An AI photo booth for charity: the AI Magic Mirror X at Aufsteirern in Graz
During Aufsteirern, the old town of Graz turns into one long traditional-dress festival for three days. In the middle of it stood a wooden chalet belonging to Steiermärkische Sparkasse – and inside it our AI Magic Mirror X. Guests bought a photo voucher, stepped in front of the mirror, chose one of four AI scenes and took their print home. The stand's entire proceeds went to the charity "Die Krone hilft".
A chalet in the middle of the old town
The Sparkasse chalet was not an exhibition booth but a real wooden hut with a pitched roof, set down on the cobblestones between the shops. Open at the front, dark floor inside, benches, parasols and people in dirndls and lederhosen all around.
For a device, a hut like that is friendlier than it looks: roofed, shaded and with a clear line of sight in from the street. What it does not offer is space. So the mirror went against the side wall – 202 centimetres tall, 75 wide and only 27 deep. That build is exactly why the Magic Mirror X travels to situations like this rather than a device with a cabin.
Four AI scenes instead of one backdrop
Four experiences were booked – four prepared AI scenes guests could pick from on the touchscreen. All four were built around Styria:
The piggy bank. Two people ride an oversized pink piggy bank charging across an alpine meadow, cows behind them, dirt flying. The most obvious banking motif of the set – and by far the most chosen.
The summer toboggan run. Guests in a cart winding through vineyards, hands in the air. Styrian landscape without anyone having to drive there.
The grape vat. Two people treading grapes barefoot, the whole thing in sepia against a historic courtyard. The scene that surprised people most, because it does not look like a filter but like an old photograph.
The clock tower. Someone hanging from the hand of the Graz clock tower, the old town below. The local motif where every Grazer knows instantly where they are.
Every scene carried the campaign claim and the Steiermärkische Sparkasse logo, plus a QR code for the digital version. Printing ran in portrait format – held in the hand, a print like that looks like a poster, not like a photo strip.
Why a mirror and not a cabin
The AI mirror photo booth works differently from a classic photo booth: guests see themselves at full height, tap directly on the mirror surface and get their transformed image 20 to 30 seconds after the shot. Inside the housing sits a Canon DSLR with two flash units, which is why the pictures held up across the hard jump between the glaring street and the dark interior of the hut.
One point is non-negotiable with AI devices: they need internet. No connection, no transformation. At a festival with tens of thousands of visitors, mobile coverage is not a given, so we bring our own network.
The photo voucher as a donation mechanic
The most interesting part of this job was not the technology but the mechanic in front of it. Guests were not simply handed a photo – they bought a voucher at the stand. Customers of Steiermärkische Sparkasse got a second photo free on top. The stand's entire proceeds were donated to "Die Krone hilft".
That small hurdle changes a surprising amount. Someone who has paid does not wander past by accident but arrives on purpose – and usually not alone. At the same time the amount is low enough that nobody deliberates, and the charitable purpose takes the commercial edge off the whole thing. For the bank the result is a brand presence that needs no explaining: you stand at the stand, take a photo, do something good.
Operationally that means the station has to be countable. One voucher per photo, redeemed at the device – so by the end of the day everyone knows how much came together.
The big screen as an amplifier
Next to the mirror, a large screen ran a slideshow of the day's pictures. That is the part people underestimate. A device on its own attracts the attention of those already looking. A screen full of other people's funny pictures attracts the ones walking past.
And it explains the offer without words: two seconds of watching the slideshow and you have understood what happens here, which scenes exist and what the result looks like. No signage needed – although there was a sign as well.
What we take away from Aufsteirern
Three things carried this job. First the scenes: they were not generic but Styrian – alpine pasture, vineyard, clock tower. A guest immediately recognises that somebody thought about it. Second the donation mechanic, which turns a freebie into a decision. And third the second screen, which extends the station's reach beyond the queue.
Technically it was an uneventful job – and at a three-day street festival that is exactly the goal.
An AI photo station for your activation
Planning an activation at a street festival, a trade fair or a branch opening, and you want scenes that fit your region or your brand? Tell us the date, the floor space and what it should be about – we develop the AI scenes in advance and show you sample images before the device travels to the event. The mirror comes in three sizes; when a compact unit fits better, the AI Photo Booth is the alternative, and for classic instant prints without AI there is the Photo Booth Classic. All AI devices sit in the AI Line. We work all over Austria.
