2027 Event Photobooths: From Strip Booths to Shared, Measured, and Remembered Content
Before long, a new year will begin and event calendars are filling up: product launches, presentations, fan zones, corporate celebrations, trade shows, premieres.
In all of them, the same question is repeated: how do we ensure attendees experience something memorable, and that this moment expands beyond the event to reach a wider audience?
That is where the photobooth has evolved from a fun add-on into a powerful communication tool.
In this article, we review where it comes from, what works today, what we expect for 2027, and how to choose the right format for your event
Why a Photobooth Matters More Than Ever
A well-thought-out photobooth serves multiple purposes at once. It does not just entertain.
It generates event-owned content: Every video or photo an attendee shares is a small piece of communication featuring their face and tone, reaching their personal network in a far more credible way than a traditional ad.
It keeps people engaged at the event: An experience with a queue, anticipation, and immediate results sparks conversation and increases dwell time at the booth or brand activation area.
It measures what used to be intangible: A good photobooth delivers data: sessions, shares, views, and peak activity moments. At Glam Cam, every project includes its own client portal featuring downloads, analytics, and usage metrics, ensuring the event leaves behind an actionable report, not just a memory.
It collects data with consent: Customizable surveys, lead capture, and interactive dynamics like “Scratch & Win” or the Spin & Win wheel turn a fun moment into a legitimate way to understand your audience, fully compliant with data protection regulations.
It naturally reinforces the brand: Custom backdrops, frames, animated intros and outros, overlays, and social media templates keep the event’s identity consistent across every piece of shared content.
A Bit of History: From Strip Photo Booths to Social Media Content
To understand current trends, it helps to look back. Each stage reflects a different way of relating to image and photography.
The Classic Booth (20th Century)
Around 1925, Anatol Josepho introduced the Photomaton in New York: a closed booth that delivered a strip of photos for a few coins. It was a private space, complete with a curtain and a stool, where people could pose away from onlookers. That is where the photo booth concept—and much of its iconography—originated: the black-and-white strip, faces squeezed together, the physical keepsakes.
The Digital Print Booth (2000s)
With digital photography, booths began printing instantly with customized frames, making a strong entry into weddings and parties. The core value was the physical paper keepsake that each guest took home.
The Open-Air Photobooth and GIFs (2010s)
The photobooth breaks open. Backdrops with props, accessories, and professional cameras behind a screen take center stage. The rise of social media changes the goal: it is no longer just about the printed strip, but about animated GIFs and photos ready to share. This gave birth to the format we know today as Photo/GIF, which at Glam Cam continues to serve as the reliable classic for any event.
Video, Slow Motion, and Robotics (Late 2010s)
Video takes over. The scene sees the rise of 360° platforms with rotating arms and robotic arms recording in slow motion, boasting an aesthetic close to cinema and the red carpet. These formats have defined the past decade and remain the most recognizable today: Slow Motion 360° (with variations like 360 Photo Booth, Track 360, and Overhead 360) and the GlamBot.
Current Trends: What Is Already Working
Vertical Video and Slow Motion, Ready to Post
A well-lit slow-motion video looks premium on any mobile device. Results are generated quickly, complete with music and branding, and sent via QR code, AirDrop, or email. That ‘from the event to the feed in seconds’ experience is what drives its success.
Glam Cam Highlights:
Schweppes Pop-Up at Palacio Santa Bárbara, featuring a Slow Motion 360° installation.
Platino Awards in Madrid, featuring Slow Motion 360°.
TikTok Awards Mexico, featuring Slow Motion 360° in Mexico City.
MediaMarkt’s 25th Anniversary, featuring a GlamBot setup.
UWCL Access Day, a 360° session with FC Barcelona players for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Multi-Camera: Bullet Time and the Matrix Effect
A camera array freezes the moment in time and allows the viewer to orbit around the subject. It is a show-stopping format designed for red carpets, product launches, and commercial shoots.
Glam Cam Highlights:
Ídolo Awards (by Dulceida): Bullet Time 180° on the red carpet.
Adidas Commercial with Bizarrap: Bullet Time 180° system used for shooting the ad.
Amazon Black Friday Experience: Light Painting Bullet Time 180° at the campaign kick-off event.
Light Painting: Light as a Creative Medium
Light trails captured by the camera in both photos and videos, with variations such as Photo Light Painting Bullet Time or Stop Motion Light Painting. It is one of the most photogenic experiences because attendees directly participate in creating the image.
Glam Cam Highlights:
Bodegas Osborne: Light Painting Bullet Time 180° at the Bodegas Osborne corporate event.
Amazon Black Friday Experience: Light Painting Bullet Time 180° at the campaign kick-off event.
Artificial Intelligence: Face Swap and Cartoon Filters
AI enables attendees to transform themselves into something else in seconds: placing their face onto a reference image using AI Face Swap, or being converted into a cartoon style via a SnapCam. It works because the element of surprise is immediate, and the output practically shares itself.
Glam Cam Highlights:
Zapata Event: SnapCam setup for the Zapata corporate event.
FCC Innovation Days: SnapCam setup at FCC’s annual Innovation Days.
Augmented Reality and Inverted Chroma Key
Interactive touchscreen kiosks where attendees can take a photo with pre-loaded digital characters (Augmented Reality), or reveal a hidden character using an inverted chroma key effect (MagicScan). These formats are ideal for premieres and entertainment brand activations.
