Live sport has always been about emotion. The noise, the colours, the energy. But the way fans connect with sport is changing fast. Audiences are no longer content to just watch, they want to take part, contribute and be seen.
In this new landscape, brand sponsorships are evolving from presence to participation. The strongest sports activations today merge technology, play and storytelling to create interactive environments that make every fan a participant.
According to the FutureLabs State of Brand Experience 2025 report, 91% of consumers are more likely to purchase after engaging in a live experience, and 76% say interactive activations make them feel closer to the brand. For sponsors, that makes the experience on the ground just as important as the logo on the screen.
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In this article, we highlight creative activation formats that define how sports sponsorship is evolving globally and how FutureLabs is helping brands in Australia lead the change.
FanPassport is a mobile engagement platform that connects all event touchpoints into one seamless, gamified journey. Fans scan a QR code to join instantly in their browser. No app download. The platform drives participation, rewards fans, delivers measurable ROI for organisers and sponsors.
This model has become a benchmark for large-scale events where audiences want connection, not just content. At adidas Sports Base Hong Kong, FanPassport operated for five consecutive weeks, welcoming over 100,000 daily visitors. Fans returned multiple times to complete new missions and climb leaderboards, while organisers tracked engagement patterns across different areas in real time.
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Why it works for audiences: It gives fans purpose and progression. Rather than watching from the sidelines, they play an active role, exploring, collecting and competing throughout the event. The instant gratification and simplicity of QR access make it intuitive for all ages.
What it delivers for brands: High participation, live analytics and extended dwell time. FanPassport drives measurable ROI through engagement data, foot traffic heatmaps, social sharing and return visitation, while offering sponsors a flexible, white-labelled tool to tell their story through play.
Fans want something personal to take away. An AI Photobooth converts a moment into a stylised image or loop within seconds. Team colours. Motion trails. Match-moment prompts. Outputs carry campaign marks and CTAs.
For the AFL Grand Final, FutureLabs reimagined the traditional photo booth through a nostalgic lens. The experience recreated the look and feel of 1970s football culture, from vintage aesthetics to classic team energy. After completing their quick persona quiz, fans were matched with one of four themed visual styles generated live by AI. The result was both unexpected and deeply personal, a retro-inspired keepsake that captured the emotion of the day.
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Why it works for audiences: It creates a sense of anticipation and delight. The short quiz turns passive waiting time into participation, and the AI reveal feels like a reward, unique, personal and worth sharing.
What it delivers for brands: It blends engagement, storytelling and data capture in one seamless interaction. The AI Photobooth extends reach through branded user-generated content and gives organisers measurable insights into fan sentiment, preferences and participation.
Gamified challenges transform live events into active arenas. From tennis and cricket to golf, soccer or racing, sports simulators bring physical play and digital feedback together to create experiences that audiences can feel. Whether fans are testing their swing, racing the clock or balancing on a board, every challenge blends movement, emotion and measurable interaction.
FutureLabs has delivered a wide range of these experiences, built to suit different audiences and environments. One standout was the Interactive Surfing Activation for Nudie, created in collaboration with Banter. The installation used real surfboards mounted on motion rigs, allowing participants to balance, twist and ride digital waves, no wipe-outs, just fun. Families queued to test their skills, kids competed for scores and friends captured every moment on video.
By combining physical engagement with on-screen feedback, these activations delivered more than entertainment. It generated dwell time, encouraged repeat play and gave brands a natural storytelling platform, connecting their brand to moments of community and culture.
Why it works for audiences: It’s instinctively engaging. People love to test themselves, compete with friends and feel the thrill of motion. The mix of sport, play and performance appeals across generations and turns every participant into part of the show.
What it delivers for brands: It builds emotional connection through movement and challenge. Each interaction encourages longer stays, stronger recall and natural content creation. For sponsors, it also provides valuable data on participation and dwell, every play becomes a data point, every win a shareable story.
Across every code and competition, the message is clear: participation is the new sponsorship. The most effective sports activations today invite fans to play, move and connect, not just watch.
From AI Photobooths that turn personality into art, to FanPassport platforms that reward exploration, to gamified challenges that merge sport and storytelling, the future of fan engagement lies in interaction. These experiences don’t replace the game. They extend it. They amplify emotion, capture data and transform audiences into communities that brands can build with long after the final whistle.
At FutureLabs, we believe that every activation should create a moment worth sharing and a memory worth keeping. Our work across events like Formula E, the Australian Open and the AFL Grand Final demonstrates how creativity, technology and human insight can come together to deliver measurable impact.
If you’re planning a major tournament, fan zone or brand partnership, let’s design an experience that moves your audience from spectators to participants.
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