The GLAMBOT We Ordered Before Our Clients Knew to Ask for It
When we first saw the Official GLAMBOT at the Photo Booth Expo in Las Vegas, we did not go home to think about it. We ordered one right then and there, directly from McLain, straight off the expo floor.
It was a significant investment, especially for an experience our clients were not yet actively requesting. But the moment we watched the robotic camera move, we understood what it could bring to an event.
The motion was dynamic. The footage looked cinematic. Most importantly, the people standing in front of it did not simply look glamorous, they felt glamorous while creating it. That was what convinced us.
Our machine became Official GLAMBOT unit 0010, making Snaptique one of the first companies in Canada to order and receive one. As far as we know, we were among the very first in the country to run the real, trademarked GLAMBOT rather than a generic robotic-arm imitation.
But owning the technology was only the beginning. Learning how to choreograph its movement, light each scene, direct guests, and operate it safely was what transformed a robotic camera into a polished Snaptique experience.
The short answer
A GLAMBOT is a robotic camera arm that sweeps around guests to capture cinematic slow-motion video, the kind of shot you see on red carpets and in fashion campaigns. Ours is the Official GLAMBOT, unit 0010, which we bought directly from McLain at the Photo Booth Expo in Las Vegas, making Snaptique one of the first companies in Canada to own one. We run it as a full experience: custom camera choreography, our own lighting, a trained director who poses each guest, and branded environments including our 9 by 20 foot backdrops. It needs about 12 by 12 feet to operate, though we often work in a larger footprint, and it is a favourite for brand activations, galas, and product launches. We offer GLAMBOT rental across Toronto and beyond, with real activations for L'Oreal, RE/MAX, and Toyota.
Recognizing the opportunity early
Some additions to our collection have come from repeated client requests. The GLAMBOT was different. We saw the opportunity before the demand had fully developed.
Watching the system in person at the Vegas expo helped us understand that this was not simply another slow-motion video booth. The robotic arm could create sweeping, dramatic camera movements that would be difficult to reproduce consistently by hand. It gave guests the kind of entrance normally associated with red carpets, fashion campaigns, and entertainment productions.
We could already imagine how it would work at product launches, galas, and large corporate activations. A guest could step into a carefully designed environment, receive a little direction from our team, and leave with a short cinematic video that made them feel like the star of the event. The investment was substantial, but it made sense for the kinds of experiences we wanted to offer and the clients we were already serving.
We were confident enough that, before the unit had even arrived, we contacted an agency we worked with regularly. We told them that we had something new coming and that it would be ready for events in May 2024. That conversation led to our first Official GLAMBOT activation, for L'Oreal.
Preparing for the first event
Introducing a new experience does not mean learning how to operate it in front of the client. By this point in our story, we had launched enough custom booths and event experiences to know that preparation matters just as much as the equipment itself.
We learned the controls, tested different camera paths, and experimented with speed, timing, and recording styles. We studied how the movement looked from different angles and how guests needed to be positioned within the frame. We also developed our own lighting system to give the footage the polished, flattering look the GLAMBOT deserved.
The goal was not simply to make the machine move. The goal was to understand how every decision changed the final video. A path that looks dramatic in one room may not suit another. The backdrop, ceiling height, available floor space, lighting, and the elements a client wants visible within the frame all affect how we build the sequence.
That meant there was a considerable learning curve before the GLAMBOT ever appeared at its first event. But we have a rule for new experiences: even when something is new to us, we make sure it does not feel new by showtime.
Our first Official GLAMBOT activation
Our first activation took place for L'Oreal in May 2024 at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex in Toronto. Naturally, there was excitement behind the scenes. We had made a major investment based on what we believed the experience could become, and this was the first time we would see how guests responded in a live event environment.
They loved it. They loved watching the robotic arm sweep around them. They loved being directed through poses and movements. And they especially loved seeing the finished footage, where a gesture lasting only a few seconds became a polished, glamorous slow-motion moment.
That first event confirmed what we had seen at the expo. The appeal was not only the novelty of a robotic camera. It was the way the experience changed how people carried themselves. Once guests understood what the GLAMBOT could do, and had someone helping them decide what to do in front of it, they leaned into the moment. They posed, turned, danced, and played with the camera. They felt like stars.
That response gave us confidence that the GLAMBOT would have a real place within our collection. During the rest of 2024, it went on to appear at a number of activations for agencies and clients we already worked with. We had recognized the opportunity before clients began asking for it. Once they saw the results, they understood it too.
