Shapes | Winter Partner Reception
Client Entertainment
Corporate Hospitality
Client Networking
Branded Environments
Canterbury
2025
We were commissioned by Shapes, a hybrid accounting and brand awareness agency, to provide a standout entertainment feature for their exclusive client and partner evening. The project involved installing a large-format digital track within a glass marquee, featuring bespoke branding to showcase the client's subsidiary companies, HICO Group and Bemix, to their external stakeholders. The activation served as a dynamic ice-breaker, using a "Fastest Lap" competition to facilitate networking and create a memorable experience for the firm’s key business partners.
Summary
We partnered with Shapes, a forward-thinking accounting and brand awareness agency, to elevate their Thursday night hospitality event held in a spectacular glass marquee. The goal was to provide high-end entertainment that would impress clients and partners while encouraging organic networking among business leaders. To align with the agency's focus on visual identity, we designed a large-scale digital circuit complete with elevation changes and seasonal winter scenery. A critical element was the integration of the client's corporate structure; we customized the control tower and pit buildings with Shapes, HICO Group, and Bemix logos to reinforce their brand hierarchy. The entertainment focused on a flexible "Fastest Lap" competition, allowing attendees to dip in and out of the action without disrupting business conversations. A prominent digital leader board transformed the racing into a spectator sport, creating shared moments of excitement that broke down barriers between guests. The result was a sophisticated yet high-energy evening where professional relationships were strengthened over the thrill of miniature motorsport.
Challenge
The primary challenge was to create an engaging focal point that complemented the sophisticated glass marquee venue without distracting from the event's core purpose of business networking. We needed to provide an activity that served as an ice-breaker for external clients and partners, many of whom were business owners or directors, rather than a closed-loop team game. Additionally, working for a brand awareness agency meant the visual representation of the Shapes, HICO, and Bemix logos on the trackside assets had to be executed to a pristine standard. Managing the flow of guests was critical to ensure that everyone had a chance to participate without forming long queues that would hinder social interaction. Finally, the atmosphere needed to strike the right balance between high-energy fun and professional corporate hospitality.
Solutions
We delivered a large-format digital track featuring "snowy mountain" scenery to match the winter season, serving as a visually stunning conversation starter that met the client's aesthetic standards. To reinforce the agency's brand presence, we fully branded the pit lanes and control towers, ensuring the Shapes, HICO, and Bemix identities were front and centre in all event photography. We utilized a "Fastest Lap" format combined with a large digital monitor, which allowed the leader board to act as a social anchor, prompting guests to engage with one another as times were beaten. This "drop-in, drop-out" style allowed clients to race a few laps and then return to networking, keeping the event fluid. The shared competitive spirit successfully bridged the gap between formal business talk and relaxed social interaction.
