The NCAA Men’s Final Four is one of the biggest events in college sports. Alongside the tournament, Fan Fest gives brands the opportunity to create immersive experiences for thousands of visiting fans.
Bluewater partnered with Solomon Group to support a wide range of fan-facing activations at both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Final Four Fan Fests. Working across two cities and high-profile event environments, we helped bring experiences to life for brands including TurboTax, Capital One, Dove, Degree, and Great Clips.
Each activation was designed to engage fans in a different way, from custom gameplay and sports challenges to interactive moments that helped each brand stand out on the Fan Fest floor.
TurboTax Activation
Red-Light Green-Light Basketball Challenge
The TurboTax activation combined basketball with fast decision-making in a high-energy LED challenge.
Three basketball hoops were mounted in front of LED walls that alternated between green and red signals.
Fans had to shoot quickly and strategically:
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Green light shots earned points
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Red light shots deducted points
Top players earned a place on the live leaderboard, encouraging friendly competition throughout the day.
Bluewater supported the activation with LED display integration, gameplay programming, and leaderboard functionality, creating a fast-paced interactive experience for fans.
Capital One Activations
Interactive Sports Challenges and Competitive Fan Engagement
For Capital One, Bluewater created one of the standout attractions on the floor with the custom Road to the Final Four game. Players competed by dribbling as fast as they could to reach the finish line, turning a simple basketball skill into a fast-paced branded challenge. Surrounding that featured experience were multiple additional activations and skill stations, giving fans more ways to play through sports challenges including soccer, lacrosse, football, and softball/baseball.
Bluewater supported the Capital One space with custom software development, interactive gameplay systems, scoring infrastructure, and real-time leaderboard technology, and more ensuring a seamless and high-energy fan experience across all stations.
Dove & Degree Activation
Skills Challenge Competition
The activation from Dove and Degree turned the booth into a combine-style skills competition.
Fans participated in physical challenges designed to test speed, coordination, and accuracy.
Performance results were recorded digitally and displayed on a real-time leaderboard, allowing the fastest competitors to see their rankings instantly.
This interactive format kept fans engaged while drawing spectators into the competition.
Bluewater provided the technology infrastructure and digital leaderboard systems that made the experience seamless and competitive.
Great Clips Activation
Fan Services and Interactive Experiences
The Great Clips space featured multiple experiences designed to keep fans engaged while also offering practical services.
Highlights included:
Haircut Experience
Fans could sign up for an on-site haircut and track their place in line through a digital queue displayed on an LED cube.
Pop-A-Shot Basketball Game
Fans competed for high scores, with the Top 10 players appearing on a leaderboard displayed on nearby monitors.
Magic Mirror Photo Experience
Fans could take photos using an interactive mirror that added branded digital enhancements. Photos could be sent directly to participants while also appearing on event displays.
Bluewater developed the content systems, leaderboard integrations, and LED display management that powered these experiences.
End-to-End Support Across Every Activation
Across all brand experiences, Bluewater supported the full setup including LED displays, custom gameplay, scoring systems, onsite support, and more. From individual activation elements to the larger event environment, our team helped ensure each experience was polished, engaging, and ready for a high-volume fan audience.
A Stronger Fan Fest Experience
Together, these activations helped transform the Fan Fest floor into a dynamic environment filled with competition, interactivity, and branded moments fans wanted to be part of. By supporting multiple brands across both the Men’s and Women’s events, Bluewater helped deliver a broader fan experience that felt active, memorable, and built for engagement.
