Curveballs, rainbows, and clouds: How our team overcame a series of stormy events to create an immersive brand experience in Tokyo.
In an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our activation in Tokyo, Jonathan Buckles, our Creative Director reflects on the unpredictable challenges we faced and the silver lining we found through all the “rainbows and clouds.”
By Jonathan Buckles
When we began planning our major immersive experience in Tokyo, we knew it would be a complex, ambitious project. What we didn’t realise was just how many curveballs would come flying at us along the way. Now that the dust (and the artificial rainbow mist) has settled, I thought it was worth reflecting on three of the biggest challenges we faced during the project.
Cultural barriers: When “yes” doesn’t mean what you think
First on the list is cultural adaptation. One of our main activations, a beautifully intricate immersive event, took significantly longer to set up than expected. Now, we’ve worked internationally plenty of times, but Tokyo introduced us to a whole new dynamic: nobody ever says no. Not outright, anyway.
Our Japanese counterparts were unfailingly polite, accommodating, and dedicated. But the way they communicated was different from what we were used to. If you asked, “Can this be done by tomorrow?” the answer would always be “Yes,” but with no mention of how or when it might happen. It turns out specific timelines are not always part of the equation. So while we fretted over delays, wondering if we’d misstepped or pushed too hard, the head of their tech team was quietly putting in 16-hour days to make it happen.
It gave us pangs of guilt watching their relentless work ethic. We’d circle back for updates, subtly hoping they might admit they needed more time or resources, but the response was always the same: “It will be done.” And then, on the morning of the event, there it was, like magic. They had worked through the night, solving every issue, and delivered flawlessly. It was equal parts inspiring and humbling, and it taught us a valuable lesson: sometimes you have to trust in the process, even if it’s entirely different from your own.
When tech dreams become tech nightmares
The second challenge was one of our most ambitious creations: a multi-sensory room designed to blend lasers, projection mapping, light, scent, and a bilingual narrative. Guests were led by immersive performers through a communal drinking ritual that culminated in an artificial storm, which then plunged the room into a walkable, tastable rainbow. Sounds simple, right?
Of course not. It was as complex as it sounds, and it seemed as though the tech gods were determined to test us at every step. It was never going to be a straightforward setup, but it spiraled into a marathon of technical issues, magnified by miscommunications in the translations of roles, what an operator is versus a designer versus a programmer for the tech. In Japan, these roles are more distinct and fragmented, with little overlap, meaning that even with the help of our translators, it was a challenge to get everyone in the room at the same time to troubleshoot the system as a whole.
Lasers weren’t aligning properly, the ever-changing humidity from an unseasonably warm Tokyo made the scent emitters and haze machines react differently with each run, and every pass seemed to reveal a new wrinkle to be ironed out. In short, I spent most of the lead-up locked away in the room, running tests, tweaking settings, and mumbling increasingly desperate prayers to the gods of tech which were finally answered with a resounding “yes”!
And due to all this, the event itself didn’t offer much reprieve, either. Instead of checking in intermittently from a calm, strategic distance as planned, I spent the entire event shoulder-to-shoulder with the audience, troubleshooting on the fly, constantly tweaking the scent levels, adjusting the fans, and rebalancing the multiple haze and fog curtains.
The silver lining? I had the rare opportunity to experience the room as the guests did, round after round. This proximity gave us the chance to refine the fantastic immersive actors’ performances and dynamically adjust the interactions with each group. By the end, the communal “Kanpais” over bespoke-flavoured shots, as each new rainbow wave swept through, making all the effort feel worth it. Watching the guests’ delight unfold in real time was the ultimate reward.
The case of the last-minute name change
And finally, we come to the classic event production challenge: the last-second client pivot. With literally hours to go, and the beast that was the multi-sensory rainbow room finally under control, the client’s legal team swooped in with a bombshell. This key event feature needed to be renamed and updated or worse, canceled entirely. Their decision was final, leaving us with no choice but to act. And so, Rainbow was dead. Long live the Cloud!
Now, this kind of last-minute curveball could have caused a full-blown meltdown. But one of the benefits of working with a long-time client is that you develop an unspoken understanding of how these things go. No matter how much you plan or how many approvals you’ve collected, there’s always something lurking at the 11th hour. And when it arrives, you can either laugh or cry. We chose the former.
With a mix of good humour and stoicism, we scrambled to make it work. The new name was agreed on, ticking the legal boxes. We quickly recut the recorded audio, rewrote and re-rehearsed the performers’ live scripts, updated the projected visuals, and even managed to tweak the event’s digital map with the new title. It was a whirlwind few hours, but by the time the doors opened, the audience had no idea anything had changed. It’s the kind of moment that reminds you why having a flexible, quick-thinking team is just as important as a great concept.
Flexibility is the real star
Looking back, what’s clear is that every one of these challenges, as frustrating as they were in the moment, became an opportunity to learn, adapt, and grow. Whether it was navigating cultural communication styles, wrestling with cutting-edge technology, or pivoting at the last second for a client, the goal remained the same: to deliver an unforgettable experience for our audience.
At the heart of it all was a team of incredibly talented, dedicated people from the local crew in Tokyo to the immersive performers, tech specialists, and client partners. Together, we turned chaos into something extraordinary. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this project, it’s that flexibility isn’t just a skill in event production, it’s a superpower.
So, here’s to the challenges, the chaos, and the magic that happens when it all comes together. And if you’re ever in the middle of a multi-sensory tech meltdown, just remember: even the most impossible clouds are worth chasing.
