Powering the party with footsteps, Our champions league finale
6th June 2024
Imagine dancing your heart out at a concert and knowing that your every step is contributing to the energy of the performance. This was the reality for over 6,300 attendees at the UEFA Champions Festival’s Friday Night Show on May 31st. The vibrant atmosphere of Trafalgar Square was charged—literally—with the help of Pavegen’s kinetic technology, which converts the energy of footsteps into electrical power.
The Magic of Pavegen’s Kinetic Dance Floor
The highlight of the festival was a performance by British dance act Rudimental, and what made this event even more extraordinary was that the energy from the audience’s dancing helped power the DJ booth and microphone. Pavegen’s kinetic tiles, strategically placed under the dance floor, harnessed the crowd's kinetic energy, providing a sustainable and interactive element to the evening.
Festival goers like Daniel from London were amazed, “I really like this dance floor, it’s great, it feels so responsive - it’s cool that it’s the first time ever something like this has been done in Trafalgar Square!” Amir from Surrey added, “It’s amazing how the floor is making electricity for the show. It makes me want to dance more!”
A Visionary Collaboration
This innovative event was part of the inaugural Champions Innovate programme by UEFA. Champions Innovate is a visionary initiative that seeks to tackle modern challenges through collaboration between UEFA, commercial partners, host city authorities, and startup companies. In the lead-up to the Champions League final, startups like Pavegen were tasked with developing solutions to specific challenges set by the host city.
For the 2024 final at Wembley Stadium, the City of London identified three main challenges: green energy, sustainable food, and fan engagement. Pavegen, alongside other startups My Emissions and Pledgeball, rose to the occasion. Each startup was paired with a major sponsor—Rockstar Energy/PepsiCo, Just Eat Takeaway.com, and Mastercard—to pilot their innovative solutions.
The Green Energy Challenge
Pavegen’s involvement in the Green Energy Challenge, sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink (a PepsiCo brand), showcased their kinetic energy technology in a big way. The challenge aimed to see how fans could help generate enough electricity to power elements of the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi®, establishing a model for interactive fan engagement at future events.
At the festival, Pavegen’s tiles captured the energy from dancing fans, helping to power the DJ booth and microphone for Rudimental’s set. This integration of renewable energy technology at a major event highlighted how sports and entertainment can intersect with sustainability.
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Beyond the Festival: A Sustainable Future
The collaboration between UEFA, Pavegen, and PepsiCo is more than a one-off experiment. Bart LaCount, Vice President of International Beverages Marketing at PepsiCo, emphasized the ongoing partnership: “The collaboration between Rockstar Energy Drink and Pavegen allowed us to take energy to another level. Fans danced the night away while also contributing to power the event—thanks to the kinetic dance floor. Following the show, we will continue our partnership with Pavegen, sustainably fueling and powering a summer of music experiences.”
Pavegen’s CEO, Laurence Kemball-Cook, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the potential for wider application: “Feeling the energy and enthusiasm from the crowd and seeing Pavegen in action, helping to power such an iconic event, was truly inspiring. We’re proud to partner with UEFA and Rockstar Energy to demonstrate how innovative solutions can drive sustainability and community engagement.”
Champions Innovate: A Groundbreaking Initiative
The Champions Innovate programme, spearheaded by UEFA, is a testament to the power of collaboration in addressing global challenges. By bringing together commercial partners, startups, and city authorities, the programme fosters innovative solutions with real-world impact.
In 2024, three challenges were posed:
- Green Energy Challenge (Rockstar / PepsiCo): Focused on generating sustainable energy for events.
- Sustainable Food Challenge (Just Eat Takeaway): Aimed at providing healthy and sustainable food options at events.
- Fan Engagement Challenge (Mastercard): Sought to enhance community engagement through fintech and digital solutions.
The UEFA Champions Festival in Trafalgar Square attracted attendees from over 100 countries, demonstrating the global appeal of such innovative events. It wasn’t just a night of music and football; it was a night that highlighted the potential of renewable energy and sustainability in urban settings.
The success of Pavegen’s kinetic dance floor at the UEFA Champions Festival is just the beginning. As cities and organizations worldwide look for sustainable solutions, Pavegen’s technology offers a glimpse into a future where every step we take can make a difference.
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About Pavegen
Pavegen is a purpose-driven technology business that helps power change and generates positive outcomes for people and planet. Laying underfoot inside buildings, public spaces and at events, Pavegen Kinetic Paving harnesses the power of people’s footsteps, creating not only a small amount of energy – but also imaginative, interactive experiences and data, to help educate, engage and enable meaningful actions around sustainability and Net Zero intent. Pavegen calls this Citizen Impact; powered by Pavegen.
Pavegen helps power Kinetic Street Furniture applications such as USB charging, LED lights, and Green Wall irrigation systems, whilst data from the system can be used for public educational purposes on digital display screens. Kinetic Brand Experiences at live events, expos, festivals and public spaces produce data to provide gamified experiences that help brands engage meaningfully with consumers.
The company was founded in 2009 by Laurence Kemball-Cook who invented the Kinetic Paving technology that can now be seen in over 37 countries around the world.