The Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event on television every year in the United States. Lots of hype before, during, and after the big game like viewing parties, concerts, brand activations, and experiential events. The week leading up to the game is always filled with over-the-top sponsored events featuring the trendiest celebrities and VIP experiences. And, this year was no exception. Here’s a few highlights from this year’s Super Bowl festivities from some of the most cutting edge event and entertainment companies.
The Bacardi LIV 305 Bash, produced by Team Enterprises, featured DJ Irie, Biz Markie, Megan Thee Stallion, and Swizz Beatz, with a finale performance from Meek Hill. Guests sipped on refreshing rum cocktails and enjoyed giveaways at the Caribbean-inspired fiesta.
AT&T the DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket VIP Lounge and the AT&T TV Super Saturday Night. They partnered with Best Events to create one-of-a-kind experiences, fireside chats, and meet and greets with NFL athletes. Over 85,000 fans attended the sold-out Super Saturday Night concert featuring Lady Gaga. 1.39M viewers live-streamed the event and it became the number one trending topic on Twitter. For every #SuperSaturdayNight hashtag posted, AT&T TV donated $1 to the Born This Way Foundation.
In the Know Experiences, in collaboration with Columbia Records, produced the most-anticipated annual event, the Maxim Big Game Experience. The “Havana Nights” soiree was held in a specially constructed 40,000-square-foot waterfront venue that offered jaw-dropping views of the Miami skyline. It was a star-studded night with unique brand activations, immersive guest experiences, and a festive firework display.
Thanks to Medium Rare, Shaquille O’Neal and Rob Gronkowski fired up the Miami scene. Shaq’s Funhouse Miami treated guests to superstar artists, carnival rides, carnival games, interactive performers, and more. Gronk Beach offered more of a Polynesian Luau vibe with tiki bars, Hawaiian BBQ, fire twirlers, hula dancers, and beach games.
There were a host of other happenings; The Players Tailgate, Super Bowl LIV Experience, Stella Artois Port de Stella, Visa Super Bowl LIV Pop-Up, Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, Big Game Big Give, 6th Annual Culinary Kickoff, and countless other shindigs going on in the city.
But the reason all of this happens is for the main event…
People from over 130 countries tuned in to watch the Chiefs and 49ers battle it out. According to Fox, it was the 10th most-watched Super Bowl in history with 102 million viewers. However, viewership spiked during the much-anticipated halftime show. As we all know, it’s a massive feat to pull it off, but the average person doesn’t realize how much preparation is needed for those 13 minutes of excitement. It takes thousands of people, months of planning, and perfect precision to pull it off. Organizers have to turn the football field into a concert venue in 7 minutes, tear it down in 6 minutes, and do all of this in the dark without damaging the playing surface.
There are so many elements to the performance; the artists, dancers, the stage, sound, lighting, special effects – the list goes on. This year’s show was one of the most technically challenging, from the stage to the state-of-the-art lighting.
Stages are specifically built for each Super Bowl. All Access has been building stages for the Super Bowl for the past 10 years. This year was their biggest to date with 40+ field carts and a 48-foot diameter LED stage. 18 semi-trucks were needed to haul the equipment to Miami. All Access took this show to new heights with tilted stage effects, customized quad ribbon lifts for J. Lo and Shakira, two star lifts for the dancers, and a customized oversized star lift that revealed J. Lo’s daughter, Emme. The video floor added depth and dimension that melded seamlessly into the performance.
The lights and special effects wowed both viewers at home and fans in the stadium. Light design is is an integral part of the show. Afterall, itt determines what the audience sees. And it strongly impacts the audiences experience by emotionally connecting them to the artist’s performance. 22 Degrees, a cooperative of experienced award-winning television and live event lighting designers, was tasked with the job. After seeing the show, it’s no surprise they’ve been working on halftime shows for 22 years.
Bruce Rodgers, production designer of Tribe, Inc., and his team shot over 5,000 pieces of pyrotechnics with 80 firing modules from over 48 locations! The fireworks were perfectly orchestrated, adding that extra pop to Shakira and J. Lo’s explosive dance moves.
The crowd literally lit up the stands with recycled plastic LED wristbands that were synchronized with the artists’ performance. The immersive experience was provided by PixMob, a Canada based company that turns stadiums into scenes and spectators into performers.
After 13 minutes of a high-energy performance, 60-minutes of football, and a week of engaging events, producers tear everything down and gear up for next year’s festivities. We can’t wait to see the awe-inspiring creations.
