Imagination delivers Shell’s Make the Future Festival

Posted June 30, 2016 by Harriet Cramer

Global creative agency, Imagination, has harnessed the Internet of Things, virtual reality and the power of experience to devise and deliver Shell’s Make the Future Festival, which takes place from 30th June – 3rd July on a site the size of four football pitches in London’s Olympic Park. The event, which will be the UK’s largest branded festival this year, is set to attract 40,000 visitors including 9,000 school children from around the UK.

The Make the Future Festival is an opportunity for the public to experience energy innovations from start-ups, Shell and some of the world’s smartest students. There will be over 15 thousand square meters of activities to play, learn and share, including a 2.2 km race track, entertainment and celebrity appearances from Rachel Riley and Pelé, amongst others.

The Festival will be one of the world’s most exciting tech experiential events, with interactive experiences that blur the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds, including a mobile ‘maker pass’ that allows visitors to vote up their favourite ideas, live leader boards, giant zorbs that challenge visitors to generate as much energy as they can (then posts videos of their efforts to YouTube), interactive games, virtual reality experiences, an Instagram takeover that transforms the @shell account into a live interactive map and numerous live social media streams.

The festival is set out in six interactive and connected zones including:

Main stage – celebrity guests and live science shows will entertain the crowds
Idea incubator – an opportunity to meet Britain’s young entrepreneurs and start-ups and learn about projects that aim to meet our growing energy needs while reducing Carbon emissions
City life – including a football challenge where footsteps create energy (featuring a guest appearance by Pelé)
Future energy – get involved by getting inside an energy creating zorb. Virtual reality headsets take you on journey deep underground to see how CO₂ can be captured and stored safely
Mobility – inspect energy efficient cars and explore the F1 garage exhibition
Hands on science – make salt water cars, learn about programming and get involved

The central attraction will be Shell’s Eco-marathon – a competition that challenges teams of students from top universities around the world to design and build cars that can go as far as possible on a litre of fuel. A race track has been built to stage daily competitions of the world’s most energy efficient cars.

Imagination’s Group CEO and Global Creative Director, Douglas Broadley, says the festival will offer visitors never-before-seen experiences. “Shell has successfully been running the global student innovation competition Eco-Marathon for many years to highlight the efforts made around the world to improve energy efficiency. This festival raises its ambitions even higher to inspire, excite and inform everyone who attends – from school children learning about the environment to engineers working on cutting edge energy innovation.”

Shell Make the Future Festival takes place at The South Park Lawn, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from Thursday June 30 – Sunday July 3 09:00-18:00 with last entry at 17:00.