With over 7,000 attendees from the region gathered at The Slab in Dubai Design District and more than 1,000 Porsche cars onsite across the weekend, the first ever “Icons of Porsche” festival made history as one of the biggest public events held by an automotive manufacturer in the Middle East region.
The two-day festival featured Porsche classics, legends of the racetrack, unseen concept cars, global and regional Porsche inspired art and icons from the local music scene. Designs were inspired by Porsche heritage, as well as how the brand sees the future. Festival goers had an opportunity to explore the complete world of Porsche and witness iconic moments on the stage.
Project feature: Porsche Newsroom
Events, Brand Activation, Spatial, Experience, Branding, Content
THE WORLD OF ICONS
THE FESTIVAL WAS DESIGNED AS FREE-FLOWING EXPERIENCE
Guests immersed themselves into the brand's rich history through several zones, dedicated to different parts of the brand thematically. The heart of the festival was the stage surrounded by hundreds of classic cars at the very center.
THE LIBRARY
A NOD TO THE PAST, WHERE ALL THE PASSION STARTED
Inspired by the rich heritage of Porsche, guests took a walk down the memory lane and experienced the passion for classic cars, from the founder's first Porsche car to the latest customized classics. The Library zone had two areas - Heritage and Exclusive Manufaktur. The designs were inspired by where it all started - the vintage brick factories of Porsche.
THE LIBRARY - HERITAGE AREA
Legendary classics were displayed in the Heritage area, along with iconic advertising, timelines of all the cars and special designed areas to highlight the importance of classic car restoration.
THE LIBRARY - EXCLUSIVE MANUFAKTUR AREA
The Exclusive Manufaktur area focused on the enhanced personalization services Porsche offers, with a customization activation and a retro gas station pop-up, surrounded by the most personalized Porsche cars of today.
THE GARAGE
AN UP AND CLOSE EXPERIENCE WITH THE LEGENDARY PORSCHE RACE CARS
The zone dedicated to Porsche racing was one of the highlights of the event. It's design took clear cues from the 24hrs racing challenges Porsche excels at, with an extended timeline of wins and a display of all the iconic racing posters. The area featured iconic racing cars from the Porsche Museum, which were featured in a sound experience and as a special highlight on the main stage.
A ZONE ONLY FOR WINNERS
The area focused on the Le Mans winners, both in the iconic wins timeline and the spatial design, which featured all the winners names. The industrial-inspired space was home to some of the most legendary 24hrs racing cars for the duration of the festival.
THE ART OF RACING
Guests engaged in the racing poster making activation, whilst paying homage to all the classic Porsche racing cars. The area featured creative content animations about the winners and a gallery of classic racing posters.
FOCUS ON CAR LIVERY ART
Guests immersed themsleves into the world of Porsche car livery art. This area highlighted some of the most iconic graphics and one of the Le Mans winner cars.
THE UNSEEN
A PRICELESS COLLECTION OF CONCEPT STUDIES THAT INSPIRE FUTURE ICONS
Dedicated to the futuristic collection of cars designed by the studio in Weissach, the Unseen zone was designed in a minimalistic way, featuring clean lines, sophisticated graphics and integrated lighting.
HIGHLIGHT ON CONCEPT STUDIES
Guests had a chance to get a sketch of one of the three displayed Unseen cars. The activation offered customization of the sketch through a simple user interface.
CONTEMPORARY DESIGN AND LIGHTING
The zone came to life even more during the evening, when the special cars came into their respective positions. Guests were in awe of the futuristic designs and could learn more about each concept by scanning QR codes on each of the car displays.
THE STUDIO
PORSCHE AS AN ART MUSE
The festival featured art extensively, especially in the Studio, a zone purely dedicated to art from international and local artists, including photography, painting, graffiti, sculpture, etc. Most of the art was juxtaposed with art Porsche cars and each artist had a custom display of their art. The area was colorful, alive and different from all angles - just like the art displayed.
THE PARK
PORSCHE 4 KIDS
A space dedicated to the little icons, featuring creative activities to keep them entertained throughout the day.
THE STAGE
ICONIC MOMENTS ALL DAY
The central position of the stage in the festival allowed for special moments throughout the day and night - iconic cars and iconic music. Dynamic screen content highlighted the legendary cars and supported the music performances.
ICONIC CAR APPEARANCES
The crowds welcomed iconic cars from the different zones as they drove onto the stage. Conversations and demonstrations were lead by iconic guests, such as the designers of the original cars.
ICONIC PERFORMANCES
Performances by music icons of the region hyped up the festival crowd throughout the two festival days.