Glam Cam Highlights:
Tron: Ares at Comic-Con 2025, featuring 4 Augmented Reality screens that transformed attendees into characters from the film.
Disney’s Secret Invasion Premiere, featuring the MagicScan system.
Sports Activations and Fan Zones
Sports are the perfect domain: passion, community, and an eager drive to share.
Glam Cam Highlights:
NFL Miami Dolphins Fan Zone Madrid 2025, at Plaza de España in Madrid.
NFL Experience Madrid, featuring GlamBot at Plaza de Oriente.
Trade Fairs and Exhibition Booths
A photobooth at an exhibition booth drives foot traffic, increases dwell time, and generates branded content for the exhibitor.
Glam Cam Highlight:
Colombia’s booth at Fitur 2026, where Glam Cam installed a photobooth capturing photos and GIFs with the booth as the backdrop
Corporate Events with a Team Focus
It is not all about the show: internal celebrations work best when built around a shared experience.
Glam Cam Highlights:
BBVA Values Day 2025 and Iberia Family Days, featuring 360° experiences.
What’s Coming in 2027 and Beyond
These are the trends we are keeping a close eye on. Not all of them will suit every event, but they are certainly worth having on your radar.
Real-Time Generative AI The next step beyond Face Swap is on-the-spot avatars, artistic styles, and custom backgrounds generated in real time and tailored to the theme of the event. The challenge will not be the technology itself, but maintaining quality and brand consistency.
3D and Volumetric Capture Multiple cameras and AI processing open the door to portraits that can be rotated and explored in 3D, paving the way for formats designed for mobile devices and mixed-reality headsets. What is today known as Bullet Time can evolve into shareable 3D experiences.
Increased Automation and Motion Robotic arms, platforms, and multi-camera systems with automated path trajectories that self-adjust to each individual, delivering faster setup times and greater accuracy.
Smarter Lighting and Capture Lighting synchronized with camera hardware (pulsed light, light trails, chronophotography) produces highly graphic outcomes, such as multi-pose exposures stacked into a single frame or motion trails.
First-Party Data and Privacy As brands rely more heavily on first-party data, capturing information with explicit consent will become a key competitive differentiator. The European regulatory framework demands transparency, specific purposes, and secure systems.
AI Video AI-generated video content with optimized processing times, keeping render speeds down to 20–30 seconds for instant delivery.
From Event to Community Digital trading cards, custom landing pages, and sweepstakes that extend the lifespan of an event long after the day ends. At Glam Cam, we are already driving this movement through Trading Cards, live surveys, and contest mechanics.
How to Choose the Right Photobooth for Your Event
| If your event is a… | Consider… | Why |
| Awards ceremony, red carpet, gala | Slow Motion 360°, Bullet Time, GlamBot | Cinematic look and high visual impact |
| Launch or premiere for an entertainment brand | Augmented Reality, MagicScan, AI Face Swap | Attendees become part of the story |
| Fan zone or sports event | GlamBot, 360°, Light Painting | High-energy, highly shareable content |
| Trade fair or exhibition booth | Photo/GIF, Slow Motion Video, Light Painting | Drives foot traffic, fast, and easily customizable |
| Internal corporate event | 360°, Photo/GIF, WalkBooth | Engaging, inclusive, and fun for all audiences |
| Party with a vibrant music atmosphere | Light Painting, Paparazzi, WalkBooth | Dynamic, high-motion, and atmospheric |
- What is the primary goal? Reach, data collection, brand awareness, lasting memories, or creating the right atmosphere.
- How many attendees will there be, and how much space is available? Certain formats require a larger footprint and more extensive technical setup.
- How long will the event last? We offer half-day packages (up to 4 hours) and full-day packages (up to 8 hours), with extra hours available if needed. Due to assembly complexity, some formats are only available for full-day bookings.
- How should the brand be displayed? Vinyl wraps, backdrops, animated logos, video intros and outros, custom social media templates, and branded emails with customized senders and subject lines.
- What do you want to measure? Shares, total sessions, views, survey responses, or contest entries.
How We Work at Glam Cam
- Specialized operator and host/hostess at the delivery station, so everything runs smoothly without you having to worry about a thing.
- Presence in Spain and Mexico, with service available across Europe and the United States.
- Exclusive client portal featuring videos, statistics, and analytics for every project.
- Full customization, both physical and digital.
- Simple booking process: standard procedure is a 50% deposit upon quote confirmation and the remaining 50% paid within 30 days post-event, unless otherwise agreed.
The Event That Is Remembered Is the Event That Gets Shared
The photo booth has evolved from a simple print-strip cabin into a full-fledged content generation, data capture, and branding asset. Looking ahead to 2027, the real differentiator will not be simply having a photo booth, but choosing the right experience, ensuring flawless visual quality, and creating something every guest actually wants to share.
Planning an event for this year? Tell us about your project, and we will recommend the experience that best aligns with your goals and budget.
How many hours does the service last? Half-day (up to 4 hours) or full-day (up to 8 hours), with the option to add additional hours.
Can it be customized with our branding? Yes, including physical branding, digital overlays, and custom email delivery.
Do you provide service throughout Spain? Yes, as well as in Mexico, across Europe, and in the United States.
Is an operator included? Yes, a dedicated specialist operator and a hostess at the delivery station are included.