The Official GLAMBOT is only the beginning
The GLAMBOT has an unmistakable presence. A robotic arm moving a camera at speed naturally attracts attention. But the machine itself is not the entire experience.
The final result depends on how the camera movement, recording style, lighting, backdrop, guest direction, and event space work together. Simply placing a camera on a robotic arm does not automatically produce a glamorous video.
Our Official GLAMBOT includes pre-programmed movement paths. The operator can select paths that work together and combine them into a sequence with a deliberate visual flow. We can also control the speed and choose how the footage will be recorded and presented. Depending on the client's vision, the finished video can incorporate slow motion, music, and other custom effects.
We use a current GoPro recording at a high frame rate, allowing us to slow the footage down smoothly and preserve the details that make the movement feel cinematic. Once the video is processed, it is sent to a separate sharing device where guests can send it to themselves or share it with others. The entire process may produce a short final clip, but a great deal of thought goes into those few seconds.
Every event requires its own choreography
One of the biggest differences between the GLAMBOT and many of our other experiences is how much onsite curation it requires. We often arrive much earlier than we would for a typical photo booth installation because the camera movement must be developed for the actual room.
Before programming the final sequence, we look at the available operating space, the ceiling height and surrounding structures, the position and size of the backdrop, the lighting within the venue, the number of guests expected in each video, the parts of the activation the client wants visible, and the pace and energy the finished video should have.
We then choose camera paths that complement one another and test how they move through the environment. Sometimes the best sequence begins with a wider view and moves quickly toward the guest. Another event may benefit from a sweeping side movement, a rise in height, or a more dramatic change in perspective. This is where technical operation becomes choreography. Our camera operator is not simply selecting a preset and pressing start. They are building a visual sequence from compatible movements, setting its speed, and making sure the recording style will produce the intended result.
Direction makes guests feel like stars
The GLAMBOT can create an incredible camera movement, but guests still need to know what to do in front of it. Most people are not professional models, actors, or dancers. When they step into the experience, they may be excited but unsure whether to turn, pose, throw something, move toward the camera, or simply hold still. That is why the director is such an important part of our team.
For smaller activations, we typically operate with two people: a GLAMBOT operator who controls the robotic system and camera, and a director who welcomes guests, explains the experience, and provides posing and movement suggestions. For larger or higher-volume activations, we can add a third team member to support guest flow and the sharing station.
The director helps each person understand how their movement will translate on camera. They may suggest a hair flip, a turn, a jacket movement, a confident look toward the lens, or a simple action timed to the GLAMBOT's path. The direction needs to be clear and quick without making the guest feel over-rehearsed. When everything works together, the guest does not feel as though they are standing awkwardly in front of a machine. They feel as though the camera is moving for them.
Lighting and custom environments
Lighting makes an enormous difference to the finished result. The GLAMBOT creates fast, dynamic movement and records at a high frame rate. It needs lighting designed for the way the camera moves and for the slow-motion detail we want to preserve. We added our own lighting system so that guests remain well lit throughout the camera's path rather than looking great from one angle and falling into shadow from another.
We also frequently pair the GLAMBOT with custom backdrops and branded environments, including our own 9 by 20 foot branded backdrops. This allows the footage to feel fully integrated into a product launch, campaign, or event rather than looking like a generic video captured in front of an unrelated wall. The backdrop can establish the visual world around the guest, while the programmed movement reveals it in a deliberate way.
For one memorable Toyota activation, our team built a giant shimmer wall behind the experience. Guests danced for the camera as the GLAMBOT moved around them, creating footage filled with movement from both the people and the reflective wall. It was a perfect example of why the environment matters. The robotic camera created the shot, but the lighting, direction, guest movement, and custom shimmer wall made the video belong to that event.
Creating a safe operating space
A GLAMBOT is not a small camera sitting on a tripod. It is a fast-moving robotic arm, so the operating area and safety plan need to be considered from the beginning.
We generally require a minimum of about 12 by 12 feet of space, along with sufficient ceiling height. That allows room for the arm's movement, the guest performance area, and safe flow around the experience. In practice we often work in a larger footprint, closer to 12 by 20 feet, which gives us room to pair the GLAMBOT with our 9 by 20 foot branded backdrops and a proper performance area for guests.
The robotic arm's path is sectioned off so guests and spectators cannot accidentally step into its operating zone. The guest is positioned in the designated performance area, and our team manages entry, direction, and exit. The unit is also equipped with an emergency-stop button. At busier events, the additional team member managing the line is especially valuable. Safety should feel built into the experience, not added as an afterthought.
