Event Photographer Case Study: The Hippo Classic Golf Outing at Catawba Island Club

Capturing Moments That Matter – While Elevating Brand Visibility and Guest Engagement

Client: The Toledo Zoo
Event: The Hippo Classic Golf Outing
Location: Catawba Island Club, Port Clinton, Ohio
Photography Sponsor: BMW of Toledo, A Yark Automotive Dealership
Lunch & Dinner Sponsor: COFC Logistics
Photographer: Kurt Nielsen Photography, Inc., Sylvania, Ohio

Overview

As a professional event photographer serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, I had the opportunity to work with The Toledo Zoo during their annual charity golf outing — The Hippo Classic — held at the picturesque Catawba Island Club, an exclusive destination with stunning views of Lake Erie. This premium event, designed to support the Zoo’s mission to Enjoy. Inspire. Educate. Act., offered an ideal blend of business development and philanthropy.

My role: deliver a seamless, branded, and engaging photographic experience for guests and sponsors — before, during, and after the event.

golf foursome from Comfort Line posing for a photo at The Hippo Classic benefiting the Toledo Zoo

Photography Goals

  1. Team Photos branded with event and sponsor logos
  2. Instant photo delivery for social sharing and print takeaway
  3. Event documentation of the scramble, lunch, dinner, and awards
  4. Sponsor visibility with BMW of Toledo vehicle integration
  5. Action shots of golf play and candid moments throughout the day
Scott Moewe of BMW of Toledo teeing off at the 17th tee at the Catawba Island Golf course

Our Solution: The Paparazzi Event Photography Experience

To enhance the guest and sponsor experience, I deployed my unique Paparazzi Event Photography Experience, a hybrid of professional event photography and instant photo booth delivery.

Key Features:

  • Facial recognition tagging
  • Instant galleries sent to guests via text or email
  • Fully branded photos for maximum sponsor exposure
  • Fully edited and optimized photos for best social sharing
  • Live uploads to a custom microsite for real-time access
  • On-site printing for immediate photo takeaway in keepsake folders

The Paparazzi Experience ensures no one leaves wondering if they’ll ever see their event photos — they receive them instantly and share them effortlessly.

Team from Comfort Line enjoying the specialty watermelon cocktail created for the Toledo Zoo Hippo Classic

Event Highlights

🏌️‍♂️ The Golf Scramble

  • 25 business-sponsored teams with 4 players each
  • Played “Par is Your Friend” format for faster play
  • Action and team photos captured on Tee 17 near the Pro Shop
  • Additional candid moments at the Tee 18 putting green

📷 Branded Team Photos

  • BMW of Toledo featured two luxury BMWs as a branded backdrop
  • Golfers were positioned between the vehicles for each team shot
  • Photos were printed onsite and ready by dinner under the beachside Pavilion

🍽️ Event Coverage

  • Lunch at the Side Door Bar pre-tournament
  • Full coverage of dinner and awards ceremony under the Pavilion tent
  • Documented interactions, sponsor recognition, and VIP moments
photo of some of the dinner options that were prepared for the golfers by the Catawba Island Club catering team

Measurable Results

  • 📸 564 total photos captured
  • 🧑 33 guests tagged using facial recognition
  • 📁 Average of 4.1 photos per tagged guest
  • 📤 Instant access to photos via text/email and microsite
  • 🖼️ 100+ printed 4×6 branded keepsakes distributed
Toledo Zoo and Aquarium CEO Jeff Sailer posing for a photo while standing at the podium

Why This Matters for Event Planners & Sponsors

Solving Key Pain Points:

  1. No More “Where Are The Photos?” – Guests received theirs within seconds.
  2. Built-In Brand Promotion – Branded, shareable content enhanced sponsor reach.
  3. Increased Engagement – Social sharing amplified visibility for The Toledo Zoo, BMW of Toledo, and COFC Logistics, along with all of the other event sponsors.
  4. Optional Data Capture – My software also supports GDPR compliant email/phone number collection for future outreach (available for future events).
Guests waiting for lunch to start while on the patio near the Side Door Bar at the Catawba Island Club

About the Venue: Catawba Island Club

Nestled in the Catawba Cliffs, CIC is a scenic Arthur Hills-designed course offering luxury and tradition. Its pristine greens and lakeside views provided a beautiful and relaxed atmosphere — ideal for both business networking and high-end event photography.

Two brand new BMWs provided the team photo backdrop at The Hippo Classic held at The Catawba Island Club

Final Thoughts

The Hippo Classic showcased how intentional photography can do more than document an event — it can enhance guest experience, support brand storytelling, and create lasting impressions.

