We worked with PicBooth at the JUNO Awards Official After Party in support of MusiCounts and the experience was nothing short of AMAZING. The guests were so happy. … MusiCounts would 10000000% work with them again.
Case Study · Meridian Centre, St. Catharines
Live caricatures at the River Lions home opener
A robot drew the whole arena.
May 29, 2026. Back-to-back CEBL champions, a banner raising, a ring ceremony and the Vancouver Bandits in town. Our Draw Bots spent the night turning fans into basketball-themed line art, each one finished with the River Lions mark and handed over before they got back to their seats.
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Team-branded · every portrait
The Brief
Opening night at a sold-out arena has a short list
The Niagara River Lions are downtown St. Catharines' marquee event — back-to-back CEBL champions chasing a third straight title, with the Meridian Centre packed for a "Night of Champions": the 2025 banner raising, the ring ceremony, and a co-branded flag giveaway for the first 500 fans through the doors.
- Keep fans moving in a high-energy, sold-out arena
- Hand out River Lions–branded keepsakes fans actually take home
- Create personal moments people photograph and post themselves
- Work for a six-year-old in a first jersey and a season-ticket holder alike
- Run fast and reliably alongside the team's own game-night production
- Never pull attention away from what's happening on the floor
The Activation
The Draw Bots, working the concourse
Fans stepped up, got photographed, and watched a robot arm draw them as a basketball player — jump shot, dunk, drive to the hoop — finished with official River Lions branding. Every portrait was one of a kind because every fan was.
Why it worked in an arena
- The drawing is the show — people stopped to watch strangers get drawn
- Clean line art doubles as a colouring page, so kids stay busy after the buzzer
- Branded on the sheet, so the keepsake carries the team home
- Staffed by trained photographers, not kiosk operators
The Output
What fans took home from opening night
Real portraits from the Meridian Centre — every one drawn on the spot, every one River Lions branded.
The Credential Behind It
The same bots ran Canada's biggest music night
Why Niagara Brands Call Us
A pro sports home opener is not a first gig
The Room
Meridian Centre, sold out
Arena pace, arena noise, and a production crew already running the night. The activation has to fit into that, not interrupt it.
The Credential
Official JUNO After Party booth
When the 55th JUNO Awards After Party in support of MusiCounts needed a booth, the call came to St. Catharines. That one isn't a joke.
The Crew
25+ years behind cameras
Rick Taylor runs the events these case studies come from. Every staffed booth carries a trained photographer for the whole rental.
Questions
About Draw Bot activations
What is a Draw Bot caricature activation?
A robot arm draws a guest's portrait in line art, live, while they watch. At the home opener every portrait was basketball-themed and finished with the official team mark, then handed over on the spot. The drawing happening in front of people is the activation — the print is what they keep.
How fast are the portraits?
Fast enough to keep an arena concourse line moving. Throughput depends on how many bots are running, which is one of the things we size to your headcount before the event rather than discovering during it.
Can portraits carry our team or sponsor branding?
Yes. Every River Lions portrait carried the official team mark, designed ahead of the night. Sponsor logos work the same way — which is what lets a corporate activation be sold as a sponsorship instead of booked as an expense.
Do Draw Bots work at weddings too?
They do. The same bots run cocktail hour, where guests walk back to their tables holding a hand-drawn portrait of themselves. That version has its own page: Draw Bots at weddings.
What does a Draw Bot activation cost?
Draw Bots start at $1,000. Above that the price depends on guest count, hours, how many bots and the branding work — tell us the room and the headcount and you'll have a real number.
Game night, gala, or launch?
The Draw Bots that worked the River Lions home opener are available across Niagara and the GTA.
Plan Your Activation
Arena, ballroom or trade show? Tell us the room.
Send your date, venue and expected headcount — we'll tell you what's open, what it costs, and how many stations the room needs. If one is enough, we'll say so.
- Real numbers, no games
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