What NFL fan hasn’t dreamed of sleeping in the Super Bowl stadium? Thanks to Courtyard by Marriott, the official hotel of the NFL, and their Super Bowl Sleepover Contest, that’s now a real possibility. The contest awards one winner and a guest with a sleepover in a converted, field-level suite at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota the night before Super Bowl LII this February. To help transform the stadium suite into a near-perfect replica of a Courtyard by Marriott hotel room, IMG LIVE brought in bluemedia, with its extensive décor, fabrication and experiential capabilities, as a single-source supplier. To drum up excitement for the contest and build buzz around the brand, the marketing agency tasked bluemedia with creating a 4D virtual reality dome in the middle of New York City, by Manhattan’s Flatiron Building.
The 33-foot wide custom dome was covered in custom Courtyard Super Bowl Sleepover graphics on the outside, with a large football and photo of U.S. Bank Stadium. Inside the 360° dome was a Courtyard by Marriott bed against a custom-fabricated, Courtyard wallpaper-branded wall, along with comfy, reclining chairs for fans to watch the immersive, 4D VR video. Paying homage to the Super Bowl LII location, this year set in Minneapolis, the dream-like video sequence—the first virtual reality experience to actually surround the audience down to the ground—included falling snowflakes, a simulated opening kickoff, moments of highlighted game footage, and a personalized message from NFL network host Rich Eisen. The experience had fans feeling like they’d were personally welcomed out onto the field at the Super Bowl stadium.
It took a crew of twenty bluemedia team members thirty hours to install the projection dome on-site. They started at midnight and worked around the clock to pique New Yorkers’ interest on the city streets. The final product had hundreds of fans and contest winner-hopefuls lined up around the block, but impressed NFL fans and players alike – resulting in a Super Bowl-sized win!
I just wanted to thank you. I know this project was demanding, but everything turned out great and Kevin loved the graphics package that was provided.