There’s a reason EDM festivals are so popular.
In general, live music is a fun and exciting experience. Performers get to improvise a bit on stage, interact directly with their fans, and even dress up their show with staging, lighting, and special effects if they want. Perhaps even pull a spontaneous wardrobe change. On top of all of that, adding an electronic element? It typically injects way more energy into the music, which in turn enhances how the crowd reacts to it. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
Closer Marketing Agency contacted us about creating a unique inflatable for one of their clients, Alcatel Mobile. As a major sponsor of this competition for years, they really wanted to pull off a cool and relevant marketing tool primed for photo ops to further their brand recognition online: headphones!
With quite the task at hand, and with such a great opportunity to contribute to an event dedicated to launching potential dream careers for young Aussies, we couldn’t wait to get started on bringing this particular idea to life!
Using What We Know
To go along with the theme of the DJing Event Days, the client wanted us to create branded large inflatable headphones for display. There was only one potential problem with this project: the shape. Headphones are quite awkward, so the initial design briefs were a bit confusing and nearly impossible to implement. We went back and forth with the client a bit on how best to achieve this shape, when it finally hits us! Large inflatable headphones do look an awful lot like an inflatable arch with T feet, don’t they?
However, when we suggested this design, the client also mentioned they did not want all the extra noise from an air blower to distract from the “Your Shot” competitors DJing sets. We can all appreciate that immensely. The solution we finally came to an agreement on for the Alcatel large inflatable headphones was something between our inflatable arches and our inflatable props. The latter have the option to be filled up with air and then sealed off instead of having to be continuously filled with the loud blowers, a bit similar to a beach ball.
Bringing a Dream to Reality
The full surface print design our client wanted digitally printed on the large inflatable headphones was pretty simple and only called for 2 colors of ink: 100% cyan and white. The artwork process took very little time to complete since both the headband/arch and headphone cushions/T feet were mostly 1 color with just the brand name and logo in the opposite.
Even though our plan was to make it not-quite a full arch and not-quite a small prop, since it was supposed to draw brand awareness through photos on social media and news outlets online, it still had to be big enough for festival-goers to pose under. It took some effort finding dimensions that would work for these large inflatable headphones, but we came up with a headband that reached 2.5 meters high, and an internal space between the 2 headphone cushions that measured 2 meters long.
Since we really had to improvise on this project, instead of our standard polyester panels sewn together, we went for a material that could easily be manipulated in a way that made it more durable and less likely to leak air-and therefore, wouldn’t need the blower; 100% PVC.
Welding the PVC panel seams together forms a direct bond, so these large inflatable headphones won’t only hold up perfectly for the two days of DJ and artist sets at “Your Shot,” but likely for at least a decade. If they do happen to get damaged, they’re also easily repairable.
Another beneficial quality of this material is that it’s very lightweight and portable, which is why it is a favourite option for people seeking to buy inflatable boats; moving them from one lake or venue-to another is a piece of cake.
The Big Shows
We actually completed these large inflatable headphones with plenty of time to spare, including thorough quality control protocols. All that was left now was to fill her up and let her loose, starting with the Brisbane show. Going by all the posts shared online, we definitely passed the vibe check!
Here at Inflatable Anything, we are always up for a good challenge. Do you have an idea that might take your event to the next level? Contact us, and we’ll be sure to take it above and beyond!
