CSI: THE EXPERIENCE

TO BE UNVEILED AT PIAZZA SURFERS PARADISE THIS SUMMER!

Frontier Events and Events Queensland, in association with EMS Exhibits, under a license from CBS Consumer Products, are pleased to announce the internationally acclaimed & award winning exhibition CSI: The Experience will open exclusively at Piazza Surfers Paradise on Friday 2nd December 2011.

In a major coup for Queensland, Surfers Paradise will exclusively host the exhibition’s first ever visit to Australia, following its triumphs in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Premier Anna Bligh welcomed news of the announcement: “This award winning TV series has been watched in homes all over Queensland for years and now the experience is being brought to life right here on the Gold Coast.

“The Queensland Government is investing in major events and exhibitions like this through Events Queensland because they attract visitors and help deliver the Gold Coast tourism industry the boost that it needs.

“The Gold Coast is a perfect destination for this exhibition which is sure to be a hit among locals and tourists alike.”

Michael Gudinski, Director of Frontier Events said, “The success of the CSI television franchise has been phenomenal worldwide. Millions have been enthralled by the science behind solving crimes. I’m delighted that Frontier Events is able to join with Events Queensland to bring CSI: The Experience to Surfers Paradise, where we anticipate locals and tourists alike will discover first hand their inner CSI’s.”

The interactive exhibition is based on the multi award winning and long running hit television crime drama series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. CSI: The Experience exhibition invites visitors to assume the role of a forensic detective to solve cases using scientific principles and techniques currently in use today and as seen on the CSI television programs.

From DNA and firearms analysis to forensic anthropology and toxicology, visitors will have the opportunity to actively engage in a new form of interactive & experiential learning – a hybrid of entertainment and science; or as CSI Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer describes it, ‘edu-tainment’ where an engaging multimedia environment meets pop culture appeal, meets enriching educational value.

Designed for visitors 11 years of age and older, the 1,110 square-metre exhibition was developed in consultation with 175 forensic science experts and guides visitors through an intriguing process that closely copies the realities of crime scene investigation.

Upon entering the exhibition, our newly hired ‘detectives’ are inducted into the realm of forensic science through a video introduction by Anthony E. Zuiker, the creator & executive producer of the CSI television series. Real-life forensic scientist Ron Singer then briefly summarises the science to be found in the exhibit before CSI’s lead investigator ‘Gil Grissom’ outlines his role as supervisor for the new ‘recruits’ and as usual recommends they ‘follow the evidence’ to their eventual conclusion.

Our detectives then travel through one of three intricately constructed ‘crime scenes’ to identify and record evidence. State-of-the-art ‘crime labs’ assist them to piece together evidence from the ‘crime scene’ whilst an ‘autopsy’ room explains the process of pathology analysis.

With guidance in the form of video messages from the much loved past and present characters from the television show, our detectives will be invited to present their findings to team supervisor ‘Gil Grissom’ in his ‘office’ in the hopes of solving the case. Successful detectives are rewarded with a personalised crime scene diploma upon cracking the case they have been assigned. Originally developed by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History with a grant from The National Science Foundation (NSF), CSI: The Experience has been exhibited across the United States, Europe, and Asia with the Surfers Paradise exhibition being the first foray into Oceania.

Events Queensland CEO John O’Sullivan said the exhibition represented a diversification of the investment in the region.

“We know that the Gold Coast has all the right ingredients when it comes to delivering successful major sporting events,” Mr O’ Sullivan said.

“Now we are starting to look at broadening our investment to include other events and this exhibition seems like a good fit which appeals to a wide audience.”

CSI: The Experience received the American Experience Industry’s Thea Award for Excellence in Innovation. The Thea Awards, considered the experience industry’s highest honour, recognise excellence in the creation of outstanding guest experiences.

About CBS Consumer Products

CBS Consumer Products manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company's extensive library of titles, Showtime and CBS Films. Additionally, the group oversees online sales of programming merchandise. For more information, visit www.cbsconsumerproducts.com.

About EMS Exhibits

EMS Exhibits, a division of Vienna-based Event Marketing Service GmbH, Austria, is the official international and exclusive booking agent & promoter of CSI: The Experience. Since its founding in 1993 by Christoph Rahofer, EMS Exhibits has led successful promotional and marketing campaigns for such world-class exhibits as National Geographic’s Tutankhamun and the World of the Pharaohs, as well as produced shows such as EMS’s own 1000 years of INCAgold, Leonardo Da Vinci: Man – Inventor – Genius, 100 Masterpieces as well as family entertainment interactive exhibits like Dinosaurs – Live!, The Barbie Story, World of Games and Busy Beees!. EMS Exhibits just recently was awarded the global touring rights to Star Trek: The Exhibition. www.event-marketing.com

About the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

Dedicated to life-long learning and anchored by its rich collections, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History engages its diverse community through creative, vibrant programs and exhibits interpreting science and the history of Texas and the Southwest. Since the mid-1980s, the Museum has annually welcomed nearly a million visitors, making it one of the most popular cultural attractions in North Texas.

About Piazza Surfers Paradise

Piazza Surfers Paradise is located in the heart of Queensland’s Surfers Paradise on the vibrant Gold Coast, adjoining the Holiday Inn (formerly the ANA) hotel. Entry to the new exhibition space is on Elkhorn Avenue, opposite Orchard Avenue. The Piazza Surfers Paradise has two levels of dedicated undercover parking for patrons, with driveway entrance on View Street.

About Frontier Events

Frontier Events is a division of The Frontier Touring Company, Australia’s leading concert promoter. Frontier Events manages and organises entertainment for government, global corporations and major international sporting events. CSI: The Experience will be the second major exhibition presented by Frontier Events following 2010’s highly successful attendance record-breaking Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition in Melbourne.

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