Siemens Base 21

Slugworth

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
41
At Spaceship Earth, you've probably noticed the building on the back that overlooks the fountain and central area of Future World. Its the one with the windows all the way across. I've often wondered, "What's in there?". It seems like the perfect place for a restaurant due to the awesome view from the second story windows. Well, a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to get a chance to find out.
I am an A/V tech and my company does a lot of conferences for Siemens. I had to work a conference they were having at the Yacht & Beach club. By the way, Siemens tends to book hotel rooms for us techs at whatever resort their having their meeting at. That means I get to stay in a Disney resort for the work week even though I'm local. Anyway, I was told that I'd need to work a meeting that would be held at Base 21 after the conference was over. I had never heard of Base 21. Then I was told that it was located at Spaceship Earth. I was so excited.
The day of the meeting, I was able to drive "backstage" at EPCOT and park in the Siemens VIP spaces. That was awesome in itself. I had never been back there before and didn't realized you could actually park so close to Spaceship Earth.
I walked into the doorway where you exit after riding SE, and to the left there's a door that says SIEMENS. I pushed the call button and announced myself. The door buzzed and I walked into a very futuristic room. The room was very small and had a sort of computer console to the left. As I walk through this room, a woman's voice comes over the speakers and says, "Welcome to Base 21", as an automatic door opens in front of me. It was so cool because it was very similar to any EPCOT attraction, but it wasn't. This was a private meeting space for SIEMENS execs.
As you pass through the "computer room" you enter a lobby area with elevators. This room is filled with changing neon light and very futuristic accessories. After taking the elevator to the second floor, I walk into the main meeting space. This is the room that you can see through the windows from the park. This is the room I had wondered about. And the view from those windows was absolutely amazing! It was a perfect view of Future World I had never seen, and not many other people have seen.
Being the A/V tech for the meeting, I was in charge of sound, video, and lights for the room. Everything is set up on a touch screen remote. The lighting of the room is unbelievable. The floor is clear glass with neon lights underneath. The ceiling also has colored lights, and all of these can be changed from the remote. I had a blast changing colors of the room, moving the window shades up and down, and running the whole thing from a chair with a remote control. All I can say is, when you step into Base 21, you feel like you're stepping into the future. There's no way I can describe all of the things they've set up in this area. Its an attraction in itself.
I just wanted to share this with all of you. If you've ever wondered, "what's in there", this is the answer. As a huge WDW fan, it was a great opportunity for me to work at Base 21. I look forward to visiting again.
 
Thanks so much for sharing your Siemens experience! DH works for Siemens and we were thrilled to find out there would actually be a ride (Spaceship Earth) that was sponsored by them. Since he works for Siemens, they gave us access to a discount on park tickets. Not great, but better than nothing! Maybe DH can get us in the limited access area! *wheels turning*:idea:
 
wow! thats awesome! Thanks for sharing! Now I've got to figure out how to see it for myself!:thumbsup2
 
As I walk through this room, a woman's voice comes over the speakers and says, "Welcome to Base 21", as an automatic door opens in front of me.

So what was that name that you gave again? ;)
 

What an awesome story! I love that kind of stuff...like "covert ops"...
:goodvibes
 
whoa, thanks for that report, sounds like an awesome area
 
Thanks so much for sharing your Siemens experience! DH works for Siemens and we were thrilled to find out there would actually be a ride (Spaceship Earth) that was sponsored by them. Since he works for Siemens, they gave us access to a discount on park tickets. Not great, but better than nothing! Maybe DH can get us in the limited access area! *wheels turning*:idea:

I'm not sure if they allow people to take a look inside, its worth a shot though. I had to take a look at the space the day before the meeting. I went there with the Siemens event manager that plans their conferences. I had worked with him several times before, but never told him about my love of WDW. When he told me I'd be working that meeting, I spilled my guts to him about how much I love the parks and how excited I was to be doing this. He then told me that he "used" to be a Disney fanatic, and for 20 straight years, he visited the parks every weekend. So, he understood my excitement.
After meeting the man in charge of running Base 21 and telling him about how crazy I was for WDW, he asked if I had experienced the "new" Spaceship Earth. This was soon after they had reopened so I had not ridden it yet. He picked up the phone, called the loading area of the ride, and told him he had a couple of "VIP"s coming down. I felt so special, lol. We walked down a set of stairs, through a hallway (where more voices came over the speakers telling us thanks for visiting), and somehow ended up at the loading point for SE. Granted, the line for SE is never really long, but it was still very cool to be treated like a VIP and go straight to the front of the line.
I'm sure you husband has a Siemens lanyard and badge laying around somewhere. You should put that on and walk in there like you own the place.
 
:laughing: Yeah. That is us! VIPs all the way! NOT! But I can get him working on that now. We won't be there until December! Thanks so much again!
 
Cool story. Thanks for sharing.

There are corporate VIP rooms in many (if not all?) of the sponsored rides. I've had the opportunity to visit the GM one at Test Track -- which is a lounge where GM employees can relax and get something to drink. Same for HP at Mission:Space. I've also been in the VIP room at the Living Seas that's used for private events. (Another plush location in Epcot, complete with a clear-acrylic grand piano.) Of course I wasn't a VIP when I saw these, just a lucky guy on a backstage tour.
 
Thanks for sharing the info on Base 21.

I'll be checking out the HP Pavillion at MS for the first time in a couple weeks.
 
cool cool COOL COOL COOL - i can't put enough cools in front of this statement! from one AV professional (i specialize in videoconferencing, but AV is the root of everything we do) who is also a WDW freak, this is more awesome than i can express. thanks so much for sharing.

So was the touch panel remote an AMX or a Chrestron or something even more cutting edge?

hey - you guys have an opening for a Videoconferencing tech?!?!?
 
