The Wonders Of The W
A Pixel driven experience celebrating self-expression
and female creativity at the WNBA All-Star Weekend.
Introduction
You’ve never seen the desert like this.
Welcome to The Wonders of the W at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. NRG partnered with The Robot Co. to create an oasis that captured the essence of the WNBA and the innovative features of the Google Pixel.
A striking palette of earthy hues with chrome and neon accents hosted a wealth of photo opps, hands-on demonstrations of the Pixel’s incredible features– like Google Lens, Circle to Search, Best Take, and Portrait Mode– and a captivating athlete speaker series.
If this otherworldly activation sounds like it defies the imagination, that’s because it was created with the help of AI.
What We Did
A Desert Bloom For WNBA All Star Weekend.
With the help of Pixel’s technology, we created a captivating desert space that merged the physical and digital realms into an extraordinary celebration of the WNBA’s athletes.
The immersive installation featured seven distinct stations, each embodying key traits of the “W”– such as creativity, focus, innovation, strength, collaboration and grit– and the unique capabilities of the Google Pixel. Desert florals, billowing floor-to-ceiling textiles and sleek chrome walls created visually stunning backdrops perfect for social sharing.
As a testament to the Pixel’s power, the centerpiece of the booth, the Content Courtyard, was developed with the help of imaginative AI technology. The popular tech gave us the idea to create a showstopping focal point and backdrop to the activation’s athlete-led speaker series: a chromatic tree wrapped in desert florals, adorned with a neon basketball hoop.
Guests were also transported into a vivid desert scene through the hexagonal mirrored entryway of the Portrait Portal. There, they could test-drive the Pixel’s Best Take and Portrait Mode features. The Pixel’s Lens and Circle to Search features were also on display in Jocelyn Hu’s custom All-Star Collection, which featured outfits inspired by four WNBA players. Guests could further demo Circle to Search to get more information about featured players in The Magic Mural, created by artist Mia Lee. A dedicated Pixel station provided hands-on tutorials to enhance the guest experience.
Memorable moments weren’t the only takeaways. Visitors also left with personalized memorabilia, including holographic tote bags, screen printed t-shirts, heat-pressed patches and personalized bracelets.
“NRG was able to deliver an experience that was different by design and executed flawlessly”
The Detail
- Fireside chat with Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird
- Guest appearances from Kelsey Plum, Crissa Jackson, and Shakira Austin
- 7 unique stations highlighting the Google Pixel capabilities
- 27,000 square feet of billowy, custom sublimation-died gradient fabrics were draped overhead, along the sides, and dressed throughout the space evoking the soft hues of the desert sky at dusk
- Over 100 desert plants and fauna incorporated into the design
- Photo Op with printable keepsake
- Collaboration with artists and designers to showcase W led project
The Impact
- Almost 4000 guests entered the activation space
- Close to 3000 photo shares
- Over 3000 customized giveaways distributed
