Steering Clear

Aardvark’s design and fabrication capabilities are second to none. But there are times when our planning, management and logistics skills are what the customer needs. That was the case with Civic Entertainment, who needed help with their NBC Sports Bumper Car promotion. The experiential marketing experts at Aardvark were initially asked to transport the massive ride to NASCAR races, where fans could enjoy it during racing events. But it soon became clear that what they needed was a bit more complicated.

First, there was the issue of ownership. Neither Civic nor NBC wanted to own the ride due to the complex liability and registration issues involved with such a large vehicle.  Not a problem.  We stepped in to buy, register and insure it.   We even bought a special amusement policy that indemnified Civic, NBC Sports, NASCAR, and each race team and their sponsors by transferring all risk associated with operating the ride to us. And, even though we owned the ride, we gave NBC Sports the option to buy the ride back for a dollar.

Then came the task of transporting the ride. To ensure riders’ safety, it had to be set-up at each location with utmost care. We handled everything, including hiring security, interacting with consumers, operating the ride, cleaning and maintenance, then packing it all up and transporting it to the next race. We also managed the budget, D.O.T., logistics, and provided a single point of contact for Civic to keep things simple. It was a wild ride, but everyone came out a winner in the end.