Access All Areas May 2022 | Page 45

MAY | FEATURE

Active live-style

Leading brand activation specialists tell Access about the current trends in the sector and why event organisers should embrace the burgeoning activity
Words : Joe Gallop .

After two years of pandemicinduced event restrictions and with costs through the roof , revenue from sponsorship and brand activations at events is more important than ever for promoters and event owners .

Brand experience agencies insist the benefits of activations go way beyond the financial – not least that they provide added creativity and excitement on site .
In a remarkably crowded summer events market , organisers are searching for more ways to engage new audiences through technology and standout spectacles . As the likes of Jack Morton , From The Fields , George P Johnson and
Avantgarde know , bringing brands to life at events is one way of doing that – and the emergence of VR , NFTs and the metaverse have expanded the possibilities .
Brand new beginnings In September 2020 , independent promoters From The Fields ( FTF ), organisers of festivals including Bluedot and Kendall Calling , set up a brand partnership arm overseen by Chris McCormick . He was previously commercial director at StarLive and BluePeg , working with the likes of the Mercury Prize , Heineken and Amazon Music .
The prolonged pandemic postponements meant FTF was not able to deliver the volume of partnerships that it initially anticipated but McCormick says that has changed significantly over the past six months , with there being a “ great deal of optimism ” in the outdoor events and festivals market . The company delivered a major partnership with Nature Valley as a founding partner of the Gone Wild festival with Bear Grylls . The activation saw the Nature Valley team and Bear Grylls Survival Academy create an area for families to try out a range of different activities such as climbing , bush craft and night navigation .
FTF also partnered with Just East for the Manchester Food & Drink Festival , which saw the online food ordering company provide opportunities to regional restaurants to showcase their offerings at the festival .
McCormick says , “ Most event owners will see brand partnerships as a commercial transaction , which is obviously a major incentive for them , however if the activation is delivered in the right way it can add significant value to the overall event offering and the customer experience .
“ One of the first things we ask ourselves and any potential brand
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