The Big Group

The Australian Open is renowned for kicking off the new year and the Australian Events Calendar. Think long hot days followed by beautiful balmy nights. In the midst of Melbourne’s summer, all you need is a nice bottle of bubbles in an outdoor setting, your best crew, and the Grand Slam on the big screen. 

The Brief

We received a call from The Big Group in late 2020. The idea? To create a memorable experience for guests watching the Australian Open at The Commons outdoor bar on St Kilda Rd, Melbourne. The interactive experience would promote Piper-Heidsieck’s tennis sponsorship, as well as bring a little theatre and Parisian flair to the Australian occasion. 

The Big Group designed ‘Press for Piper’ an activation that encouraged the public to push a button to order their bottle of Piper-Heidsieck. A French waiter would appear from behind a truck with a chilled bottle of champagne and glasses, ready to be of service to his guests. With a little dance, a French accent, a dapper outfit, and a personality very well suited to match, those that pushed for Piper experienced an intimate performance truly reminiscent of France and the brand’s ethos - to make joyful wines with great seriousness.   

“Working on the Press For Piper activation was a new and unique project – something that we hadn’t done before. Dave and Alex were enthusiastic to jump into it, working on custom music, the mechanics behind the button and the theatrics of it all. It was a huge hit, and something that we have now pitched variants of for other events which we are looking forward to producing in the future.

Working with Pot Plant Productions was equal parts seamless and inspiring. Dave and Alex are a breeze to collaborate with – nothing is too hard or out of their realm. Any crazy idea that we would imagine would somehow miraculously come to fruition through PPP, whether it was something I had thought of and brought to them to execute, or something that we dreamt up together.”

- Lizzie Wagner, The Big Group 

Our Solution

To help bring ‘Press for Piper’ to life we designed a fully customised button and all associated technology, that notified the waiter of his next guests, as well as triggered a bespoke audio track to play over the truck’s speakers and into the outdoor bar. 

The music was specifically composed for this project, ensuring a unique and memorable sound that encapsulated the Piper-Heidsieck brand and brought the theatrical French scene to life. 

The Big Group branded the front of the truck leaving us the back area to store all technology, pre-cabled and neatly packed in a discreet lock up box. We ran power for a bar fridge to be kept in the rear, so that the bottles of champagne remained chilled and ready to be served, allowing enough allocated space for glassware and a washing station too. 

Once the button was installed and the logistics had been set, what followed was the perfect touch of theatre craft prior to your refreshment being served. 

“The Press For Piper activation was delivered in an innovative and entertaining style and exceeded expectations. The success of the activation was complimented perfectly by Piper-Heidsieck Champagne concierge, Mike, from The Big Group. His energy and charm ensured the Press for Piper activation was a great success and highly engaged by patrons at The Commons throughout the tournament. 

- Steph Skovsdal, Romano Beck

And the best part for us?  

“We love to be challenged. Even more so when we’re required to create something that’s not an off the shelf product.”

 - David Hickford, Pot Plant Productions. 

Coupled with a Melbourne Summers day and the Australian Open on the big screen, it was the taste of a good time that all Australians were craving.

For custom audio solutions, production consulting or assistance executing your next big idea, get in touch at hello@potplantproductions.com.au we’d love to hear you out!