As an event photographer serving Toledo, Ohio, Catawba Island, and beyond, I’m proud to bring innovation, emotion, and efficiency to every project — especially those that support great causes like The Toledo Zoo.

event planners from The Toledo Zoo posing for a photo at the check-in table on the patio near the pro shop at the Catawba Island Club golf course

Thank you Toledo Zoo, for allowing me to capture these memories

A special shout-out to Grace, Nicole, and the entire events team at The Toledo Zoo for creating an amazing and fun event. The behind-the-scenes work is endless but truly appreciated by all who participate! Thank you for entrusting me to capture the day.

Nicole Overhulse and Grace Burkett from the Toledo Zoo posing for a photo before the Hippo Classic

📞 Interested in elevating your next golf outing or corporate event?

Let’s talk about how Kurt Nielsen Photography and the Paparazzi Event Photography Experience can transform your fundraiser, brand activation, or charity event.

🌐 www.kurtnphoto.com
📍 Based in Sylvania, Ohio – Serving Northwest Ohio, Southeast Michigan, and Nationwide
📧 kurt@kurtnphoto.com | 📞 419-885-7153

📷 disclaimer …

All photos used in the case study post are from the actual branded photo gallery that was sent to the players and guests at the event. These photos are optimized for instant social media sharing and look best on a cell phone. The full-resolution photos are sent to the event host after being fully edited. 📷

Owens Corning Employee Service Awards

on the spot printed photos in photo folders for corporate events in Toledo
Owens Corning employees and their spouses pose for a photo at their annual service awards dinner

Thursday night, we had the privilege of capturing moments and making memories for the Owens Corning employees at their headquarters here in Toledo. This annual event honors the employees who make Owens Corning a Fortune 500 company and an important part of Toledo.

older couple posing with the Pink Panther life-sized bobble head at the 2024 Owens Corning Service Awards at their headquarters in downtown Toledo.

We started the evening with their Official Service Awards Portrait with the Pink Panther, Owens Corning’s mascot using our Portrait Printing Booth. This is more like a mobile portrait studio than a photo booth. We have a photographer take the photos for a more professional feel. For this event, the events team at Owens Corning set up a background using their Pink Panther mascot. This life-sized bobblehead adorns their halls and reminds them of the company’s history.

employee appreciation photo booth photo
photo of a couple posing with a giant pink panther bobblehead at an owens corning headquarters employee appreciation party

The attendees loved receiving a 5×7 print to take home as a momento of their career milestone.

on the spot printed photos in photo folders for corporate events in Toledo

While my team was positioned in the entrance area for the employees official photos with the Pink Panther, I was busy roaming with my Paparazzi Event Photography.

guests sitting down to dinner and making a toast at the employee appreciation dinner

From table shots to candids, I was there documenting the evening. The best part of this style of event photography is that the guests don’t have to wait to get their photos from the company. My Paparazzi Event Photography works with AI Facial Recognition and sends all of their images in their own personal gallery right to their phones. The guests can either input their phone number, email address, or WhatsApp number in the sharing station and only have to do that one time. The software then recognizes their face and sends any photo that they are in to them, even if they are just in the background! It’s crazy and cool at the same time.

guests at a table at an event at Owens Corning
candid event photo taken at the Owens Corning Employee Service Awards dinner
Rosie the Robot AI photo booth is taking a photo of a group of guests at the Owens Corning Service Awards dinner at their headquarters in downtown Toledo

Of course, no event is complete without a fun photo booth! And our Rosie the Robot AI Photo Booth kept the guests entertained during the dinner and social hour. Not only did Rosie take “normal” photos of the groups of guests, but she also did lots of fun AI face swap photos turning the guests into Superheros, Pirates, Grafitti Art, Business Portraits, and the evening’s most popular choice, Rock Stars.

Needless to say, Rosie was a HUGE hit with the guest of the event and definitely was a head turning and drew a crowd all night long. Once the guests realized how fun the photos she create were, Rosie had a line the whole night. Some guests even wanted their photo taken with Rosie.

photo of a crowd surrounding our very popular and unique Rosie the Roaming Robot photo booth

Needless to say, we had a blast capturing and creating the memories for the guests at this year’s Owens Corning Service Awards dinner, and I’m pretty sure they did too. As a corporate event specialist, it makes me feel like a Rock Star!

For more information on how I can capture the memories at your next event, call me at (419) 885-7153. Visit my website for more information.

Kurt Nielsen Rock Star image created using facial swap technology in our Rosie the Robot AI roaming photo booth