Corporate Brand Activation GTA: How Axolotl Studio Helped Nexans Canada Own the Room at Fergus Scottish Festival

Client: Nexans Canada | Event: Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games (80th Anniversary) | Location: Fergus, Ontario | Date: August 2025 | Duration: Two full days | Format: Branded open-air photo activation

Corporate brand activation GTA: when a sponsor becomes the highlight

The Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games is one of Ontario's most beloved annual events. In August 2025 it celebrated its 80th anniversary, drawing hundreds of visitors over two full days of Highland athletics, pipe bands, Celtic culture, and community celebration. Nexans Canada came in as the grand sponsor, and they brought Axolotl Studio in to make their presence inside the festival feel like something people would actually want to be part of.

Our job was to design and run a fully branded experiential photo activation inside the Nexans main sponsor tent. Not just a booth people walked past. An experience people walked toward.

What we designed and built

Everything about the activation was built around two things: the Nexans brand and the spirit of the Scottish festival. The prints were Nexans-branded 2x6 photo strips, custom designed to carry the company identity without feeling like a corporate handout. The props we brought were themed to the event itself, think tartan patterns, Scottish icons, and the kind of playful details that made the whole setup feel native to the festival rather than dropped in from a trade show.

Our team set up and operated across both full days. We blended into the Nexans tent environment seamlessly, which is exactly how a good brand activation should work. Guests never felt like they were being marketed to. They felt like they were part of the celebration, with Nexans as the host making it happen.

Hundreds of festival-goers walked through the Nexans tent over two days. Every single person who stepped in front of our activation walked away with a branded print and a memory tied directly to Nexans Canada.

Why this kind of activation works for corporate sponsors

Sponsoring a public event is one thing. Making your sponsorship felt is another. Most corporate sponsor tents offer branded merchandise, maybe a few games, and a booth with someone handing out flyers. Attendees walk through and keep walking. The brand makes no lasting impression.

A professionally designed experiential photo activation changes that equation entirely. When someone takes a photo and walks away with a branded print, they are not just aware of your company, they associate your brand with a moment of joy. That is brand recall that no flyer can create. It is the kind of impression that lasts well beyond the event itself.

For Nexans Canada at the Fergus Scottish Festival, that meant hundreds of branded touchpoints delivered in a way that felt completely organic to the event. Families, couples, and groups of friends all became part of the Nexans story that weekend.

What made this activation stand out

Three things set this apart from a standard photo booth rental.

First, the custom design. Every element of the activation, from the print layout to the props, was designed specifically for this event and this sponsor. Nothing was off the shelf. The Nexans brand appeared in a way that felt intentional and premium, not slapped onto a generic template.

Second, the event integration. Our team showed up as part of the Nexans presence, not as a separate vendor. We dressed the part, understood the audience, and ran the activation with the same energy as the festival itself. That kind of seamless integration is what separates a creative experience agency from a rental company.

Third, the scale. Running a high-quality activation across two full consecutive days at a major public festival requires a level of operational reliability that most photo booth companies simply cannot offer. We handled it without a hitch.

Bring this kind of activation to your next corporate sponsorship or event

If your company is sponsoring an event in the GTA or Ontario and you want your presence to actually be felt, Axolotl Studio can design and run a branded experiential activation that fits your brand, your audience, and your event. We handle everything from custom print design to on-site creative direction across single and multi-day events.

Ready to make your brand the highlight of your next event? Visit us at axolotlstudio.ca to learn more or get a custom quote for your activation.