Turning athletics fans into champions with Novuna experiential brand activation.

Novuna is a modern financial services brand with a big ambition: to power progress for people and businesses across the UK. Last year, that ambition stepped onto a national stage when Novuna became the official title partner and sponsor of British Athletics, including the naming rights of the Novuna GB & NI Athletics Team. For 2026 Rocket Sports, acting on Novuna’s behalf, appointed Holdens as experiential activation partner to turn that sponsorship into something more than just logos on boards.

The brief was to create a bold, engaging and memorable experiential brand activation that would cut through the noise at major British Athletics events, raise brand awareness, educate audiences about Novuna and what the brand stands for, as well as build genuine connections with fans, spectators and athletes. The super-objective was clear: turn Novuna’s British Athletics sponsorship into a springboard for brand fame and fan engagement.

Working closely with Rocket Sports and the Novuna team, we began with a deep dive into the brand, the audience and the realities of live sports environments, especially athletics. From there, we developed and refined a number of creative routes before landing on the idea that best brought Novuna’s purpose to life: “Novuna Champions”.

The core insight was simple: athletics is built on running, jumping and throwing and fans don’t just want to watch those moments, they want to experience them too. “Novuna Champions” turns the excitement of elite sport into a gamified and interactive, accessible challenge for everyone, inviting fans to test their own abilities in a way that’s fun, social and unmistakably Novuna.

At the heart of the event was the Novuna Champions Zone: a bold, playful, high-energy space combining physical activity, immersive digital technology and shareable moments. The zone was built around three core challenge stations, each aligned to the fundamental disciplines of athletics.

The first outing for Novuna Champions took place at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham – and it delivered exactly what the brief demanded: energy, engagement and genuine fan connection. Over the course of the weekend, we estimate that approximately 2,600+ fans took part in the activation, with many returning for multiple attempts at the challenges.

The response on the ground was overwhelmingly positive, with fans describing the experience as fun, competitive and memorable – exactly the kind of emotional association Novuna wanted to build with its new sponsorship.