Celebrate Every Goooooal

How NXT LVL EVENT is elevating Houston’s World Cup celebrations

This summer, Houston becomes the center of the soccer universe as fans from around the globe flood the city for one of the biggest sporting events on the planet — the FIFA World Cup. From packed watch parties and corporate hospitality lounges to fan festivals and private celebrations, one thing is clear: Guests are no longer satisfied with basic event entertainment. They want experiences.

That’s exactly where NXT LVL EVENT comes in.

Known for transforming ordinary gatherings into immersive, unforgettable moments, NXT LVL EVENT is rolling out an entirely new lineup of World Cup-inspired activations designed to place guests directly in the middle of the action.

The Fan Experience everyone will be talking about
Imagine walking into a watch party and suddenly finding yourself center field in a championship stadium, surrounded by roaring crowds, confetti flying through the air, and thousands of fans celebrating around you.

NXT LVL EVENT’s new AI-powered Fan Experience does exactly that.

Guests are transformed into larger-than-life soccer super fans through cinematic imagery that places them inside the excitement of a World Cup atmosphere. Whether they’re representing Team USA, Argentina, Mexico, or any nation competing this summer, the experience creates social-media-ready moments that feel like they belong on the front page of a sports magazine.

From cheering in the stands to trophy celebrations under stadium lights, every image is designed to feel energetic, emotional, and larger than life. It's perfect for:

Watch parties
Corporate events
Brand activations
Sports bars
Festivals
Hospitality suites
Sponsor experiences

Bot Ross is back — and ready for the World Cup
One of NXT LVL EVENT’s most talked-about experiences, the Bot Ross AI Draw Bot, is getting a soccer-themed upgrade just in time for the summer rush.

Guests can now receive custom World Cup-inspired caricatures and cartoon-style artwork featuring dramatic goal celebrations, bicycle kicks, trophy poses, and high-energy soccer moments. The experience blends nostalgia, technology, and entertainment into one activation that instantly draws crowds.

Bot Ross is always a favorite party guest.Photo courtesy of NXT LVL EVENT

Photo courtesy of NXT LVL EVENT

Go USA!

The best part? Guests leave with a personalized keepsake they actually want to keep.

For brands and event planners, it creates a high-engagement activation that keeps lines moving while generating nonstop social sharing throughout the event.

Trading cards turn guests into soccer legends
Another fan-favorite making waves this summer is NXT LVL EVENT’s personalized Trading Card Experience.

Inspired by iconic international soccer player cards, guests become the stars of their very own collectible-style card complete with custom stats, dramatic stadium imagery, player bios, and championship visuals.

Each card feels like a premium sports collectible — and attendees absolutely love them.

From youth soccer tournaments and fan festivals to sponsor lounges and VIP experiences, the trading cards are becoming one of the most requested activations for World Cup-themed events across Houston.

See yourself on a trading card.Photo courtesy of NXT LVL EVENT

Why brands are booking fast
The FIFA World Cup only comes around once in a generation for Houston, and companies are moving quickly to secure premium experiences that help their events stand out.

Fans are expecting immersive moments. Sponsors want memorable engagement. Event planners need activations that create energy. NXT LVL EVENT specializes in all three.

Their experiences are designed not only to entertain guests, but also to create highly shareable content, increase interaction time, and leave attendees talking long after the final whistle.

With limited summer availability remaining and major World Cup weekends already nearing capacity, dates are booking quickly across Houston and surrounding markets.

Now is the time to secure your entertainment lineup if you’re planning:

A corporate watch party
A sponsor activation
A hospitality event
A community celebration
A sports-themed gala
A private VIP experience

Because this summer, the biggest events won’t just be watched — they’ll be experienced.

To learn more about NXT LVL EVENT’s FIFA World Cup activations and availability, visit NXT LVL EVENT or follow on Instagram for behind-the-scenes previews of the experiences taking over Houston this summer.

events fifa world cup activations parties watch parties sports bar corporate events brand activations promoted

Movie Review

Star-filled pickleball comedy The Dink aces on Apple TV+

Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

Mary Steenburgen and Jake Johnson in The Dink.

While the sport of pickleball was invented way back in the 1960s, it has exploded in popularity in the 2020s. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out a way to make a movie about the craze, and a comedy like the new Apple TV film The Dink provides the best way to honor and make fun of the divisive sport at the same time.

Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), aka The Hammer, is a former tennis phenom who’s now working as an instructor at a club owned by his dad, Chuck (Ed Harris). While the two don’t always see eye-to-eye, they have a mutual hatred for pickleball, which they have begrudgingly allowed on the property by giving it the worst court.

Dusty is hoping to stop all future pickleball expansion by winning a one-on-one grudge match, but when he injures his wrist, he’s given a prescription of pickleball as a form of rehab. Older women like Candace (Mary Steenburgen) are the only people he can find to play with, and despite his disdain for the sport, he soon falls prey to its low-key charms.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Will & Harper) and written by Sean Clements, the film is probably the best advertisement pickleball will ever have. Dusty’s introduction to the sport serves as a lighthearted tutorial for the uninitiated while still getting in some nice digs at its expense. The other players — Candace, Gail (Cleo King), and Judy (Lynn Marie Stewart) — are equally welcoming and critical of Dusty, who initially has trouble adjusting to the game’s different rules.

The film’s approach to the story is silly but never stupid. Dusty is a blowhard, but he’s also able to admit when he’s wrong, especially when Candace introduces him to multiple things he had never considered before. A long-standing feud between Dusty and Andy Roddick provides more than just a goofy cameo for the real-life tennis star. The film also pushes right to the edge of being over-the-top before pulling back, allowing it to keep a semblance of reality to it.

Clements’ story follows a tried-and-true formula, making the film very predictable but enjoyably so. Where it earns its comedy credentials is in its finer details, like Dusty’s love for his 1999 Buick LeSabre with under 200,000 miles on it, his trunk full of old VHS tapes, or his interactions with his assistant PJ (Aaron Chen), who manages to be the comic relief in an already funny film.

Johnson, probably best known for starring in the sitcom New Girl in the 2010s, has the right amount of smarm and niceness to pull off the role, letting viewers laugh at and root for him at the same time. The film is full of comedy all-stars in small roles like Oswalt, Chris Parnell, and Ben Stiller, but Harris steals everyone’s thunder. The line readings by the four-time Oscar nominee give an extra punch to his character’s jokes, especially one that hints at the sordid history of the tennis club.

It’s a shame that The Dink is only playing on a streaming service as there’s a dearth of good comedies like this in movie theaters. With a solid joke-telling approach, a respect for its subject matter, and a cast who all play off each other well, this is a film that deserves to be seen by more than just those with an Apple TV subscription.

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The Dink is now streaming on Apple TV.

movies sports pickleball film

Celebrate Every Goooooal

How NXT LVL EVENT is elevating Houston’s World Cup celebrations

Movie Review

Star-filled pickleball comedy The Dink aces on Apple TV+

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