In collaboration with Destination Toronto, Toronto Tempo unveiled a series of immersive and interactive fan experiences. It marked the team’s inaugural activation as it prepares to compete in the WNBA next year as the city’s first women’s basketball team in the league.
The Tempo Live activations included gathering spot, Tempo Fan Camp, presented by CIBC, where visitors could make their own banners, get airbrushed tattoos and sign a banner that will hang at future Tempo home court Coca-Cola Coliseum; the Tempo Talks series hosted by Sephora Canada, a series of conversations on the beauty of basketball culture; a pop-up store featuring items from brands like Peace Collective, Roots, Nike and Give & Grow; and “Tempo Drill,” an interactive basketball course where fans could show off their skills to win tickets to a future Tempo game.
The activations took place on May 24 and 25 at Stackt Market.
The media plan included promotion through targeted emails to followers and subscribers, organic social media, paid social media, partner social media and public relations, with Tough Love handling social media and Mettle handling strategy, creative and activation and Craft handling PR.
Whitney Bell, chief marketing officer of the Tempo Basketball Club, tells MiC that the activation aimed to bring the team’s community together in person for the first time, with the goal of building a genuine sense of community and belonging among fans a year ahead of the Toronto Tempo’s WNBA season debut.
“We wanted to give our supporters a chance to come together in person, connect with each other, and celebrate their shared passion for Tempo,” Bell says. “It was also a great opportunity to introduce them to our team, showcase our merch up close, and ignite that team pride. Tempo Live was all about allowing our fans to be able to touch and feel the brand for the first time, and welcoming them into our community.”
Bell says engaging fans in activities was also important for the Tempo team, given their commitment to involving Canadians in every step of their journey – from the get-go, they’ve been all about crowdsourcing ideas from fans, which is exactly how they landed on the name “Tempo” in the first place. Moreover, the fan base is gaining traction, with a diverse crowd of men and women rallying behind the women’s team, Bell adds. To keep the momentum going, it was crucial to bring them all together and amp up their enthusiasm with sweepstakes and prizes.
Key indicators of the activation success include merch sales, email database growth, social engagement and reach, event attendance and media coverage, Bell says. They are also sending a post survey to attendees to garner sentiment as well.
“Their energy and enthusiasm fuel everything we do, and as we look ahead to 2026, laying this foundation with our core fanbase is essential to our long-term success,” she says. “We have many more plans to bring our fans together across Canada, especially in the lead up to tip off in 2026.”
The team was officially announced in December 2024, and earlier this year, Sephora and CBC joined as founding partners.
Under the agreement, the beauty brand’s logo will adorn Tempo jerseys, the court and the walk-in for players when the team begins to play at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum in 2026. This was the first partnership of its kind for Sephora in the country. Meanwhile, CIBC will be Tempo’s official bank, with its logo appearing on the team’s jersey. The brand is also launching the community program “Champions of Ambition” to honour Canadians who have made significant contributions to women’s sports.
