Oxford United Truck Fest

Our collaboration with Oxford United began in 2024 when the club required a range of last minute products for their presence at Truck Festival.  Following a successful initial partnership, we’ve built a strong ongoing relationship and are proud now to serve as a key supplier for their event and promotional needs in 2025.

For this year's Truck Festival, Oxford United aimed to significantly elevate the interactive experience of their pop-up shop area. The brief was clear: create two eye-catching, engaging, life sized games that would draw crowds, entertain fans of all ages, and deepen brand interaction.

The first of the two games, a code breaking challenge involving a lockable safe, was a predetermined idea from the client. This concept would eventually become Crack the Vaulks, incorporating a clever nod to one of the club’s players. For the second game, Oxford United turned to us for creative input. Drawing on our experience with past projects, our team proposed a branded Plinko game that would be both visually striking and fun to play.

With both concepts approved, our challenge was to design, manufacture and deliver two durable, transportable, and festival ready installations that could withstand constant public interaction — all within a tight timeline.

Plinko Game – Designed and Built in Nottingham

Leveraging our team's previous experience in building successful Plinko-style games, we proposed a fully branded Oxford United version. The goal was to create something visually striking and engaging.

• Game face crafted from durable 18mm MDF board.

• Branded with Oxford United logos and finished with a protective laminate.

• Fitted with 100 standoff fixings to create chaotic, unpredictable disc drops.

• Built into a robust timber frame on wheels for portability.

• 3mm polycarbonate front panel for safety and visibility – offering impact resistance and protection during heavy use.

  
  

Each drop of the disc created a unique, thrilling experience, keeping participants engaged and encouraging multiple tries.

Crack the Vaulks – Built in Oxford

Produced by our Oxford branch, the second game was a visually impactful and highly interactive experience. Participants attempted to crack a digital code on a lockable transparent acrylic safe (355mm cubed), which contained a signed piece of apparel by Oxford United player Will Vaulks – hence the playful renaming to Crack the Vaulks.

• Custom-built aluminium cabinet with four sides and base.

• Side panels fabricated from 3mm Dibond aluminium composite.

• Graphics printed on self-adhesive vinyl using our Canon Colorado

  M-series printer.

• Panels sealed with rubber gasket sealant to withstand outdoor conditions.

• Safe secured inside using Velcro for ease of access and flexibility

To draw attention from afar, we also produced outdoor A1 Display Boards using 5mm Foamex (ideal for all weather conditions), Custom Vinyl Stickers (die-cut on our Summa S3 T160 cutter for individual distribution to game participants) and Co-branded Feather Flag (featuring both John E Wright and Oxford United logos to represent the collaboration and shared local pride).

The experience was a huge success at Truck Festival 2025. Both games drew continuous queues and enthusiastic feedback across all age groups, becoming standout features of the Oxford United pop-up; and to top it off a young Oxford United fan cracked the code and won the signed merchandise.

Our client’s words speak for themselves:

"The support from John E Wright for our Truck Festival activation was exceptional, with queues for the whole weekend to try our ‘Plinko’ and ‘Crack the Vaulks’ challenges. We couldn’t have asked for a better reaction from festival-goers of all ages to the games provided!"— Sam Heason, Senior Marketing Manager, Oxford United.

This project not only highlights our versatility in delivering large scale, interactive installations but also reflects the strength of local partnerships. We’re proud to continue our work with Oxford United and look forward to future creative collaborations that inspire and engage fans.

PRINTOxford