Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre Grand Opening

To celebrate the opening of the new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre, the City of North Vancouver welcomed thousands of residents to explore the new facility and experience its recreation, sport and community programming.

The nearly 189,000-square-foot facility brings together aquatics, an NHL-sized arena, a full-size gymnasium, fitness and multipurpose spaces, arts and youth programming, a skate park and extensive community amenities.

For an opening of this scale, Off the Reel wanted to create more than an event photo. The experience needed to connect directly to the purpose of the new facility, appeal to guests of all ages and provide an engaging keepsake from an important day for the North Vancouver community.

More than 500 photos were captured across the AI and traditional photo experiences, with over 800 physical prints produced onsite.

The difference between photos captured and prints produced is particularly meaningful. Multiple copies allowed families and groups to leave with their own physical keepsakes, extending the experience beyond the person who initiated the photo.

The activation also gave guests choice.

Some wanted to see themselves transformed into a basketball player, diver, lacrosse player or yoga athlete. Others preferred a traditional photograph. Families could participate together, while the roaming experience reached guests who may never have visited the stationary activation.

That flexibility helped Off the Reel serve a broad, multigenerational audience at a high-volume community event.

More Than a Photo Opportunity

The strongest brand activations don't simply place a logo on a photograph. They connect the experience to why people are there in the first place.

For the Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre Grand Opening, the photo experience reflected the sports, recreation and community activities guests were discovering throughout the new facility.