10 Venues that Seem to Come from a Sci-Fi Movie

With projection mapping you can create an otherworldly experience easily. You can transform a boring rectangle conference room into a futuristic rocket flying training academy or a basic hallway into the inside of a starship. But if you’re looking to create a moment or an experience, you want to thrill your attendees when they first walk up, and while that can be done with outdoor projection mapping, a unique venue always creates a stir.

For events that focus on a Sci-Fi theme, the more creative the better. You want something modern that will spark the imagination and bring about the “wow moment.” Sure, if your client is looking for a Sci-Fi setting you can opt for the tried-and-true planetarium or you can select one of these striking venues:

1. Kunsthaus Graz Art Museum in Graz, Austria

If you love a kitschy 1950s blob movie, this architecture will thrill you. The Kunsthaus Graz Art Museum appears to be engulfed by a creature the architects themselves nicknamed the “Friendly Alien.” In reality, it’s no alien but a roof made of thousands of glass panels that generate energy, while its outer skin is emblazoned with fluorescent rings that can be programmed to be its own piece of art. Not only is it a “friendly alien,” it’s a pretty cool one too.

2. Sound Mirrors, Assorted Locations, Great Britain

Back before radar, the British military was concerned over the need to hear quickly approaching aircraft before they came within bombing range. One of their most effective air defense strategies at that time was an early warning system. In order to hear far off planes, they erected “sound mirrors” of various sizes and shapes. Although they were decommissioned in the mid-30s due to the invention and wide use of radar, many of them still stand along the coast, the most famous being in Denge, near Dungeness, in Kent, England. Sure, they could be primitive listening devices for the military or they could be signals to the Mother Ship. You decide.

3. Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada

Habitat 67 is actually a housing complex so if you’re going to host an event here you’ll have to know one of the residents. Still, it looks so much like a post-apocalyptic dwelling that we just had to feature it. It’s located on a manmade peninsula created from the Montreal metro excavation with beautiful views of the river and the Montreal Biosphere (a Sci-Fi wonder of its own, but alas they no longer accept groups).

4. The Eden Project, Cornwall, UK

This venue is nestled in a large crater. Its Biomes, which resemble space-age bubbles, house the world’s largest indoor rainforest. The tourist attraction supports the charitable foundation that works to educate people on environmental issues. The structures and gardens look like something out of a Sci-Fi colonization movie. Don’t be surprised if guests are looking around for a few little green men (and women).

5. City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia, Spain

The City of Arts and Sciences is comprised of several buildings that look like they’ve been transported from another world. With rolling curves and a combination of cement and glass structures, they could easily serve as the backdrop for a Sci-Fi movie. These buildings contain exhibits of varying types including prehistoric dinosaurs and the history of planet formation and the solar system. The Agora building is set aside for hosting all sorts of events from concerts to conferences.

6. BMW World and the BMW Museum, Munich, Germany

This amazing glass structure could very easily be a launchpad for space-age rockets but it’s not. It houses fascinating automobile exhibits and interactions with the brand. It’s also a popular place for events and when you see the structure, you’ll understand why. It makes an impression.

7. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina

If your idea of Sci-Fi is something along the lines of alien autopsy, you’ll enjoy the Nature Research Center at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, which features a host of once living things including a shark’s jaw the size of a small spaceship. Your guests can also frolic among the dinosaurs and visit the giant cockroaches.

8. Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, Washington

Yes, Virginia, there is a Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame but it’s part of the larger Museum of Pop Culture. Recent inductees to the Hall of Fame include David Bowie, H.R. Giger, and Hayao Miyazaki. The building itself is spectacular and designed by Frank O. Gehry who was inspired by the fluidity of music when he created it. It offers an “unusual assembly of interior spaces” and amazing memorabilia and exhibits that die-hard Sci-Fi fans will feel like they’ve died and gone to Pandora.

9. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

What’s better than science fiction? Science nonfiction of course. At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, you can dine among real rockets at America’s Spaceport. NASA can also make arrangements for team-building experiences for your group, as well as opportunities to meet the astronauts and partake in the Astronaut Training Experience which gives teams a taste of the grueling prep astronauts go through before exploring space.

10. National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC

While we’re talking about real space travel, we’d be remiss to leave out this venue. The National Air and Space Museum in the US capital offers a private event experience surrounded by the icons of space. The world’s most-visited museum also has a sister location, the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia where attendees can mix and mingle amidst the Space Shuttle Discovery in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar.

In Conclusion

An experienced event planner with an extraordinary team and an unlimited budget can turn even the most boring ballroom into another planet but it’s a whole lot easier to select a venue that makes a curbside impression that you can carry on from there. With these venues, your attendees will feel the otherworldly presence the moment they view them. The only difficult part will be topping it at your next event.