This case study highlights Crowd Culture’s successful delivery of large-scale, immersive activations for four major clients at PAX Aus 2024 – Australia’s premier gaming expo, which welcomed over 80,000 attendees. As a leading experiential marketing agency, Crowd Culture was proud to play a key role in the event’s success, crafting immersive, high-impact experiences that captivated audiences and elevated brand presence on the show floor.

PAX AUSTRALIA 2024

PAX Aus 2024 – The Heart of Gaming Culture

PAX Aus is a vibrant three-day celebration of gaming and its culture, uniting the community under one roof for an unforgettable experience. The event features thought-provoking panels, a bustling expo hall packed with leading publishers and independent studios, hands-on game demos, competitive tournaments, and live musical performances. More than just an expo, PAX Aus offers fans the chance to connect with old friends, meet new ones, and engage directly with developers, publishers, and brands in an energetic, inclusive environment.

PAX is an international expo, held in only 2 countries and four cities worldwide. In the United States, PAX is held in Seattle, Washington (PAX West), Boston, Massachusetts (PAX East) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PAX Unplugged). Then, the fourth and final expo worldwide is our very own PAX Aus held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Hosted at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) on the second weekend of October every year, PAX Aus is the nation’s biggest gaming convention. The 2024 event marked the 11th edition of PAX Aus and featured playable demos of upcoming games from Australia, New Zealand, and around the world. PAX Aus is an unforgettable event that gamers and developers alike look forward to every year.

“As a massive moment for the gaming community, PAX holds a special place in my heart, so getting to lead Crowd Culture’s creative direction for four incredible activations this year was a real privilege. It’s events like these that show the true power of experiential activations – where storytelling, design and culture collide to create unforgettable moments.” – Glenn Barrington, Creative Director at Crowd Culture

Crowd Culture at PAX: What We Do

At Crowd Culture, PAX Aus is a standout moment in our calendar – it’s our favourite event of the year and one we look forward to with genuine excitement. We’ve been a proud part of the show since 2018, delivering creative, large-scale brand activations every year without fail. Over the course of five consecutive PAX Aus events, we’ve built over 2,000 square metres of immersive experiences, partnering with more than five major brands to bring their visions to life on the show floor. For us, PAX Aus isn’t just another event – it’s where our passion for gaming, design, and storytelling comes to life. With each activation, we strive to push creative boundaries and deliver memorable, high-impact moments that resonate with fans and elevate our clients’ presence in the gaming space.

A Closer Look at Crowd Culture’s PAX Aus 2024 Lineup

At PAX Aus 2024, Crowd Culture partnered with four standout clients – Crunchyroll, CODE NZ, Garnier, and Activision Blizzard – to deliver a combined 300 square metres of custom-built brand activations. With over 80,000 attendees across the weekend, the event provided the perfect stage to engage passionate gaming and pop culture audiences. From immersive anime experiences to bold beauty tech, each activation was designed to capture attention, spark conversation, and create lasting brand moments.

Let’s take a closer look at each of Crowd Culture’s activations at PAX Aus 2024 and how we brought these brands to life on the show floor.

CODE NZ

Our long-standing partnership with CODE NZ – the New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence – reached a new milestone at PAX Aus 2024. As a Dunedin-based economic development agency, CODE NZ is committed to fostering a thriving, inclusive game development industry across Aotearoa, New Zealand. Their mission spans three key pillars:

funding, capability, and pathways, with a bold vision to help grow the local industry into a billion-dollar sector.
Last year, CODE NZ returned to PAX Aus 24 showcasing their 6M x 18M stand with 108sqm of space designed and built by Crowd Culture to spotlight emerging New Zealand game developers on an international stage. The activation hosted 18 developers, each showcasing their work to tens of thousands of attendees, with the potential to spark interest from publishers, investors, and future collaborators. The physical build featured nine custom-designed double-sided pods standing 3.6 metres high, each with bespoke signage for participating developers. A 6-metre branded storage unit and a hero feature wall completed the space, offering strong visibility and a cohesive, premium look and feel that reflected CODE NZ’s credibility and national significance.

Key elements:

  • 6M x 18M stand with 108sqm of space, 18 developers showcased
  • 9 double sided pods at 3.6m high with custom signage
  • Hero feature wall and large branded storage unit
  • Space designed to enable networking and publisher engagement

Results:

  • Strong brand presence in a high-traffic zone
  • Increased engagement with developers, publishers, and partners
  • Elevated perception of CODE NZ as a key industry enabler in the region

Crunchyroll

Our ongoing collaboration with Crunchyroll – the world’s leading anime brand – returned in full force at PAX Aus 2024, with an activation that truly took anime beyond the screen. As a global powerhouse in anime entertainment, Crunchyroll connects fans to the content they love through streaming, merchandise, and immersive experiences.

