Big Picture, in partnership with ISA and sponsored by Fujifilm and HP, is excited to announce the first-ever Best of Wide Format Awards. These winning projects are the most creative, innovative, and inspiring in our field and truly showcase how print service providers push the boundaries of wide-format digital print.

A Gathering Place for Tulsa

Print Shop: Meeksgroup
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tools and Supplies: 3M Controltac Graphic Film IJ180, Continental Grafix PanoRama Film 70/30, Avery Dennison MPI 2921 Easy Apply Removable Matte Film, 3M Scotchcal Gloss Overlaminate 8518, Oracal Oraguard 210 PVC Laminating Film, HP Latex 370

Voted USA Today’s Best New Attraction of 2019, Gathering Place is a free space in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Riverfront Park designed to serve as a cornerstone for the city’s lively community while improving social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Attendance within its first month exceeded 300,000. 

To attract such a large number of people to the park, the Gathering Place Opening advertising campaign targeted different segmented populations and locations in the city. Total square footage of print material by local shop Meeksgroup was 6438 square feet, including wraps for the downtown SkyBridge that connects buildings in the city, the BOK Center’s front entrance, and walls at the Supermercados Morelos and OU Wayman Tisdale Specialty Health Clinic.

One of the most eye-catching elements of the campaign? The Golden Driller. Built in 1966, it’s the sixth tallest statue in the US, coming in at 75 feet tall and 43,500 pounds. Meeksgroup printed and installed a custom T-shirt and belt via the shop’s HP Latex 370 printer (the oil worker’s belt size is 48 feet).  

The installation of the graphics occurred across the city during Oklahoma’s hottest months. “Weather, temperatures, traffic, terrain, lifts, and tight deadlines were the major obstacles,” says Jerry Crockett, CEO. “Brutal heat was the worst and all of these installs were outdoor.” Removal was just as challenging during December when it consistently precipitated and temperatures were below freezing.