at The David L. Lawrence Convention Center

Dollar Bank Unveils its Regional Showcase and Names the Convention Center Ballroom

PITTSBURGH, September 15 -- Today, Dollar Bank unveiled its state-of-the-art, multi-media Regional Showcase at Pittsburgh's new David L. Lawrence Convention Center and announced its choice of a name for the Center's Grand Ballroom.

Using high-resolution projection equipment found nowhere else in the country, Dollar Bank's Regional Showcase will provide visitors with dramatic first impressions of southwestern Pennsylvania displayed on huge glass screens throughout the Convention Center.

Visitors entering the Convention Center from either of the two river entrances will be greeted by the film, "Region In Motion." Projected onto two 17-foot high glass screens (one screen at each entrance) and visible from both sides, this quick moving film blends images of the economic vitality of the region with shots that illustrate the region's quality of life. Panoramic shots of neighborhoods from Butler to Washington to Greensburg to Manchester are interspersed with images of people and things on the move. A heavily laden barge chugging up the river transforms into a crew team taking their morning row, which in turn, becomes a row of pretzels on a conveyor belt getting their final touches of chocolate.

"Watching this film gives one a real sense of the momentum, the energy and the dynamic attributes of the region and its people," said James F. Carroll, Jr., Vice President for Public Affairs at Dollar Bank.

Traveling up to the third floor Penn Avenue entrance of the Convention Center, visitors will enter the unique Regional Gallery Exhibit. Unlike a static gallery at a museum, the Regional Gallery consists of changing images projected onto a 28-foot by 14-foot area facing two walls. A mix of motion- enhanced photography will engulf both conventioneers and local visitors alike giving them the feeling that they are traveling throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. Gallery "shows" will be refreshed annually, but the first one entitled "Through Fresh Eyes" consists of works submitted by 42 Pittsburgh regional photographers revealing how they see the region's assets through the lenses of their cameras.

Certainly the most dramatic part of Dollar Bank's Regional Showcase is the third venue, a film entitled "A New Day" displayed in the reception area of the newly named Grand Ballroom. Projected on a 40-foot section of a 120-foot wide glass wall, this exhibit uses still and moving pictures to display dramatically the region's accomplishments in technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, higher education and the arts. "This film was designed to help visitors 'experience the region' without even leaving the building," Carroll explained.

"Dramatically presented as they are in this magnificent convention center, all three of these exhibits should encourage return visits to and investments in southwestern Pennsylvania," Carroll continued. "We feel the Regional Showcase will be an important piece of the region's overall economic development efforts."

Dollar Bank first announced the donation of the Regional Showcase in May as a tribute to the people of this region. "This is a long term commitment for the Bank," Carroll explained. "We have committed to purchase and maintain the technology and software and to keep the subject matter fresh and up-to-date for many, many years to come."

In recognition for its donation of the Regional Showcase, Dollar Bank was given the right to name the Convention Center's 34,000 square-foot grand ballroom. Rather than taking the traditional route of naming it after the Bank, the public was invited to suggest names. Throughout the summer, close to 4,000 suggestions were submitted using the Bank's web site, the U.S. mail, forms completed at branches and suggestions made at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and at the Dollar Bank Jamboree.

After culling through all of suggestions made, the ballroom will be called the "Spirit of Pittsburgh Ballroom."

Using the Bank's website, two local residents recommended that name, John Kopay and local artist Nevin Robinson. "As one who has drawn Pittsburgh for many years," Robinson said, "I've looked for a project of my own to name 'Spirit of Pittsburgh.' When I heard of this project, I felt this was the perfect place for the name. I'm glad Dollar Bank picked it."

Founded in 1855, Dollar Bank is a $5 billion federally chartered mutual savings bank headquartered in Pittsburgh with offices throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio.

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