Recently, affiliate gambling & betting marketing agency Boomerang Partners had a blast at SBC Summit in Lisbon, Portugal. The company presented its client portfolio and won two prestigious SBC Awards: ‘Social Media Campaign of the Year’ and ‘Rising Star in Sports Betting’ (Operator).
Its booth became a central hub for exhibition attendees, with over 1,500 people visiting it. They were able to learn about the new sports traffic tournament, the Golden Boomerang League and took part in a raffle for sports memorabilia from Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tyson Fury, and Fernando Alonso. One of the most impressive activities at the Boomerang Partners booth was unique live artist performances. In doing so, the company effectively married marketing and art for the first time at the iGaming event. These quaint performances have all the potential to become a new trend in the industry.
The creative producer and director of the Boomerang Effect performances at the Boomerang Partners booth was Nick Chichagov. In an internal interview, he discussed the origin of the project’s idea, the essence of the performances, and where he draws inspiration from.
How did the idea for this performance come about? Did something unusual inspire you to create something so out of the box?
When I start working on a performance, I always look for an initial hook. Here, it was the crowd. Inspired by photographers like Alexey Titarenko and his ‘City of Shadows’ series, I explored the idea of people as ghostlike figures without identity. Later, references to René Magritte’s ‘Son of Man’ helped sharpen the concept. Music also guided me: a line from a Tool song, “to bring the pieces back together, rediscover communication,” became a key reference point. Contemporary dance emerged as the ideal form. I wanted to include a simple yet powerful moment where two people just stand and look at each other. Step by step, the puzzle came together.
If you had to describe this performance in words, what would they be?
For me personally, it is about uniting, immersing into communication, and becoming one, transitioning from disparate parts into a single, cohesive whole. The entire performance is a metaphor for separate atoms, individual people, and distinct fragments ultimately uniting as one under the company’s brand.
Tell us about the concept behind production. What was the main idea or message for you?
The concept of the performance was that six agents of Boomerang Partners -each with their own character, state of mind, and attitude toward themselves, others, and the audience- venture out into the crowd. Their mission is to study communication, understand themselves, and bring meaning to people, guiding them to a place they’ve been waiting for under the Boomerang Partners brand, which helps people realize their potential. During the main performance, the artists showcase the company’s themes -boxing, racing, football- through movement and dance. At the end, their gray masks are removed to reveal vibrant, individual identities, still tied to the brand. The core message: people often feel lost, but Boomerang Partners shows them the right path through its lens.
What were the most interesting or challenging moments during the rehearsal process? Can you share any behind-the-scenes stories from the preparation?
The most interesting part was the entire process of working with the team. As a director, I found it interesting to give the performers some creative space. For instance, each performer had their own character, and I provided them with a list of ten traits to define it. Within that framework, they also invented different emotional states and variations. The work was challenging, though. The third act was particularly difficult because we built its final choreography piece by piece. All the references we found were entirely off the mark. We didn’t want to just literally depict a sport; we wanted to convey it through imagery. This is how we built the first act: the artists study themselves and their characters. Then, they interact with each other in the second act. Finally, the third act is where the artists unite into a single whole, representing the company’s diverse directions, and they rip off their masks to reveal the vibrant individuality that blossomed under the brand’s auspices.
Were there any funny or unexpected situations while working on the performance?
I wouldn’t say there were any truly unexpected moments in terms of the performance’s preparation. But there were certainly funny ones. For instance, when we were trying to incorporate football, racing, or boxing into the performance, we’d choreograph and plan how to best execute it. Sometimes, when we tried it out, the result was quite humorous because it came off as rather cartoonish. That’s exactly what prompted us to rework some choreography segments, taking certain details we found interesting to work with, instead of relying on overused, standard clichés. Another amusing element was our permanent audience member. A cat would come to almost every single rehearsal and watch the entire process of us putting the performances together with great attention. I think it only missed one or two rehearsals; it was always there, observing very, very intently what was happening and why.
In your opinion, which elements were key to the success of this show?
I believe the show’s success was a result of a complete team effort. We put in an enormous amount of work and conducted countless rehearsals. We had incredibly talented artists, and I feel all the looks we created were a perfect, 100% match for the original references I had in my mind. Ultimately, I believe the performance we delivered was successful, first and foremost, thanks to the entire team.
Watch the full version of the performance show on Boomerang Partners’ YouTube site.