This year, Crowd Culture partnered with Crunchyroll to design, build, and deliver their boldest activation yet: the Australian debut of the ‘Solo Leveling’ Dome Experience. Occupying a 9M x 9M (81sqm) space, the stand featured an impressive custom-built VR dome that transported fans into the world of Solo Leveling, a highly anticipated video game based on the popular anime series. Inside the dome, visitors were treated to an immersive 360-degree viewing adventure, bringing the game’s narrative and environment to life in an unforgettable way.

The build was anchored by a striking 5-metre circular branded halo suspended above the stand – maximising visibility across the show floor and reinforcing Crunchyroll’s presence as a headline brand at the expo. From visual impact to fan interaction and exclusive swag giveaways, the activation delivered an experience as epic as the anime itself.

Key elements:

  • 9M x 9M, 81sqm stand featuring the exclusive Solo Leveling Dome Experience
  • Custom-designed 360° VR dome with in-game cinematic immersion
  • 5-metre circular branded halo for enhanced height and visibility
  • Anime-themed giveaways and fan engagement touchpoints

Results:

  • Strong fan engagement through immersive storytelling
  • Standout presence on the show floor, driving consistent foot traffic
  • Strengthened brand connection with Crunchyroll’s passionate anime audience

Garniere

At PAX Aus 2024, Garnier teamed up with Crowd Culture and gaming agency You Know Media to enter the world of gaming in a bold, unexpected way. Known globally for its skincare and haircare products, Garnier used this activation to connect with a new audience – gamers – through a high-energy, experience-led approach centred around its Anti-Blemish Serum.

The 60sqm PWR Up with Garnier stand, created in collaboration with leading esports organisation PWR, merged gaming and skincare to deliver a campaign-first activation that had been building momentum throughout the year.

On-site, fans took on the Blackout Challenge – a blindfolded 1v1 game inspired by Garnier’s serum – battling for exclusive merch and bragging rights. The booth also featured four gaming pods, claw machines, a prize wheel, a custom photo moment, and live meet-and-greets with PWR talent across the weekend. Designed and built by Crowd Culture, the space turned heads and shifted perceptions, embedding Garnier into the gaming landscape in a way that felt both authentic and genuinely fun.

Key elements:

  • 60sqm activation with gameplay, challenges, and interactive zones
  • Blackout Challenge inspired by Garnier’s Anti-Blemish Serum
  • Branded claw machines, prize wheel, and custom photo op
  • Live appearances and meet-and-greets with PWR esports talent

Results:

  • Successfully introduced Garnier to a new, younger gaming demographic
  • Strong engagement through interactive elements and social moments
  • Reinforced Garnier’s position as a bold, innovative player in experiential marketing

Activision Blizzard

For PAX Aus 2024, Activision Blizzard returned with a dark and dramatic activation celebrating the highly anticipated expansion of the game Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. Positioned right at the entrance to the convention centre, their 6M x 3M activation ensured that every attendee encountered it as they entered the event.

At the heart of the experience stood an incredibly lifelike statue of the new Spiritborn class – crafted by renowned Australian artist and digital creator @Jazza – which quickly became one of the most talked-about and photographed features of the expo. Watch Jazza’s video of how he created the statue! Though the statue itself wasn’t produced by Crowd Culture, we designed and built the immersive environment around it, including stylised walls featuring game artwork and custom finishes that brought the Diablo IV universe to life. Fans were also treated to the chance to win exclusive Vessel of Hatred kits, distributed daily to lucky winners. The combination of high-impact visuals, exclusive content, and prime location made this a standout brand moment for Activision Blizzard at PAX Aus 24.

Key elements:

  • Prime 6M x 3M location at the entrance of PAX Aus 2024
  • Life-sized Spiritborn statue created by @Jazza
  • Crowd Culture-built activation walls with custom artwork and finishes

Results :

  • Created one of the most photographed and shared photo ops of the event
  • Amplified anticipation for the Vessel of Hatred expansion
  • Delivered a memorable brand experience that resonated with Diablo’s loyal fanbase

Looking Ahead from PAX 2024

PAX Aus 2024 marked another standout year for Crowd Culture, delivering a diverse range of custom-built activations for some of the biggest names in gaming, entertainment, and beauty. From immersive worlds to headline-making photo moments, we brought each brand’s vision to life through bold design, strategic storytelling, and unforgettable fan experiences.

Across more than 300 square metres of show floor, we helped our clients make lasting impressions on over 80,000 attendees – whether that was through cutting-edge VR, influencer meet-and-greets, or creative brand integrations. Our long-standing partnership with PAX Aus continues to be one of the highlights of our calendar, and we’re incredibly proud to play a part in shaping the energy, creativity, and community that defines this event.

With even bigger plans already in motion, we can’t wait to return for PAX Aus 2025 – see you there!

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