On 28 August, KLM connects hundreds of people in Amsterdam and New York via a live interactive video display, letting strangers on the streets of two cities come face to face.
It echoes the kind of “city to city” street connection seen before, such as the French railway (SNCF) linking Lyon and Brussels.
How the high five contest works
The twist is competitive: the connected pairs are asked to high five each other through the screens. For every successfully timed high five, participants win two tickets to New York or Amsterdam.
In global travel marketing, adding a clear participatory mechanic to a public installation turns a “nice moment” into a repeatable behavior people recruit others into.
Why a high five is the right interaction
A high five is universally understood and visually obvious at distance. It is also time-bound, which creates tension. People lean in. They coordinate. They try again. That retry loop is where energy builds and the crowd becomes part of the content.
What KLM is really buying here
This is a route brand idea disguised as play: KLM makes the transatlantic connection feel immediate, human, and winnable. The prize is valuable, but the real asset is the public proof that the brand can engineer connection between two cities in a way passers-by can instantly grasp.
What to steal for your own city-scale activation
- Use one gesture everyone knows. The simpler the action, the more strangers will attempt it without instruction.
- Add a timing challenge. Time-based coordination creates drama and repeat tries.
- Make the reward match the story. Here, tickets reinforce the “two cities” premise.
- Design for crowds. The best interactions are legible to bystanders, not just participants.
A few fast answers before you act
What is KLM Live High Five in one line?
A live video street installation connecting Amsterdam and New York where timed high fives between cities unlock travel tickets.
What is the key mechanism?
Two public screens link strangers in real time, then convert the connection into a simple, repeatable contest action.
Why does the high five mechanic work so well?
It is universal, physical, and instantly readable. The timing requirement creates suspense and encourages repeated attempts.
What is the transferable lesson?
If your idea is “connection”, make people physically coordinate across distance and reward the moment with a prize that matches the narrative.