darker enamel. Seventeen faux wood panels with a height of 17.5 centimeter were affixed to this substructure to provide a visual contrast and mimic the typical Nike shop vibe. The front panel now holds a 40” monitor, 24 stainless steel pegs to display shoes, and an escape hatch for the driver. Two custom cupboards were installed on the right and left of the wood paneling to house the wiring, ventilation ducts, and multimedia elements.

Getting concrete with the visuals

Concrete is a prominent feature in the design of Nike showrooms. satis&fy worked with imi-beton to bring this look to the vehicle’s interior. This lightweight imitation concrete in the typical gray was used to mimic concrete masonry. “Imi-beton comes exclusively in 2.6×1-meter sheets, so we simply cut up the panels and put the pieces back together with mock joints," notes Kowalzig.

A cozy corner for training

The furnishings were also crafted with meticulous attention to detail. satis&fy specialists built couches with a seat height and depth of 50 and 45 centimeters, respectively, to seat seven. They attached 60-millimeter thick, faux leather cushions to the frame using Velcro. All visible side panels for the couches were covered with HPL composite panels matching the imitation leather. The front face of the center couch was faced with the same color of ash veneer as the overhead arch. The satis&fy crew built a standup counter measuring 1.15×0.50×0.35 meters, cladding the poplar plywood frame in 19-millimeter paneling. A five-millimeter tartan track was inlaid into this panel to further emphasize the van’s running theme. Serving primarily as a platform for the coffeemaker, the sideboard features the same design.

In living color

Flying the Nike colors Blue Glow (for women’s wear) and Volt Green (for men’s wear) on its exterior, the van has been touring German Intersport stores since mid-June. satis&fy applied ten 3×1.50-meter strips of self-adhesive film to recreate Nike’s branding. A 2.50-meter Nike logo graces the front of the van. A 2.50×2.50-meter wide graphic with lettering is emblazoned across its rear. “It was our idea to have the aft prints’ colors run into each other. This was one of many design proposals that we and our creative support team came up with," says satis&fy project leader Björn Kowalzig with pride. The customer is very satisfied with the customizing effort. “There’s hardly a difference between the renderings and the real thing," declares the project leader. He added that he would not mind at all if more jobs like this were to come his way.

Photos: Nike Germany

satis&fy AG Deutschland has earned a top spot among European providers of event technology with its ability deliver a one-stop solution. This end-to-end offering encompasses lighting, audio, video, presentation, and stagecraft technology and services. The production company also constructs exhibition stands, and offers set, graphic, and 3D animation design services, as well as furniture rentals. Its equipment and materials pool is one of Europe’s largest. The event service provider’s holistic approach and full-service offering, all from a sole source, are among its greatest strengths. Headquartered in Karben, the enterprise employs more than 260 people. It maintains further branches in the Westphalian town of Werne and, since 2006, in Berlin. A subsidiary company operates in the Netherlands.

For more information, contact:
Katrin Fougeray
marketing & communications
phone: +49 (0)6039/9120-983
e-mail: KatrinFougeray@satis-fy.com