2023
The Project
The Mubadala SailGP 2025 Fan Zone is an immersive destination designed to extend the race experience beyond the water. It brings spectators closer to the action through activations, showcases, entertainment, and hospitality, creating a social hub that celebrates innovation, sport, and Abu Dhabi’s global positioning as a premier event host.
2023
The Purpose
The purpose of the Fan Zone is to deepen audience engagement by transforming spectators into active participants. It aims to amplify brand visibility for Mubadala, enhance the overall event experience, and create memorable interactions that connect visitors emotionally to SailGP, while reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s reputation as a leader in world-class sporting events.
2023
The Approach
The approach combines experiential design, storytelling, and strategic brand integration to create a cohesive journey. It blends interactive technology, live entertainment, and curated spaces to engage diverse audiences, ensuring accessibility and excitement. Each element is designed to drive engagement, encourage exploration, and seamlessly connect the race atmosphere with on-ground experiences.
Mubadala
Sail GP
A dynamic and immersive Fan Zone experience for Mubadala at SailGP 2025, designed to extend the excitement of the race into a branded public destination that engages fans, families, and the wider Abu Dhabi community through interaction, storytelling, and innovation.
My Role : Creative Lead
Agency : The Hanging House
The Challenge
The key challenge lies in creating a Fan Zone that captures the high-speed excitement of SailGP while remaining engaging for a broad and diverse audience. It must balance entertainment, brand presence, and education without overwhelming visitors. Additionally, the space needs to stand out in a competitive event landscape, ensuring strong footfall and sustained engagement throughout the day. Environmental conditions, crowd flow, and accessibility also present logistical complexities.
The experience must resonate with both sailing enthusiasts and casual visitors, translating a technically complex sport into something universally enjoyable, while maintaining a premium, innovative, and distinctly Abu Dhabi identity.
The Strategy
The strategy focuses on delivering a layered, audience-centric experience that combines spectacle with interaction. By segmenting the Fan Zone into distinct yet interconnected zones, the design encourages exploration and repeat engagement. Strategic placement of branded activations ensures maximum visibility while maintaining authenticity. Technology-driven experiences, such as simulators and digital interactions, help translate the thrill of sailing into accessible formats. Programming, including live entertainment and scheduled moments, sustains energy throughout the event. Partnerships and storytelling reinforce Mubadala’s role, aligning innovation and performance with the SailGP narrative. The overall strategy ensures a balance between engagement, education, and brand impact.
The Direction
The creative direction embraces a dynamic, modern, and premium aesthetic that reflects both SailGP’s cutting-edge nature and Abu Dhabi’s forward-thinking identity. It integrates bold visuals, fluid forms, and maritime-inspired elements to create a cohesive environment. The tone is energetic and inclusive, appealing to a wide demographic while maintaining sophistication. Wayfinding, spatial design, and visual cues guide visitors intuitively through the experience.
The direction prioritizes seamless integration of branding, ensuring Mubadala’s presence feels natural and impactful. Ultimately, the Fan Zone is positioned as a vibrant social destination that merges sport, culture, and innovation into a memorable, shareable experience.
These views showcase the venue’s
continuous, ripple- inspired form. The design
ensures every touchpoint is both functional
and visually linked, guiding movement and
creating a sense of seamless flow.
The tent structure will undergo thorough
testing to ensure complete protection against
water leakage and wind, guaranteeing an
uninterrupted event experience.
A bold, sculptural entry with a wave motif signals the start of the SailGP adventure. The illuminated arch and dynamic lighting immediately immerse guests in Mubadala’s brand world.
The registration area is the gateway to your Fan Zone journey. Guests receive and activate their RFID wristbands, enabling seamless interaction across all activations while reinforcing Mubadala’s commitment to innovation, connectivity, and future-focused experiences.
A multisensory tunnel with shifting light patterns,
screens, mirrors and ambient audio. Guests move from
city reality into an event space where movement,
possibility, and innovation await.
A real F50 catamaran is dramatically displayed with
informative signage and dynamic lighting. Guests get a close-up view of the world’s most advanced racing technology, with design elements echoing the speed and elegance of the boats.
Alongside the SailGP F50 model, a screen showcases
dynamic videos of the boat in action, giving guests an
up- close look at its speed, technology, and the
excitement of racing on the water. Experience SailGP
innovation both physically and digitally.
The architecture’s fluid lines and open sightlines
reflect the energy of SailGP and Mubadala’s
visionary approach, guiding guests naturally
through a journey of discovery, engagement, and
inspiration.
An interactive multi-station challenge where teams take on key SailGP crew roles through quick physical tasks. Each action feeds into a live virtual race, rewarding teamwork and coordination. The better the collaboration, the faster the boat—culminating in a final performance score on the leaderboard.
A touchscreen experience where visitors customize an F50 catamaran and see how each component affects performance in real time. Through simple, engaging interactions, it explains key STEM concepts while highlighting engineering skills and careers, reinforcing Mubadala’s commitment to innovation and future talent development.
A hands-on interactive where guests use their hand to explore sail aerodynamics in a real wind tunnel. By adjusting angles, they discover how lift and drag impact performance, with real-time feedback guiding them to the optimal position—connecting SailGP performance with Mubadala’s focus on STEM, innovation, and youth development.
A competitive rowing challenge where guests power a virtual SailGP journey through Mubadala’s portfolio. The faster they row, the further their boat advances, unlocking milestones along the way. Real-time data drives the experience, with a live leaderboard adding excitement and reinforcing the impact of performance and progress.
A premium LED experience where guests step into dynamic SailGP visuals and become part of the crew. Surrounded by animated content, their moment is captured and instantly turned into a branded photo or video—creating a highly shareable experience that amplifies both team and Mubadala visibility.
A premium LED experience where guests step into dynamic SailGP visuals and become part of the crew. Surrounded by animated content, their moment is captured and instantly turned into a branded photo or video—creating a highly shareable experience that amplifies both team and Mubadala visibility.
A motion-enabled VR simulation where guests race a SailGP F50 catamaran across global courses. With immersive visuals, movement, and sensory effects, it recreates the thrill of high-speed sailing while capturing shareable moments—highlighting Mubadala’s role in innovation, elite sport, and inspiring future generations.
Guests receive and activate an RFID wristband at registration, using it to interact with and track progress across all activations. After completing the experience, they scan their band at the Gift Station, submit feedback, and receive a reward—encouraging full participation and capturing valuable insights.
Dedicated, well-integrated queuing areas ensure a smooth and premium guest flow. Clear signage, intuitive pathways, and staff support minimize wait times, while ripple-inspired design elements and subtle branding guide guests seamlessly without disrupting the overall experience.
