We've put bean bags on rooftops, pool decks, beaches and festival lawns. The strangest place they've ever been is the top of the Story Bridge.
In 2019, Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co. was opening its new restaurant at Howard Smith Wharves and wanted a launch people would talk about. Working with Story Bridge Adventure Climb, they took guests up onto the bridge and sat them in pink bean bags with the Betty's Burgers logo printed on them. We made the bean bags.
Betty's at the Wharves
Betty's Burgers opened at Howard Smith Wharves in May 2019. It was the chain's fourth Brisbane store, tucked in below the hotel at the back of the precinct, looking across the lawn towards the bridge. The Wharves had only been open about six months at that point, and every venue there was competing for attention.
The Story Bridge sits right over the top of the precinct. If you want a launch that ties a new venue to the place it's in, you can't do much better than putting your guests on top of it.
The problem with bean bags on a bridge
The Story Bridge opened in 1940. It's held together with more than a million rivets, and the climb takes you about 80 metres above the Brisbane River. Up there it's windy more often than not.
A bean bag is about the lightest seat you can make for its size. Put one on an exposed bridge with nobody in it, and a decent gust will take it over the rail. That's not a risk anyone was going to take over the top of a working road bridge and a river full of boats.
So we didn't send standard bean bags. We made custom ones with eyelets built into them, so each bag could be tied down to the bridge. When guests got up, the bags stayed put.
What we made
- Pink bean bags in Betty's colours, with the Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co. logo printed on them.
- Tie-down eyelets built into each bag so they could be secured to the bridge structure.
- Artwork matched to the brand. We mocked up the logo on the bag before anything went into production, so Betty's could see exactly what they were getting.
What it shows about branded bean bags
Most of our branded work goes out as permanent seating, like the bean bags we've supplied to Howard Smith Wharves since 2019 or the cinema seating at The Star Brisbane. This job was different. It was one climb, a handful of guests and a lot of photos, and those photos were the whole point.
That's what a branded bean bag does well at an activation. It's comfortable enough that people actually sit in it and relax, which is what makes them smile for the camera. And it puts your logo in every shot without anyone holding up a sign.
The eyelets are the other lesson. Custom work isn't only about printing a logo. If your site is windy, wet, elevated or somewhere unusual, tell us early. Tie-down points, handles, heavier fill, a different fabric: most of it can be built in, as long as we know before production starts.
Planning a launch or activation?
If you've got a launch, a sponsorship or an activation coming up, have a look at our custom and branded bean bags, the festival seating guide and why custom bean bags work as advertising. If you're in Brisbane, our Brisbane bean bags page covers next-day delivery and more of our local jobs. Then call me on 1800 888 911 with the date, the location and anything odd about the site. The odder it is, the earlier I want to hear about it.
