Event / Two Barges in One Year? Toronto and Chicago, You Bet!

Two Barges in One Year? You Bet. 

If you had told Tangram that we would be doing two different barges, on two different Great Lakes, in two different countries, we would have called you crazy! Alas, that is exactly what we accomplished. Nike went through two separate initiatives in the city of Toronto and Chicago that had a barge attached to them. It was certainly a daunting test, which would require skill, imagination, and some creative problem solving.

For the barge on Lake Ontario in the City of Toronto, Nike put forth a women’s training club, that would need to accommodate thousands of individuals cycling through. The space needed to be feminine and tough, beautiful and functional. It was called the ‘Crystal Coliseum’ and it was a popular destination for women of all athletic ability to shop, participate in workshops, enjoy Dj sets by famous dj’s, and use as a female fitness sanctuary. 

The barge in Chicago was designed for cold weather. An initiative to introduce Nike’s cold weather equipment, the culmination of the campaign to #GetOutHere materialized in the heart of Chicago, on the Chicago River. The space needed to be able to hold up to 75 people for each class held on the barge. This was also a precursor to the shopable story line, fronted by giant Gronkowski, about truly now lacking the excuse of ‘it’s too cold outside.’ 

The barges posed multiple logistical conflicts, most importantly, how do we get them in to the city, how do we ensure a safe and entertaining experience for the athletes, all why maintaining the commerce facet of the experience. Through the help of colleagues in different places, the collaborations with the Nike teams, and a few late nights, both events went off with out hitch. They had massive social media attention, created buzz for product, and checked off a few items on our Tangram ‘bucket list.’ We are looking forward to the next barge we will have the fortune of working on. 

If you found this activation of interest, or had any questions at all, please fill out this contact sheet, so we can reach out to you to discuss any questions or comments you had of the process.