Thanks so much for sharing your Siemens experience! DH works for Siemens and we were thrilled to find out there would actually be a ride (Spaceship Earth) that was sponsored by them. Since he works for Siemens, they gave us access to a discount on park tickets. Not great, but better than nothing! Maybe DH can get us in the limited access area! *wheels turning*:idea:

Hi HerdOHuds

I'm a Siemens employee too (in Canada). :thumbsup2 Tell your husband to have a look at the following web address.

http://intra.sc.siemens.com/disney/tickets/base21.php

Looks like all Siemens employees (and family) get automatic access. Cool. :thumbsup2 I had a look on that site and one of the things it says is the following...

Upon entering the visitor’s exploration begins by ascending to the second level where we will share the Siemens story through multiple media outlets and interactive exhibits. Enjoy a cold beverage, comfortable rest and recharge for your visit at Epcot. And don’t worry about waiting in line to experience the Spaceship Earth attraction as all visitors to Base21 receive VIP access to the ride!

Andy
 
We had a meeting & a buffet dinner in there when we were staying at Disney for my DH's company trip. He works for a electrical wholesaler that sells the Siemens line. The color changing floor is my favorite!

Also, everytime someone used the restroom, someone went in there & emptied the garbage. Definately a very high end area for VIP's.
 
So was the touch panel remote an AMX or a Chrestron or something even more cutting edge?

It was a Crestron system. Very cool. The main room had only one projector and two Plasma screens, but there was a small room with 3 blended projectors. They had a system demo in this room that would show Siemens photos along with computer graphics on the blended screens, and a narrator would give a welcome message. I had so much fun playing with the lighting. There was one programmed effect called "Popcorn". The ceiling was divided up into areas about 10' square. In the popcorn effect, each area would light up a different color, very vibrant colors....orange, red, lime green, etc. You could also do a program that would slowly move through the colors.
 
Thanks for the description, Slugworth! My company was purchased by Siemens last year, and this October I'll be making my first Base21 visit. Siemens employees have access to the lounge through a PIN you have to register for through the company intranet. You can bring up to five guests, I believe, and there are limited hours. I know the link AndyMcV posted has all of the details. I seem to go to that page a lot!
 
At Spaceship Earth, you've probably noticed the building on the back that overlooks the fountain and central area of Future World. Its the one with the windows all the way across. I've often wondered, "What's in there?". It seems like the perfect place for a restaurant due to the awesome view from the second story windows. Well, a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to get a chance to find out.
I am an A/V tech and my company does a lot of conferences for Siemens. I had to work a conference they were having at the Yacht & Beach club. By the way, Siemens tends to book hotel rooms for us techs at whatever resort their having their meeting at. That means I get to stay in a Disney resort for the work week even though I'm local. Anyway, I was told that I'd need to work a meeting that would be held at Base 21 after the conference was over. I had never heard of Base 21. Then I was told that it was located at Spaceship Earth. I was so excited.
The day of the meeting, I was able to drive "backstage" at EPCOT and park in the Siemens VIP spaces. That was awesome in itself. I had never been back there before and didn't realized you could actually park so close to Spaceship Earth.
I walked into the doorway where you exit after riding SE, and to the left there's a door that says SIEMENS. I pushed the call button and announced myself. The door buzzed and I walked into a very futuristic room. The room was very small and had a sort of computer console to the left. As I walk through this room, a woman's voice comes over the speakers and says, "Welcome to Base 21", as an automatic door opens in front of me. It was so cool because it was very similar to any EPCOT attraction, but it wasn't. This was a private meeting space for SIEMENS execs.
As you pass through the "computer room" you enter a lobby area with elevators. This room is filled with changing neon light and very futuristic accessories. After taking the elevator to the second floor, I walk into the main meeting space. This is the room that you can see through the windows from the park. This is the room I had wondered about. And the view from those windows was absolutely amazing! It was a perfect view of Future World I had never seen, and not many other people have seen.
Being the A/V tech for the meeting, I was in charge of sound, video, and lights for the room. Everything is set up on a touch screen remote. The lighting of the room is unbelievable. The floor is clear glass with neon lights underneath. The ceiling also has colored lights, and all of these can be changed from the remote. I had a blast changing colors of the room, moving the window shades up and down, and running the whole thing from a chair with a remote control. All I can say is, when you step into Base 21, you feel like you're stepping into the future. There's no way I can describe all of the things they've set up in this area. Its an attraction in itself.
I just wanted to share this with all of you. If you've ever wondered, "what's in there", this is the answer. As a huge WDW fan, it was a great opportunity for me to work at Base 21. I look forward to visiting again.

Just a long shot, did you get any pictures?
 
No, unfortunately I did not get any pics. The Base 21 manager gave me his card and told me to stop by anytime. So, I'm thinking the next time I'm at EPCOT with my camera, I may just do that. I'll let you know for sure.
 
Hi HerdOHuds

I'm a Siemens employee too (in Canada). :thumbsup2 Tell your husband to have a look at the following web address.

http://intra.sc.siemens.com/disney/tickets/base21.php

Looks like all Siemens employees (and family) get automatic access. Cool. :thumbsup2 I had a look on that site and one of the things it says is the following...

Upon entering the visitor’s exploration begins by ascending to the second level where we will share the Siemens story through multiple media outlets and interactive exhibits. Enjoy a cold beverage, comfortable rest and recharge for your visit at Epcot. And don’t worry about waiting in line to experience the Spaceship Earth attraction as all visitors to Base21 receive VIP access to the ride!

Andy

:banana: :banana: :banana:

Andy, You are my new Hero!!! :worship:

Thanks!:goodvibes
 





New Posts










Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top