The Minnesota Vikings, a National Football League team, in partnership with UK-based greentech firm, Pavegen, has launched a unique fan experience that merges STEM education with sustainability and entertainment. At the core of this collaboration is Pavegen’s pioneering technology, which converts kinetic energy from footsteps and movement to power immersive fan experiences.
Coinciding with the start of the 2023 gridiron season, fans visiting Vikings training camp in Eagan, Minnesota, can participate in two immersive challenges. In the ‘40-Yard Dash’, fans can go through the same test every NFL player faces and race against their favourite Vikings player, with Pavegen’s kinetic floor tiles simultaneously capturing and converting their energy into off-grid electricity in real-time.
Meanwhile, ‘Famous Game Plays’, invites fans to guide a virtual football’s flight using kinetic floor interactions and recreate some of the Vikings’ most famous plays. Successful participants are rewarded with exclusive video clips of iconic gameplay sequences.
The games form part of the Vikings’ commitment to STEM education, using their platform to positively impact their local community. The installations show how energy is all around us and can be harnessed for a better world. The partnership not only offers a glimpse of what future stadiums could look like, but also encourages fan interaction and engagement, rewarding fan loyalty in a highly visual brand activation.
CEO of Pavegen, Laurence Kemball-Cook, said: “The energy and excitement when fans fill their team’s stadium has always been the best part of the football experience. Our pioneering kinetic brand activation helps teams harness that buzz and turn it into an immersive and enjoyable fan experience that can literally light up their day and earn them exclusive prizes and content. At the same time, it helps deliver a serious message, particularly to young people, around sustainability through a tangible and immersive interaction while supporting their team.”
Brett Taber, Vice President of Social Impact for the Minnesota Vikings, said: “STEM education is a critical portion of the Minnesota Vikings mission to utilise our platform for impact to give back to our community. Here in Minnesota alone, students have one of the highest opportunity gaps in the United States. So, by partnering with Pavegen, the Minnesota Vikings can help students understand STEM principles and bring them to life in the real world. Pavegen is a unique technology because it really demonstrates how energy is all around us, and it’s about how we harness it and use it for a better world.”
Pavegen’s partnership with the Minnesota Vikings comes as the London-based company began a fundraising drive via CrowdCube in September. This new investment will help accelerate Pavegen’s market expansion and allow it to develop future products. Pavegen’s partnership with the Vikings acts as a proof of concept for its technology’s broad scale application in stadiums, transport hubs, office buildings or other high traffic areas.
The Minnesota Vikings Gameday Challenge by Pavegen is located at the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Centre, connecting Training HAUS and TCO Stadium within the Vikings Plaza.
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