The Australian Open is one of Australia’s most prominent international annual events, with spectators and tourists flocking to the city throughout January. With many visitors to the open, a fan zone is created annually at Birrarung Marr to increase fan engagement and allow interaction between brands, players and fans.
The fan zone at the Australian Open is the most effective marketing opportunity during the open, apart from TV-based advertising. The fan zone allows sponsors to create positive, meaningful brand activations for tournament visitors.
TEG is a Global leader in Live Entertainment, bringing thousands of live events to fans at some of the world’s most iconic venues and connecting hundreds of entertainment and brand partners to new audiences each year. They operate in 40 countries on six continents.
Working with Tennis Australia and Emirates Airlines, TEG approached Giant Inflatables to create two unique activations for the fan zone.
The first inflatable, targeting an older audience from mid-teens to adults, would be a Fall Arrest Platform, or Airbag, onto which participants would freefall from a height of three meters.
The adrenaline-producing activation was to fit into the Emirates activation area and attract dare-devil participants to leap.
The second inflatable would be targeted at a younger demographic of under 10s, being a slide with a built-in misting system to cool participants during the hot summer event.
Fall Arrest Platform: The hexagonal Air Bag, measuring eight meters across, and printed in the brand colours of Emirates Airlines, was custom designed to cushion a fall from a three-meter height, allowing participants to exit down a ramp offset to the side.
A vital aspect of the design was to allow a high volume of participants to engage in the activation throughout the day with minimal resetting of elements between actions. An aircraft-style staircase to climb up, coupled with the easy-exit ramp, created an unmissable activation that would see hundreds of participants throughout the day.
Cloud Slide: The Misting Slide was designed to look like a cloud and fit seamlessly into the kids’ area visual identity with bright colours and fun activities for kids.
With notoriously hot summers, the built-in misting system attracted youngsters to the activation to cool off while they have fun. A classic activation with a summer twist.
The Cloud Slide and the Fall Arrest system saw multiple design iterations before work began.
The slide was initially designed with a high-output water system creating a water slide; however, after discussions with the local council around sustainability, a misting system was chosen to save thousands of litres of water throughout the activation. The misting system delivers a fine mist to participants, cooling them without creating a pool of water requiring containment.
The Fall Arrest Platform also proposed various versions, including built-in inflatable stairs and platforms, differing fall heights, and multiple exit options. The final fall height of three meters was chosen as the most appropriate mix of excitement and general appeal to a broad audience. Anything over three meters would be too scary for most, while lower heights could be “too easy” for those looking for an adrenaline hit. An exit ramp was chosen over the stairs to ensure a safe and easy exit for participants after they had taken the leap.
With notoriously hot summers, the built-in misting system attracted youngsters to the activation to cool off while they have fun. A classic activation with a summer twist.
After a successful setup of both inflatables, the feedback from the client was overwhelmingly positive. The fall arrest platform was an incredibly unique activation that saw many fans flocking to try it and crowds gathering to watch, resulting in high brand exposure.
The cloud slide repeatedly attracted youngsters from around the event to cool down under the mist as they travelled down the slide, creating an engaging, exciting atmosphere and brand activation.
Giant Inflatables has been producing inflatable brand activation products, sports inflatables and jumping castles since 1997.
27 Woodlands Drive,
Braeside, Melbourne
Victoria 3195
Australia
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