Kia Australia, as a principal sponsor of the United Cup, needed a fan-facing activation that would drive engagement at the event, amplify brand presence and create a natural traffic driver to the Kia EV5 showcase on-site. The activation needed to feel premium and on-brand, be executable at high volume across a busy multi-day event and produce a tangible, collectible takeaway for fans.
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[ CaSE StuDy ]
Kia x United Cup
Kia
//
2024
[
Project planning
]
Project considerations
Our proposal was to create the Identity Badge - a personalised player card experience that gave every fan their own official-style United Cup credential. Each guest received a double-sided player card featuring their name, country and personalised tennis statistics, presented in a protective sleeve with a co-branded Kia | United Cup lanyard to create a premium, wearable keepsake.
To reflect the international nature of the tournament, the experience supported all 18 competing nations, ensuring every fan could represent their team while reinforcing Kia's presence throughout the venue.
Delivering the complete activation within a 10-day turnaround
Coordinating creative approvals across Kia, Bastion Experience and Tennis Australia
Meeting Tennis Australia accreditation requirements for all on-site staff
Producing and managing 18 country-specific card variants
Navigating official event branding and lanyard compliance requirements
Managing guest throughput and queue flow during peak attendance periods
[
Product scope
]
Solutions used
PicAIsso
A robotic artist transforms guest portraits into live-drawn artwork. After a quick photo, an AI-powered system analyses the image and begins sketching it line-by-line in real time. Turning the drawing process into the show, PicAIsso creates a moment that draws a crowd and delivers a personalised keepsake.
Development
Phase 1:
Branding Development and Approval
With less than 2 weeks before bump-in, the activation entered an accelerated branding phase. Working alongside Bastion Experience, Kia and Tennis Australia, we finalised creative assets across all 18 competing nations, including player card designs, booth branding and co-branded lanyards.
With production time compressed, we called on one of our long-term suppliers to manufacture the custom lanyards as a rush order, helping keep the project on schedule despite the tight turnaround. Every element was refined to meet the brand standards of all 3 organisations while maintaining a consistent visual identity across the activation.
Phase 2:
Logistics and Transport
Delivering the activation required transporting equipment, consumables and production systems from our Adelaide warehouse to Sydney during the Christmas shutdown, when many freight providers were operating with reduced services or not at all.
Drawing on our experience delivering interstate activations, we carefully planned the freight schedule to minimise the risk of delays. With limited opportunities to replace equipment once on site, we also travelled with back-up printers, cameras and iPads, allowing any equipment issues to be resolved immediately without disrupting the guest experience.
Phase 3:
Remote Staffing and Training
With the activation taking place interstate, assembling and preparing the on-site team became a key focus. Staff were recruited and trained within a compressed timeframe, with an emphasis on building strong communication, consistent operating procedures and clear measures of success before the tournament began.
To support the local team, 3 senior SNAP LAB staff members specialising in management, operations and technical delivery travelled from Adelaide to Sydney, providing on-site leadership.
Phase 4:
Live Optimisation & Continuous Improvement
The first day of the activation was used to observe guest behaviour, identify operational bottlenecks and establish opportunities for improvement. As the tournament progressed, both the software and operational workflows were continually refined to increase throughput and improve the guest experience.
A live software update introduced participant names alongside collection QR codes, eliminating confusion between family members and streamlining the collection process.
Daily debriefs with both the SNAP LAB team and the client allowed performance, guest behaviour and operational learnings to be reviewed each day, ensuring improvements could be implemented immediately. This iterative approach resulted in a smoother, more efficient activation across the full 9-day tournament.
Phase 1:
Branding Development and Approval
[ Phase 1 ]
Branding Development and Approval
With less than 2 weeks before bump-in, the activation entered an accelerated branding phase. Working alongside Bastion Experience, Kia and Tennis Australia, we finalised creative assets across all 18 competing nations, including player card designs, booth branding and co-branded lanyards.
With production time compressed, we called on one of our long-term suppliers to manufacture the custom lanyards as a rush order, helping keep the project on schedule despite the tight turnaround. Every element was refined to meet the brand standards of all 3 organisations while maintaining a consistent visual identity across the activation.
[ Phase 2 ]
Logistics and Transport
Phase 2:
Logistics and Transport
Delivering the activation required transporting equipment, consumables and production systems from our Adelaide warehouse to Sydney during the Christmas shutdown, when many freight providers were operating with reduced services or not at all.
