Calgary Beams Up Transporter

Come on, admit it: You’ve always wanted to beam up, beam out and/or beam in. Well, now’s your chance… or at least as close as you can possibly come to it in the 21st century. And that’s thanks to the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo and Vulcan Tourism Transporter App. Star Trek fans in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, can beam themselves and their friends in and out – for free -- using a combination of an iPhone/iPad and two transporter-room-themed bus shelters with Trek-style “Augmented Reality” technology.

“This technology is so cool; it’s an interactive way for fans to have some fun,” says Kandrix Foong, director of The Calgary Expo, who spent two months planning the concept in partnership with Vulcan Tourism.  “It’s just one aspect of the celebration for the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the cast reunion activities we have planned during the weekend of April 27-29” at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, the highlight of which will be a reunion of all nine principal cast members of The Next Generation.

CBS Outdoor has donated a third bus shelter that will be on display at The Calgary Expo from April 27-29. It will be in the Vulcan Tourism (Star Trek Museum) booth area for fans to enjoy for free. Following The Calgary Expo, the transporter and its software will be relocated to Vulcan, Alberta, as a permanent and interactive display just in time for Spock Days in June.

The shelters will be available for beaming now through April 30. Visit www.calgaryexpo.com for details.