Intel’s most-ambitious drone light show to date, joining the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Over 1,200 Intel Shooting Star drones were flown and animated simultaneously, setting a Guinness World Record in the process.

Intel traveled to PyeongChang for the 2018 Winter Olympics, where subzero temperatures and stiff winds were the setting for not just the world’s top athletes, but the Intel® Shooting Star™ drone. A team of pilots, software engineers, animators, project managers, and brand marketing ensured a successful light show.

A 1,200-strong drone light show took flight to illuminate the Opening Ceremony, showcasing mesmerizing, volumetric formations such as a dove, a snowboarder grabbing air, and finally ending with the iconic Olympic Rings. The pre-recorded flight was followed by a half-dozen medal ceremony flights throughout the games, culminating with a grand finale flight during the Closing Ceremony.

Multiple tests and shoots were completed over eleven nights to complete all animations. Harsh weather conditions impacted battery life and high winds grounded flight attempts, but the Intel Drone Team persevered to deliver an innovative entertainment experience, setting a Guinness World Record™ in the process.

The result was an unforgettable kickoff to the Winter Games that garnered global press coverage: over 12 billion earned media impressions in under 12 hours, including credit from Mike Tirico and Katie Couric during the live broadcast, interviews with key Drone Team members on NBC and Good Morning America, and the front page of the New York Post. Moreover, Intel had more than double the social mentions during the Olympics against any other sponsor, shifting the world’s perception of Intel from the maker of chips to the enabler of experiences.

For 2000 years, fireworks were humanity’s only avenue to animate the sky. In 2018, Intel partnered with the IOC to reimagine the future of the Olympic Games. The Winter Olympics in South Korea was the perfect opportunity to make a statement that technology has arrived, and Shooting Star drones are the entertainment of the future. On a stage synonymous with records, Intel set a Guinness World Record flying over 1,200 drones as part of the Opening Ceremony. Entrusted to form the sacred Olympic Rings, Intel left audiences and media channels in awe, cementing its place as more than a chipmaker.

Intel’s primary target for this light show was Olympic fans, drone enthusiasts, and members of the press. Through a record-breaking light show, the team had aspired to create an Olympic headline heard around the world, well before the actual games began.

Beyond consumers and PR, the story was the perfect intersection between sport, technology, and creativity. Our secondary audience was potential brand partners for the Intel drone light show service who would come across the Olympics performance and want to potentially collaborate with Intel for future activations. These could be marketing teams, agencies, brand partners, event organizers, and other technology companies who may want to purchase a drone light show for their own events or campaigns.

As a first-time TOP sponsor of the Olympic Games, Intel wanted to stand out amongst other tech giants like Samsung, Panasonic, and G.E. But instead of making just another ad, Intel brought tech-powered experiences to the games.

Every Opening Ceremony, the host nation forms the Olympic Rings in a unique way. In Rio, they were made from a forest, in Sochi, expanding mechanical rings, and in London, fireworks. Never before had this honor been bestowed upon a global brand to execute, and never before had the Intel Shooting Star been the centerpiece of a performance of this scale.

Intel’s entire goal at the Olympics was to prove to the world that it’s an innovator in technology beyond microprocessors. Drone light shows, born of a one-off execution, inspired an experimental medium to become a never-before-seen entertainment service and the most visible proof that Intel is more than a chipmaker.