When the Detroit Lions brought an immersive fan experience to London, Ontario, agency partner XMC engaged Booth Empire to design and produce two custom experiential activations that would put fans at the centre of the action - not behind a rope line watching it.
One experience turned fans into NFL broadcasters calling Detroit Lions plays from behind a branded sports desk. The other gave them a cinematic, slow-motion player entrance worthy of a stadium tunnel. Both delivered professional-quality, fully branded video content that fans shared organically - extending the event’s reach well beyond Canada Life Place.
What XMC Asked For
The fan event needed to capture the atmosphere of an NFL game day while deepening the Lions’ relationship with their Canadian supporters. Working from XMC’s campaign brief, the activations had to:
- Immerse fans in the Detroit Lions brand, not just photograph them near it
- Produce professional-quality, social-ready video content
- Match the production value fans associate with the NFL
- Run efficiently at live-event pace inside a major venue
- Give different types of fans different ways to participate
Rather than a standard photo opportunity, the concept was to let fans create the kind of content normally reserved for broadcasters and athletes.
Activation One: The Custom Detroit Lions Game Cast Booth
The Game Cast Booth placed fans in the broadcaster’s chair. Participants sat behind a custom Detroit Lions-branded sports desk, spoke into professional microphones, and delivered game-day commentary guided by a teleprompter - so even first-timers sounded confident and energetic on camera.
The environment was built to feel like a professional broadcast studio, not a photo booth:
- Detroit Lions-branded sports desk with custom graphics
- RC300 Wireless PRO microphones with branded mic wraps
- Canon EOS R100 camera and professional lighting
- Neewer teleprompter with prepared commentary scripts
- Green screen production with Detroit Lions video backgrounds and broadcast-style overlays
After each recording, the green screen footage was composited with Detroit Lions graphics to produce a polished, broadcast-inspired video - personalized, fully branded, and built for sharing. Fans went from spectator to sports commentator in a matter of minutes.
Activation Two: Cinematic Player Entrances with the Glambot
The Glambot gave fans the treatment normally reserved for professional athletes. A high-speed robotic camera swept around each guest as they posed, celebrated, or performed their own signature entrance - capturing dramatic slow-motion footage designed to recreate the intensity of an NFL tunnel walk.
The production setup:
- High-speed robotic camera movement
- Canon EOS R5 Mark II with 35mm lens
- Two Aputure LS 600c Pro lights plus accent lighting, programmed with strobe effects
- Fog machines coordinated with the lighting design for depth and atmosphere
- Green screen backdrop with Detroit Lions graphics and video overlays
- Professionally edited slow-motion outputs
Each final clip felt closer to a sports commercial than an event video - and that production quality is what made fans want to post it.
Overnight Installation at Canada Life Place
Delivering two technology-driven activations inside a major arena required the kind of advance planning agencies need to be able to count on.
Booth Empire’s production team loaded in at approximately 10:30 p.m. the night before the event and completed the full installation overnight: Glambot assembly, safety testing, and robotic calibration; lighting programming and fog positioning; Game Cast Booth construction; green screen installation; camera, microphone, and teleprompter configuration; video overlay testing; and complete guest workflow rehearsals.
By the time doors opened, every technical and creative element had been tested end-to-end. No troubleshooting in front of guests, no lines backing up while equipment got dialled in - just a polished experience from the first fan to the last.
Brand Integration Built Into the Content
The Detroit Lions identity wasn’t limited to signage around the activations - it was embedded in the content itself. Custom desk graphics, branded microphone wraps, team video backgrounds, broadcast-style overlays, and football-inspired creative direction meant every video a fan walked away with was a personalized piece of Detroit Lions media.
That distinction matters: signage gets walked past; branded content gets shared.
What Fans Walked Away With
Fans could become broadcasters, star in their own cinematic entrance, or do both - and every participant left with professional-quality branded video connected to the team they came out to support. The Lions’ win over the Chicago Bears that day only amplified the celebratory energy and the volume of sharing.
- Two distinct experiences broadened participation across different fan types
- Every output was personalized, professionally produced, and fully branded
- Content continued circulating on social media after the event ended
For Agencies: Why This Model Works
If you’re an agency building a fan engagement or sponsorship campaign, this activation demonstrates a few things worth noting:
We work as a production partner, not just a vendor. XMC brought the campaign; Booth Empire handled creative development, technical planning, equipment, custom branding, overnight installation, and on-site production - the full delivery stack under your campaign’s banner.
Fans become the content. Both activations made the guest the subject of branded media, which drives longer dwell time, stronger emotional connection, and organic distribution your client doesn’t have to pay for.
Production value is the sharing trigger. Cinema cameras, robotic movement, programmed lighting, and professional audio make the difference between content people receive and content people post.
Multiple formats, one footprint. Offering a broadcast experience and a cinematic experience side by side broadened participation without duplicating infrastructure or staffing.
Venue-scale logistics are handled. Overnight installs, safety testing, and full rehearsals at a major arena are part of the service - not a risk your team has to manage.
Create an Immersive Sports Activation
Building a fan activation, sponsorship campaign, or game-day experience that needs to go beyond a standard photo op?
Booth Empire manages the creative concept, technical planning, equipment, custom branding, installation, guest experience, and on-site production - for agencies, teams, and sponsors alike. Contact Booth Empire to discuss a custom sports activation or experiential marketing campaign. See more London, Ontario photo booth work or browse the full case study library.