Drawing on our experience delivering interstate activations, we carefully planned the freight schedule to minimise the risk of delays. With limited opportunities to replace equipment once on site, we also travelled with back-up printers, cameras and iPads, allowing any equipment issues to be resolved immediately without disrupting the guest experience.
[ Phase 3 ]
Remote Staffing and Training
Phase 3:
Remote Staffing and Training
With the activation taking place interstate, assembling and preparing the on-site team became a key focus. Staff were recruited and trained within a compressed timeframe, with an emphasis on building strong communication, consistent operating procedures and clear measures of success before the tournament began.
To support the local team, 3 senior SNAP LAB staff members specialising in management, operations and technical delivery travelled from Adelaide to Sydney, providing on-site leadership.
[ Phase 4 ]
Live Optimisation & Continuous Improvement
Phase 4:
Live Optimisation & Continuous Improvement
The first day of the activation was used to observe guest behaviour, identify operational bottlenecks and establish opportunities for improvement. As the tournament progressed, both the software and operational workflows were continually refined to increase throughput and improve the guest experience.
A live software update introduced participant names alongside collection QR codes, eliminating confusion between family members and streamlining the collection process.
Daily debriefs with both the SNAP LAB team and the client allowed performance, guest behaviour and operational learnings to be reviewed each day, ensuring improvements could be implemented immediately. This iterative approach resulted in a smoother, more efficient activation across the full 9-day tournament.
Development
Phase 1:
Branding Development and Approval
[ Phase 1 ]
Branding Development and Approval
With less than 2 weeks before bump-in, the activation entered an accelerated branding phase. Working alongside Bastion Experience, Kia and Tennis Australia, we finalised creative assets across all 18 competing nations, including player card designs, booth branding and co-branded lanyards.
With production time compressed, we called on one of our long-term suppliers to manufacture the custom lanyards as a rush order, helping keep the project on schedule despite the tight turnaround. Every element was refined to meet the brand standards of all 3 organisations while maintaining a consistent visual identity across the activation.
Phase 1:
Branding Development and Approval
[ Phase 2 ]
Logistics and Transport
Delivering the activation required transporting equipment, consumables and production systems from our Adelaide warehouse to Sydney during the Christmas shutdown, when many freight providers were operating with reduced services or not at all.
Drawing on our experience delivering interstate activations, we carefully planned the freight schedule to minimise the risk of delays. With limited opportunities to replace equipment once on site, we also travelled with back-up printers, cameras and iPads, allowing any equipment issues to be resolved immediately without disrupting the guest experience.
Phase 1:
Branding Development and Approval
[ Phase 3 ]
Remote Staffing and Training
With the activation taking place interstate, assembling and preparing the on-site team became a key focus. Staff were recruited and trained within a compressed timeframe, with an emphasis on building strong communication, consistent operating procedures and clear measures of success before the tournament began.
To support the local team, 3 senior SNAP LAB staff members specialising in management, operations and technical delivery travelled from Adelaide to Sydney, providing on-site leadership.
Phase 1:
Branding Development and Approval
[ Phase 4 ]
Live Optimisation & Continuous Improvement
The first day of the activation was used to observe guest behaviour, identify operational bottlenecks and establish opportunities for improvement. As the tournament progressed, both the software and operational workflows were continually refined to increase throughput and improve the guest experience.
A live software update introduced participant names alongside collection QR codes, eliminating confusion between family members and streamlining the collection process.
Daily debriefs with both the SNAP LAB team and the client allowed performance, guest behaviour and operational learnings to be reviewed each day, ensuring improvements could be implemented immediately. This iterative approach resulted in a smoother, more efficient activation across the full 9-day tournament.
Development
[
Phase 3
]
Remote Staffing and Training
With the activation taking place interstate, assembling and preparing the on-site team became a key focus. Staff were recruited and trained within a compressed timeframe, with an emphasis on building strong communication, consistent operating procedures and clear measures of success before the tournament began.
To support the local team, 3 senior SNAP LAB staff members specialising in management, operations and technical delivery travelled from Adelaide to Sydney, providing on-site leadership.
18 nations, 1 identity badge.
A 10-day turnaround, delivering a double-sided player credential for all 18 competing nations.
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Key outputs
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The outputs
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[
Deployment
]
On-site
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