Why the team matters as much as the technology
From the guest's perspective, the GLAMBOT experience may last only a few minutes. They step into position, receive direction, perform for the camera, and watch the finished video arrive at the sharing station. Behind that moment is a team coordinating several different responsibilities: programming and testing the camera sequence, monitoring the robotic arm, directing the guest, managing lighting and framing, processing and delivering the finished video, keeping the line and sharing station moving, and protecting the GLAMBOT's operating area.
At a high-volume activation, all of these pieces need to happen repeatedly without making the next guest feel rushed. That is one reason the experience cannot be judged only by the equipment being used. The Official GLAMBOT provides extraordinary camera movement. The people operating it determine whether that movement becomes a smooth, flattering, and memorable guest experience.
A major investment that made sense for Snaptique
Ordering Official GLAMBOT unit 0010 in Las Vegas, before our clients were asking for it, required confidence. We believed in the experience because we had seen what it could do, not only to the appearance of the finished video, but to the person standing in front of the camera.
The L'Oreal activation proved that instinct was right. Guests immediately understood the appeal once they experienced it themselves, and the GLAMBOT quickly became part of the larger brand activations we were creating with our agency partners, including a RE/MAX national conference activation at Steam Whistle Brewing and the Toyota shimmer-wall event.
Two years later, the physical experience remains largely the same because it arrived as a strong system. What has continued to grow is our understanding of how to use it: reading a space, selecting complementary camera paths, balancing the speed of the movement, designing the light, directing different personalities, and bringing the GLAMBOT into a fully customized environment. That knowledge is difficult to see when looking at the machine on its own. You see it in the final video, and in the guest's reaction when they watch it.
FAQ
What is a GLAMBOT?
A GLAMBOT is a robotic camera arm that sweeps around guests to capture cinematic slow-motion video, the kind of shot seen on red carpets and in fashion campaigns. Ours is the Official GLAMBOT, unit 0010, one of the first in Canada.
Is Snaptique's GLAMBOT the real one?
Yes. We bought the Official, trademarked GLAMBOT directly from McLain at the Photo Booth Expo in Las Vegas. Ours is unit 0010, making Snaptique one of the first companies in Canada to own and operate a genuine GLAMBOT rather than a generic robotic-arm imitation.
How much space does a GLAMBOT need?
It needs a minimum of about 12 by 12 feet with sufficient ceiling height. We often work in a larger footprint, closer to 12 by 20 feet, so we can pair it with our 9 by 20 foot branded backdrops and a proper guest performance area.
Is the GLAMBOT good for corporate events and brand activations?
Yes, it is one of our strongest options for them. We have run Official GLAMBOT activations for clients including L'Oreal, RE/MAX, and Toyota, with custom lighting, branded backdrops, and full camera choreography.
Where can I rent a GLAMBOT?
We offer Official GLAMBOT rental for corporate events, galas, product launches, and brand activations across Toronto and beyond. Send us your date, venue, and vision and we will build the experience around it.
Explore the Official GLAMBOT
Snaptique's Official GLAMBOT is available for corporate events, brand activations, galas, product launches, and other special events in Toronto and beyond. Visit our GLAMBOT rental page to explore custom camera movements, lighting, branded backdrops, video effects, and event options, or reach out for a quick quote.
About the author
Chantalle Gallego
Co-Founder, Snaptique Photo Booths
Chantalle co-founded Snaptique in 2014 with her husband Dominic, after the two of them built their first photo booth for their own wedding. Since then, Snaptique has grown to a collection of 25 booths across 12 styles and has produced more than 1,600 events across Toronto and the GTA, from weddings to brand activations for Google, Meta, TIFF, Lamborghini, and Sephora. Chantalle leads the creative direction of Snaptique's booths and writes about photo booth experiences, event design, and helping clients choose the right booth for their event.
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Reviewed by
Dominic Gallego
Co-Founder, Snaptique Photo Booths
Dominic co-founded Snaptique in 2014 and leads its production side, designing and building the company's booths in-house. He selected and ordered Snaptique's Official GLAMBOT, and reviewed this article for technical and factual accuracy.
Our editorial standards
Every Snaptique article is written from our own firsthand experience running real events since 2014, reviewed by a Snaptique co-founder for accuracy, and kept current. We only publish details we can stand behind from booths we operate and events we have actually worked.
First published: August 1, 2026
Last reviewed: August 1, 2026
Experience note: Based on Chantalle, Dominic, and the Snaptique team's firsthand experience introducing and operating Official GLAMBOT unit 0010 at real events since May 2024.