Without doubt, the Australian Open is the jewel in the crown of Australia’s sporting calendar. It’s long, it’s hot, the world is watching and in 2019, 780,000 attendees piled into the Australian Open precinct to watch the world’s best tennis players work their magic on the court. Uber’s challenge to Yakusan? Get as many of those 780,000 people to and from the tennis as safely, quickly and enjoyably as possible. Challenge accepted!
With a limited physical footprint available and tight restrictions on brand presence, we took to the streets with a crew of undercover dancers dressed as traffic controllers. With safety lights, traffic batons, whistles and rhythm in their entertainment arsenal, our “traffic” crew ensured over 90,000 riders made their way to and from the tennis safely, and with a bit of a boogie along the way.
From an event sponsorship perspective, the combination of a streamlined operational process and simple yet creative wayfinding execution saw a 93% increase in trip data from the previous year. Coupled with a phenomenally low average wait time of less than three minutes, Uber Aus Open was an overwhelming success. So much so that Novak Djokovic himself got involved in the magic….see video!
