When Icons of Porsche debuted in 2021, it set out to reconnect the classic car community through a celebration of legacy, passion, and shared experiences. By 2024, the festival had evolved into an icon of the region’s experiential landscape, with its fourth edition depicting the delicate balance between honoring tradition and embracing change.
For those of us shaping this journey, it wasn’t just about organizing a festival – it was about reimagining an institution while preserving its essence.
At its core, Icons of Porsche 2024 represented a symbolic “crossroads” – a meeting point between past glory and future ambition. This narrative informed every creative decision. By weaving the electric car models into the very fabric of the festival, rather than treating them as an afterthought, we created a cohesive story that resonated emotionally with both long-time Porsche enthusiasts and curious festival-goers.
For MCH Global, this wasn’t just a car exhibition; it was a living storybook. Each thematic zone offered a new chapter: the Performance Paddock highlighted Porsche’s motorsport legacy, while the Dreamers Playground celebrated artistry and imagination.
Our goal was also to honour Porsche’s heritage – a narrative rich with 50 years of Turbo models – while seamlessly integrating its forward-looking ambitions with electrified models like the Taycan and Macan in the Electric Avenue. The interplay between heritage and innovation turned the festival into an immersive world, a Porsche universe that bridged generations and demographics. This ensured that loyalists could revisit their favorite festival elements, while new audiences discovered something inspiring and different.
Art curation played a pivotal role in the festival’s identity. Commissioned murals and CGI animations celebrated the fusion of Porsche’s history and its electrified future, turning every corner of the festival into an photo-worthy moment. Collaborating with artists allowed us to bring diverse perspectives into the festival’s narrative, amplifying its cultural relevance and emotional resonance. Bringing together international and regional artists together ensured that the art was diverse, had a local twist to it and created emotional impact.
Reinventing Icons of Porsche required pushing design and execution boundaries. The spatial layout masterfully told a cohesive story across six thematic zones, each with a unique aesthetic and purpose. Months of planning went into creating modular structures for viewing platforms, Porsche displays, and interactive zones, prioritizing efficiency and reusability. The build combined advanced engineering and smart design, with scaffolding as a core element, and was completed in just 10 days through meticulous pre-planning and cross-team collaboration.
Another layer of complexity was in balancing entertainment with business objectives. Icons of Porsche celebrates the brand; but also drives measurable results. In 2024, the festival served as a multi-launch platform, hosting world and regional premieres that captured global attention. Beyond showcasing cars, we created moments that translated directly into commercial success, with media reach exceeding 27 million.
The biggest success of the festival lies in its deep resonance with the community. Icons of Porsche has always been more than a festival; it’s a platform for building communities. We tapped into Porsche’s vast network of regional clubs, bringing together 45 Porsche communities and over 950 cars from across the Middle East. This created a sense of belonging, a shared passion that united attendees across generations and backgrounds.
This wasn’t just an event for Porsche owners; it was a cultural moment for the Middle East. Our in-depth understanding of Porsche’s brand evolution allowed us to create an experience that felt relevant on a global scale while remaining deeply rooted in the region’s culture.
The 2024 edition exceeded expectations, drawing over 28,400 attendees and achieving record-breaking social engagement. Icons of Porsche 2024 is a testament to the power of experiential marketing. It’s a reminder of how deeply we understand this craft and how confidently we can own it. By creating experiential value for communities, curating meaningful art and storytelling, and executing with precision and creativity, we turned a festival into a cultural phenomenon. And as we look to the future, one thing is clear: the evolution never stops.
By Senka Music, Creative Director, MCH Global
