This story is a part of the QCBJ’s Newsmakers edition. This year-end wrap-up from the staff of the Quad Cities Business Journal is a compilation of the year’s most noteworthy articles and projects, as told through stories that appeared in the bi-weekly issues of the QCBJ. This story was originally published in January 2022. Much like […]
Already a subscriber? Log in
Want to Read More?
Get immediate, unlimited access to all subscriber content and much more.
Learn more in our subscriber FAQ.
- Unparalleled business coverage of the Iowa City / Cedar Rapids corridor.
- Immediate access to subscriber-only content on our website.
- 52 issues per year delivered digitally, in print or both.
- Support locally owned and operated journalism.
This story is a part of the QCBJ’s Newsmakers edition. This year-end wrap-up from the staff of the Quad Cities Business Journal is a compilation of the year’s most noteworthy articles and projects, as told through stories that appeared in the bi-weekly issues of the QCBJ.
This story was originally published in January 2022.
Much like countless people who remodeled after spending too much pandemic time inside their homes, the John Deere Pavilion took advantage of a forced shutdown to reimagine and reinvent itself. Opened in 1997, the downtown Moline attraction still was a popular stop for Quad Citians and visitors alike when COVID-19 closed its doors in March 2020. But when it reopened two months ago, visitors were greeted by a host of new interactive and immersive exhibits that better tell today’s John Deere story. During what became a 600-day closure, the pavilion’s staff began to look around and evaluate how the pavilion — with its hands-on kid-friendly exhibits — would operate under the new COVID-19 protocols and restrictions. “We didn’t know what reopening looked like,” said Neil Dahlstrom, the Moline-based company’s branded properties and heritage manager. Shuttered for 20 months, the pavilion had not yet had to accommodate any crowds or new mask and distance requirements, let alone pandemic-weary visitors. Mr. Dahlstrom, who also oversees the John Deere Archives, recalled the months of planning to renovate the 25-year-old pavilion. He said staff realized that some equipment on display “we don’t even build anymore.” In April 2021, the team — led by Mr. Dahlstrom and Brandon Jens, Deere’s branded properties lead — launched “a visioning exercise to decide what do we want this place to be,” Mr. Dahlstrom said. As the front door to the Quad Cities and its parent company Deere & Co., the pavilion’s time had come for upgrading its exhibits and information as well as some new technologies. “The world moves in real time now, and we need to too,” Mr. Dahlstrom said. Mr. Jens, who manages the pavilion’s daily operations, said a new bank of video monitors and next generation exhibits offer a new flexibility to the pavilion staff. Where in the past, they might have had a small display on the John Deere Classic, Mr. Jens said now the monitors could be showing live coverage during tournament week. Or they could broadcast footage from live international events such as Agritechnicha in Europe or the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where Deere unveiled its autonomous tractor. “We could bring the world of John Deere here,” Mr. Dahlstrom said. The team gathered input — and collected 90% of its new exhibit content — from the company’s marketing and branding staff. They wanted exhibits with much broader content about the modern-day manufacturer. “When you look around here, it looks like there is less here, but in reality there is so much more,” Mr. Dahlstrom said of the interactive displays, animated features and kiosks that offer volumes of information. A new interactive kiosk, Stomp & Spray, is fun and educational — telling the story of how Deere’s technology can determine if a plant is a weed or a crop. Visitors, young and old, can stomp out the weeds in a Dance Revolution-like game.
Much like countless people who remodeled after spending too much pandemic time inside their homes, the John Deere Pavilion took advantage of a forced shutdown to reimagine and reinvent itself. Opened in 1997, the downtown Moline attraction still was a popular stop for Quad Citians and visitors alike when COVID-19 closed its doors in March 2020. But when it reopened two months ago, visitors were greeted by a host of new interactive and immersive exhibits that better tell today’s John Deere story. During what became a 600-day closure, the pavilion’s staff began to look around and evaluate how the pavilion — with its hands-on kid-friendly exhibits — would operate under the new COVID-19 protocols and restrictions. “We didn’t know what reopening looked like,” said Neil Dahlstrom, the Moline-based company’s branded properties and heritage manager. Shuttered for 20 months, the pavilion had not yet had to accommodate any crowds or new mask and distance requirements, let alone pandemic-weary visitors. Mr. Dahlstrom, who also oversees the John Deere Archives, recalled the months of planning to renovate the 25-year-old pavilion. He said staff realized that some equipment on display “we don’t even build anymore.” In April 2021, the team — led by Mr. Dahlstrom and Brandon Jens, Deere’s branded properties lead — launched “a visioning exercise to decide what do we want this place to be,” Mr. Dahlstrom said. As the front door to the Quad Cities and its parent company Deere & Co., the pavilion’s time had come for upgrading its exhibits and information as well as some new technologies. “The world moves in real time now, and we need to too,” Mr. Dahlstrom said. Mr. Jens, who manages the pavilion’s daily operations, said a new bank of video monitors and next generation exhibits offer a new flexibility to the pavilion staff. Where in the past, they might have had a small display on the John Deere Classic, Mr. Jens said now the monitors could be showing live coverage during tournament week. Or they could broadcast footage from live international events such as Agritechnicha in Europe or the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where Deere unveiled its autonomous tractor. “We could bring the world of John Deere here,” Mr. Dahlstrom said. The team gathered input — and collected 90% of its new exhibit content — from the company’s marketing and branding staff. They wanted exhibits with much broader content about the modern-day manufacturer. “When you look around here, it looks like there is less here, but in reality there is so much more,” Mr. Dahlstrom said of the interactive displays, animated features and kiosks that offer volumes of information. A new interactive kiosk, Stomp & Spray, is fun and educational — telling the story of how Deere’s technology can determine if a plant is a weed or a crop. Visitors, young and old, can stomp out the weeds in a Dance Revolution-like game.
Among the other new features:
- We Run Hat Exhibit — A new interactive display of John Deere hats features videos with people sharing stories of their iconic hats.
- Building for Generations — This newly constructed room helps show how the world’s challenges are evolving and how Deere products help customers overcome them.
- Leap Forward — Five eight-foot screens show imagery and videos portraying how John Deere’s intelligent connected machines are enabling lives to leap forward.