Bowel Cancer Australia Big Bowel Tours & Activations | National Event Management & Community Engagement Case Study
Overview
From 2016 to 2019, SoldOut Events partnered with Bowel Cancer Australia to deliver the Big Bowel Tours & Activations program — a multi-year national awareness campaign designed to take bowel cancer education directly into communities across Australia.
At the centre of the campaign was a striking 7m x 2.4m walk-through inflatable replica of the human bowel, providing an engaging and accessible way for the public to learn about bowel cancer, screening and prevention.
Across four consecutive years, SoldOut managed the end-to-end logistics, operational planning and on-site delivery of the program, coordinating activations across metropolitan and regional communities, diverse venues and major established events.
The Challange
Delivering a national public health awareness campaign presented a unique logistical challenge. The Big Bowel needed to travel between locations across multiple states and territories while maintaining a consistent, professional and engaging experience for the public at every activation.
SoldOut was responsible for coordinating a complex touring operation involving a large inflatable centrepiece, an Airstream caravan road tour, multiple event environments and diverse stakeholder groups.
The program needed to:
- Take bowel cancer education directly into local communities
- Deliver a consistent experience across metropolitan and regional locations
- Coordinate the transportation and deployment of a 7m x 2.4m inflatable structure
- Manage complex bump-in and bump-out requirements across diverse venues
- Integrate activations into existing community and fundraising events
- Provide experienced brand ambassadors to engage with members of the public
- Maintain operational consistency across four years of national delivery
Our Approach
SoldOut Events provided end-to-end event management and activation delivery, acting as the operational partner responsible for bringing the national program to life on the ground.
This included coordinating all transport and freight requirements for the Big Bowel, managing bump-in and bump-out operations, overseeing site setup and crew logistics, and coordinating the Airstream caravan road tours.
Activations were delivered across a diverse range of environments, including Bunnings carparks, community markets, hospital forecourts, university campuses, Federation Square and Parliament House.
SoldOut also supplied brand ambassador staffing to support public engagement, helping create approachable and informative interactions around an important health topic.
The program extended beyond standalone community activations, with the Big Bowel integrated into major established fundraising events including Tour de Cure and the Cooks River Fun Run, helping broaden its reach and connect bowel cancer awareness with existing community audiences.
The Result
Over four consecutive years, SoldOut successfully delivered 27+ activations across NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS and the ACT, bringing the Big Bowel experience to metropolitan and regional communities across Australia.
The 2017 Tasmanian leg marked the first time the Big Bowel had reached Tasmania, further expanding the national footprint of the campaign.
By combining detailed operational planning, nationwide logistics, experienced activation crews and community-focused engagement, SoldOut helped Bowel Cancer Australia take an important health message directly to the public in a memorable and accessible way.
The project demonstrates SoldOut’s ability to manage complex, multi-year national event campaigns, coordinating large-scale logistics and on-ground delivery across diverse locations while maintaining a consistent experience for audiences and stakeholders.
