🎯 Client Objective
The annual Dragon Boat Race at Thames Valley Park has become a highly anticipated tradition. What began as a fun summer activity has evolved into a flagship community event, now in its third year.
The goal for 2025: build on the momentum, deepen team spirit, and deliver a spectacle that tenants, partners, and stakeholders look forward to all year.
💡 Our Creative Approach
This year, we elevated every element, from team engagement to immersive theming, while ensuring smooth delivery across a fully live, outdoor environment.
Experience Highlights:
🚣 Professional Dragon Boat Racing
Teams took part in an adrenaline-fuelled race on the Thames, complete with a pro race director, live commentary, and leaderboard-style scoreboard.
🥇 Custom-Branded Podium & Medals
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies, engraved medals, champagne, and a bespoke branded podium for the whole team created the perfect victory moment.
🥢 Themed Hospitality & Street Food
Featuring bao buns, rice bowls, artisan pizzas, soft drinks, and a charming vintage ice cream van with over 490 desserts served.
🐲 Immersive Theming & Decor
Giant foo dogs, Chinese dragons, parasols, bamboo plants, lanterns, Shoji screens, and an iconic ceremonial gong gave the site an authentic and celebratory flair!
🎤 Live Music & Lounge Vibes
A live acoustic duo performed three sets throughout the day, supported by bold picnic furniture, bean bags, rugs, and parasol seating to create a welcoming atmosphere.
🎽 Team Identity & Engagement
Custom lanyards and selfie frames brought extra personality and photo moments to the day!
🚧 Event Challenges
Delivering a premium event on a live nature reserve required careful planning around power, water access and environmental protection.
Managing the flow of guests, teams, and vendors across a multi-zone outdoor site with limited infrastructure.
Coordinating five boats, multiple catering vendors and live performance within one day, with setup and derig tightly scheduled.
🛠️ Our Solution
Anopia delivered the event end-to-end, blending immersive theming with seamless logistics. We coordinated race operations, site flow, decor, catering and entertainment, all within a sensitive outdoor setting. By balancing energy, cultural detail, and operational care, we created an experience that felt both vibrant and effortless.
The result was an event that felt more immersive, more refined, and more loved than ever.
📊 Results & Feedback
The 2025 event saw record participation, with more boats, new teams, and over 250 lanyards distributed across the day.
Team spirit was sky-high, with groups arriving early to set up their zones, wear coordinated outfits, and cheer from the sidelines.
The immersive theming, dragon iconography, and winner’s podium created standout moments of celebration and pride.
Guests described the atmosphere as “electric, competitive and completely joyful”, with multiple attendees calling it the “highlight of the Thames Valley Park calendar.”
“Everyone’s already asking about the 2026 date.”
“The setup was incredible, it felt something really special.”
Learn from Our Experts
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