CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES SUMMER OF LIFE TOUR

When summer arrives in Canada, everyone pauses their normal routine to take vacation, head to the cottage, and soak up the sun. For Canadian Blood Services (CBS), summer is unfortunately their low season, with thousands of blood-donation appointments remaining open and unfilled. It is up to the wonderful people at CBS to find new and innovative ways to reach Canadians all year round, and keep blood, plasma, and platelet donation from reaching critically low levels. We were honoured to help CBS with their Summer of Life campaign, which aimed to meet people “where they are” during the summer by establishing a presence at cultural festivals throughout the GTA.

project management and design for festival activations

Mad Bash Group was brought on board to design and produce CBS’s Summer of Life tour, having already worked together on their super successful Pop-Up Barbershop at Square One Mall, which encouraged Canadians to join the Stem Cell Registry. This next marketing campaign would set up booth space at the Panamerican Food and Music Festival, Taste of the Danforth, the Markham Jazz Festival, and Yonge-Dundas Square. It was up to us to design and build a modular booth that provided protection from sun and rain, and could fit the different footprints of each festival!

modular booth design for trade shows and festivals

We began by securing the booth spaces, mapping out the footprint of each location, and navigating the different permits and building codes. This 8-day tour was logistics-heavy, and required a detailed, organized, and experienced project manager.

Once we knew the sizes of the booth spaces, we were able to start working on the design. Canadian Blood Services wanted their tents to be brightly coloured, with a sunny, upbeat feel that looked at home at the fun summer festivals. We ended up with 4 sturdy and distinct walls that could be placed in a variety of formations, and which included an entry arch, two side walls, and a back wall. All walls were double sided so that CBS messaging could been seen from all angles.

medical-inspired activation decor

On the interior side walls we built massive “blood bags,” so when people signed up for a donation appointment they could write their name on a post-it note and stick it to the wall! We had a red blood bag for blood appointments, and a blue bag on the opposite wall for people who swabbed and joined the Stem Cell Registry! It was great to watch the bags fill up with names as the days went on!

sun-inspired and social media friendly

On the exterior walls we created two beautiful photo moments for festival goers to take pictures with. In keeping with the summer theme, we built a round inset in the shape of the sun that people could sit in, surrounded with sun beams in the brand’s red and turquoise colours. CBS staff took photos of guests after they booked a blood donation appointment, swabbed to join the Stem Cell Registry, or if they just felt like it! We wanted it to be fun, happy, and really summery, and loved how many passersby interacted with it, sat in it, and took the opportunity to have their photo taken. It was a great way to engage with festival goers!

finding great brand ambassadors for not-for-profit events

This event had a large staffing component to it, and it was up to us to find passionate, helpful brand ambassadors who would reflect the not-for-profit’s ethos. This role required special training as blood and stem-cell donation can be a sensitive subject. All of the team members that we brought on board were amazing people who dutifully completed the training, learned to navigate CBS’s registration processes, and presented CBS in the absolute best light!

fun FREEBIES, promo and swag THAT PEOPLE ARE EXCITED TO WEAR

We, along with Canadian Blood Services, brainstormed other ways to engage with the public and encourage them to come into the tent. We had roaming brand ambassadors handing out flyers for free pairs of CBS-branded sunglasses at our booth! At the Panamerican Festival we gave out free shaved ice, and at the Markham Jazz Festival and Taste of the Danforth we had a large outdoor Connect 4 set for the littles to play with. We really wanted the good vibes from the festival to carry inside the tent, and with our amazing team, fun swag, and a good cause to support, we had the best time!

event design for festival booths and pop-up activations

Do you have a vendor booth, pop-up event, or mobile activation in need of some eye-catching design? We can turn your run-of-the-mill booth into a jaw dropper! With a rock-solid team of organized, creative event planners, designers, stylists and fabricators, an extensive portfolio, and customized services to bring any activation to life, we are your one-stop-shop event planners in Toronto, the GTA, Southern Ontario, and believe it or not, Perth Australia! Please contact us for more details!