Holland, MI

On a cold February evening, Northern Lights Drone Shows transformed the sky beside Tommy Car Wash’s manufacturing plant into a playful, high-impact brand story.

For Tommy Car Wash’s private corporate event in Holland on February 4, 2025, our team launched 310 drones to create a one-of-a-kind aerial finale: a “car wash in the sky.” Designed to close the company’s business meeting on an energetic note, the 14-minute performance translated a niche manufacturing process into a vivid, memorable visual experience for employees and franchise owners gathered near the venue.

Mission

The goal of this show was refreshingly clear: create something fun, different, and unmistakably on-brand.

Tommy Car Wash wanted a sophisticated visual spectacle to wrap up its corporate event—something more distinctive than a traditional stage close or video presentation. Rather than aiming for a sentimental or dramatic emotional arc, the objective was to entertain the audience while showcasing exactly what makes the business unique.

That clarity helped shape the creative brief from the start. The client provided highly specific direction, including exact images and the order they wanted the story to follow, allowing our design team to convert operational detail into a polished aerial narrative.

Design

The concept centered on a simple but compelling idea: tell the story of a car moving through a Tommy Car Wash system, step by step, in the night sky.

The first image introduced the theme immediately with **“Tommy Club 2025,”** setting the tone for the evening and giving the audience an instant event-specific visual anchor. From there, the drone show unfolded like a storyboarded process animation, tracing the journey of a vehicle through the wash.

The sequence included:

- Applying soap to the car

- A rainbow water wash using brushes

- A hot wash or steam wash

- A second pass through the brushes

- A final rinse before drying

- Vacuuming goldfish from the floor of a car

That final humorous touch brought an extra layer of personality to the show and reinforced the lighthearted spirit the client wanted. The performance concluded with the company slogan, **“we own it,”** giving the finale a crisp branded finish.

Execution

This was a 310-drone private corporate show performed without music or narration, relying entirely on visual storytelling to carry the audience through the sequence.

That silent format placed even greater importance on clean design, pacing, and recognizable imagery. Each transition had to read quickly and clearly, especially for a crowd made up largely of internal corporate attendees and franchise owners who understood the business and could appreciate the accuracy of the process being depicted.

Because the event took place right next to Tommy Car Wash’s actual manufacturing plant, the setting added authenticity to every frame. Audience members were not just watching a generic branded light show—they were seeing their own industry, their own process, and their own company identity translated into animated light above the place where that work happens.

Challenges

Like many successful drone shows, this one required careful planning behind the scenes to make the creative vision possible.

The biggest operational challenge was the constrained flight area. The drones flew over a grass field in front of the venue on land owned by the Marriott Hotel, and the flight path had to be meticulously designed to avoid both a nearby parking lot and the adjacent hotel airspace. That meant securing permission from the hotel and coordinating a flight plan that protected safety while preserving the integrity of the visuals.

Cold February weather in Michigan added another layer of complexity. Winter conditions can influence setup, battery management, and timing, so the team approached the event with the precision and preparation needed for a reliable launch window.

Adaptations

One of the most encouraging aspects of this project was how effectively the team collaborated to solve those constraints.

The lead designer on the project was relatively new at the time, but navigated the challenge successfully by consulting with a colleague and directly contacting the Marriott team to work through the flight-path logistics. That willingness to ask the right questions, gather input, and coordinate with stakeholders ensured the show remained safe, compliant, and visually strong.

It also highlighted an important truth about custom drone entertainment: great shows are built not just on creativity, but on communication. When clients share detailed storyboards and clear priorities—as Tommy Car Wash did—it becomes much easier to deliver a polished, highly customized result.

Impact

The audience response made it clear the show hit its mark.

The crowd cheered when **“Tommy Club 2025”** appeared as the opening image, and they cheered again at the conclusion of the performance. For a show intended simply to be fun and interesting, that immediate live reaction was a strong indicator of success.

While the event does not appear to have been shared online or featured on the company’s blog, that does not diminish its value. This was first and foremost an internal corporate experience, designed for the people in attendance. For employees, franchise owners, and even passersby driving near the venue, the show delivered a memorable close to the evening and transformed a specialized manufacturing story into something accessible, entertaining, and visually impressive.

Why This Show Stood Out

This project is a great example of how drone shows can elevate even highly specific industries.

Rather than relying on generic logos and abstract effects, Tommy Car Wash embraced a more ambitious creative route. The result was a drone show that offered:

- A highly customized visual narrative

- A playful but polished representation of a niche manufacturing process

- A memorable finale for a corporate meeting

- A strong connection between brand identity and event experience

- A fresh way to celebrate employees and franchise owners

For brands that want to stand out, this kind of specificity is powerful. It shows audiences not just who a company is, but how it works—and it does so in a format that feels modern, immersive, and exciting.

Regional & Brand Connection

There was also something especially fitting about staging this event in Holland, right beside Tommy Car Wash’s own plant.

That physical proximity tied the spectacle directly to the company’s real-world operations. The sky above the manufacturing site became a canvas for the very process the company helps create, making the experience feel grounded, local, and unmistakably authentic to the brand.

For Northern Lights Drone Shows, these regional connections matter. Whether we are illuminating a lakeshore city, a corporate campus, or an industrial site, the most memorable shows are the ones that belong to the place and the people watching them.

Looking Ahead

This show also reflects a broader trend we continue to see in the corporate event space: companies in specialized industries are increasingly using drone shows to tell stories that would have been difficult to communicate any other way.

From employee-focused events like this one to other custom corporate productions—including upcoming work featuring HVAC equipment, training, and delivery processes—businesses are discovering that drone shows can turn operational detail into spectacle. When done well, even the most niche subject can become engaging, elegant, and unforgettable.

Bring a Custom Drone Show to Your Community

If you are planning a corporate meeting, franchise conference, employee celebration, or private event, Northern Lights Drone Shows can help you turn your story into a breathtaking sky-based experience.

Whether you already have a storyboard in mind or are just beginning to explore ideas, our team can guide you from concept through flight planning and live execution.