Manchester creative and experiential agency Holdens has delivered the first in a series of experiential brand activations for financial services brand Novuna, working in partnership with Rocket Sports.
The activation, titled “Novuna Champions,” debuted at the Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena, with more set to follow in the summer.
Engaged by Rocket Sports on behalf of Novuna, Holdens was tasked with translating Novuna’s headline sponsorship with British Athletics into a distinctive, repeatable experiential platform. The aim was to cut through the noise at major live events, drive meaningful fan engagement and create moments that could be amplified across PR, social media, athlete advocacy and partner channels.
The “Novuna Champions Zone” invited fans to go beyond spectating and was designed around three challenge stations inspired by athletics’ core disciplines, running, jumping and throwing, blending physical participation with gamified digital elements. This concept allowed fans to test their own abilities, celebrate their achievements and forge emotional connections with the Novuna brand.
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Over the course of the two-day event, more than 2,600 fans participated in the activation, with many returning to take on multiple challenges. The experience struck a chord not only with spectators but with elite athletes too, including men’s 200m champion Jeremiah Azu and Paralympic high-jump star Jonathan Broom-Edwards, whose participation helped amplify social buzz and reinforce the activation’s credibility on the ground.
“We set out to make Novuna’s sponsorship tangible, not just visible,” said Ted Holden, managing director at Holdens. “The activation invited fans to step in, participate and take away a special moment that’s uniquely theirs, turning sponsorship into something people can genuinely feel.”
“The Novuna Champions zone was a fantastic opportunity to bring the partnership to life, and the response to its launch has been overwhelmingly positive,” added Sonia Khanna, account manager at Rocket Sports.
“Our Novuna Champions experiential zone has been built as part of a wider, multi-channel plan, ensuring the energy on the day becomes content, conversation and coverage that continues to build our brand long after the event,” said Theresa Lindsay, chief marketing officer at Novuna.
With further activations planned for the Novuna UK Athletics Outdoor Championships and Novuna London Athletics Meet later in the summer, Holdens has established a flexible, ownable experiential concept that brings the brand’s partnership to life in a way that can run and run.
