In April 2015, Singapore announced that for the next four years, it would join Vancouver, Sydney, Cape Town and Paris as a host city for the 10-leg HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Held at the city’s iconic National Stadium at Singapore Sports Hub on 16-17 April 2016, the first ‘Singapore Sevens’ was a world-class sporting event – an opportunity to showcase an amazing city and its facilities to rugby fans from around the world.
Pico were involved in two distinct capacities: as the event manager, assisting with the conceptualisation of the outdoor fun zone areas; and in fabricating the event’s VIP hospitality suites and interactive zones. The common thread running through both activations was the task of ‘bringing Rugby to the public’ by creating engagement with various activities.
The Rugby Challenge Zone
Off the field, the outdoor fun zone was a definite highlight of the weekend. Called the Rugby Challenge Zone, fans had the chance to pass a rugby ball like a pro, dress up and become a rugby superhero, or take fun photos with family and friends at the photo booth.
Also created were several ‘challenge stations’. Like the other attractions of the Challenge Zone, these were devised by Pico in cooperation with Rugby Singapore to introduce young players to the sport while still being appealing to adult fans.
Venue decoration & logistics
Leveraging its strong experience with international sporting events, the Pico team provided venue decoration and temporary overlay solutions for all the outdoor activity areas. Inside the stadium, Pico was responsible for providing logistics and venue decoration services.
The logistics were particularly complicated for the Singapore Sevens: with 27,000 attendees and 16 international teams competing in fast-paced 15-minute games, timing was everything. The team’s experience and ability to deliver ensured that the players, officials and fans all enjoyed a smooth and comfortable transition from game to game.
Hospitality suites
Pico’s design effort to create hospitality suites at the venue necessitated several drafts as it evolved to satisfy diverse stakeholders as well as fire and safety regulations. Fabricated as well as designed by the team, the delivered spaces proved the ideal environment for VIP rugby fans – welcoming, comfortable, and close to the action on the field.
Comments
Angela Zhang, Marketing and Communications Manager at Rugby Singapore Pte Ltd. relates, “The World Sevens Series was a resounding success for its first year back to Singapore and Pico played a big part in realising the dream with us! We received numerous compliments from stakeholders, sponsors and attendees. The team worked well within the constraints to prepare the stadium to host 16 international teams for the event. It was a massive challenge in terms of logistics and set up and they delivered. Thank you, Pico for a job well done and we look forward to bring the event to greater heights next year!”
