A few minutes before noon they’re already crowding at the gate, taking care not to nudge one another. The lock clicks and like a school of fish escaping a dam, they pour through the comically undersized entrance and flood inside. They all ignore the colorful displays and expensive equipment lining the walls. The prospect of entertainment eclipsed by the promise of food.

Specifically, free ice cream.

On July 12, Sony opened a new exhibit at their New York showroom located in the Flatiron district. The exhibit features Sony’s newest products and, for its opening weekend, free ice cream by NYC based Ice and Vice.

Titled Ocean Dreams, the event is a collaboration between Sony’s Artisan Photographers initiative and the nonprofit SeaLegacy organization. It was designed to showcase Sony’s upcoming technologies while simultaneously increasing awareness for the ocean’s ecosystem.

Sony Square, located at 25 Madison Avenue, opened in August 2016. The location doesn’t operate as a traditional retail store. Instead, Sony products are showcased for the general public during themed events. Visitors are encouraged to freely use the products and experiment with the new devices and technologies, but none of the products are for sale.

“We’re giving you a way to expose you to different parts of Sony,” said Sony Brand Ambassador Carlos Ovaloe. “Whether that’s Sony music, Sony electronics, or Sony PlayStation, we try to give you a different look at Sony every 4-6 weeks. We usually try to tie it in with some newer products that are about to launch. Even some concept stuff the public really hasn’t seen.”

The main attraction for the event was Sony’s new CLED (crystal light emitting diode) technology. First shown in 2013, Sony has been refining the technology ever since. Over 300 CLED screens, each roughly the size of a DVD case, were placed together to form a single 26-foot screen. The technology is not currently available for consumers but was used at the event to display undersea footage of coral reefs in their full, natural colors.

The screen was previously utilized at the location for a demonstration of Sony’s PlayStation console. The exhibit showed upcoming video game releases and a Mortal Kombat 11 tournament on the massive screen.

Once the initial crowd gorged itself on the ice cream – chunks of cotton candy and Swedish Fish treats swimming in vanilla dyed an ocean blue – families and individuals began to break away from the swarm.

Some groups loitered by the ice cream for second helpings, some paired off to compete against each other at the Playstation consoles, while others turned their attention to CLED screens and terminals to watch footage prepared for the event.

“I mostly came down here for my son. He just turned 6,” said attendee Safeena Jinnah. I’m actually from upstate New York, but for the kids and especially teenagers this would be an ideal location to visit.”

While the massive screen was the most prominent display of upcoming technology, an entire room was sectioned-off to demonstrate technologies that will establish the next generation of Sony’s audio products.

“We have a new audio concept called 360 reality audio,” Ovaloe said. “That’s a technology that we’re going to put in our headphones moving forward. It’s aiming to give you a full 360 experience within our headphones. Right now, we have a dedicated room with 13 speakers so you can simulate what it’s like.”

Visitors could pair Sony’s 1000xm3 headphones and the CLED screen to enjoy a looped two-minute documentary prepared for the event or use a virtual reality headset for a fully immersive underwater experience.

Beside the prototype technology brought to the event, Sony also presented an array of new products that recently reached consumers. These products included their new Xperia 1 smartphone, several models from their mirrorless digital camera line, their AIBO dog robot, and a new action-camera designed to compete with GoPro cameras.

The Ocean Dreams exhibit will continue until September 2. Afterwards, the space will shut down briefly to prepare for a not yet revealed exhibit.

“We try to get people a new side of Sony every time,” Ovaloe said.