The Star

Engineering magic at the polo
CHALLENGE
The Gold Coast came alive recently for The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Polo where DisplayWise were thrilled to work with marketing agency, Electric Blue, to design and build a unique experiential activation for the event. The brief received by our sales team soon evolved into a creative idea that presented numerous design and engineering challenges. The design concept inspired by The Star Casino’s branding, influenced the shapes of the four-metre-high structures to resemble a colourful garden of plants and palms with a built-in misting system. With a strict turnaround time to conceptualise, test and deliver, a number of considerations were explored:
- The best design method to manage several irregular shapes and dimensions
- Balancing the common elements for visual consistency with enough variation so it doesn’t appear too symmetrical
- Flexibility of the metal fabrication used for the arrow heads
- How to activate a misting system with no available power or water
- Meeting engineering requirements for outdoor installations
- Adhering to height and space restrictions of the venue
Client | Electric Blue |
---|---|
Event | Magic Millions Polo |
Location | Gold Coast |
Display Size | 4m high x 1.7m wide |


SOLUTION
Our designer imagined how a garden looks in its natural environment – the angles at which branches and palm fronds fall at different levels giving an illusion that nothing is symmetrical. The modelling software projected shade at different angles from morning through to the evening which offered guests some reprieve from the sun.
The pentagon base was the starting point with enough concrete blocks hidden to support the high standing, heavy arrows. Without access to water and power, marine batteries and water pumps projected water into the arrow heads creating a cooling mist that fell upon guests sitting underneath.
Overcoming this design and engineering challenge was attested to time dedicated in the warehouse with the designer, fabricator, engineer and installation team experimenting with the build. Design and production modifications were made along the way to meet the project’s deadlines.



RESULT
The Star Gold Coast were ‘over the moon’ with the experiential activation and ticked all campaign objectives. Thousands of guests interacted with the display with temperatures soaring to over 40 degrees at the outdoor event. The pentagon foundation served a dual purpose with people sitting on the edges or using it as a table for people to rest food and drinks which was intended in the design. The Star have indicated the bespoke display will be used again in Sydney over the coming months.