Houston Airports employees turn IAH, HOU into a World Cup welcome
Employee volunteers bring Houston-friendly hospitality to life.
Jun 16, 2026
Most passengers walking through the Terminal A Connector Gallery at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) are not expecting to become soccer stars before their next flight.
Then they see it.
A stretch of custom green turf. National flags. A foosball table. A video game station. A prize wheel begging to be spun.
A locker room-style photo backdrop, complete with a soccer ball.
An AI photo booth that transforms passengers into lean, mean soccer players on their favorite national teams.
The Houston Airports Fan Zone at IAH is a pop-up passenger experience designed to welcome travelers during the FIFA World Cup 2026. The activation launched Friday, June 12, and runs through July 5, with five Houston Airports employees volunteering daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The job is simple on the surface: help passengers spin the prize wheel, hand out giveaways, guide guests through the AI photo booth, manage the video game kiosk and help families snap photos in front of soccer-themed backdrops.
For passengers, the Houston Airports Fan Zone is a surprise break in the middle of a travel day. It gives people a reason to slow down, look around and remember Houston is one of 16 World Cup host cities across North America.
For employees, it is a rare opportunity to step outside their usual roles and interact with passengers in ways they normally wouldn’t.
“This is the part of airport work that a lot of people never get to see,” said Andrew Czobor, director of Customer Experience Programs for Houston Airports. “Some of our employees spend their days in IT, infrastructure, badging, planning, operations or administrative roles. They are critical to the passenger experience, but they may not always be face-to-face with passengers. The Houston Airports Fan Zone gives them a chance to see the impact of their work in real time.”
The response from employees was immediate. The volunteer sign-up sheet filled in less than 24 hours.
“I could not believe how fast people raised their hands,” Czobor said. “And what makes it even more meaningful is that they are not stepping away from their responsibilities. They are balancing schedules, coordinating with supervisors and still getting their regular work done. That says a lot about the culture of Houston Airports.”
On June 13, Meher Baronian with HAS IT volunteered alongside Saly Thomas with HAS Infrastructure and Aletha Benford with the HAS IAH Badging Office. The trio handed out prizes and encouraged travelers to play, pose and let loose. Baronian quickly became an expert at getting passengers to pose for the ultimate AI-generated photos.
That sense of play was intentional.
“We wanted passengers to feel like they had stumbled into something special,” said Simone Wilson, senior marketing specialist for Houston Airports. “Airports are busy, emotional places. People are trying to make flights, manage luggage, move with kids or meet loved ones. The Houston Airports Fan Zone gives them a moment to breathe, smile and feel Houston’s energy before they continue their trip.”
The activation also reflects months of coordination across Houston Airports. Jeff Delling and the Houston Airports small construction infrastructure team worked with Houston Airports marketing and customer experience, concessions, external affairs, IT and terminal operations teams at IAH and HOU to help bring the idea to life, turning a busy connector gallery into a bright, interactive welcome.
Houston Airports also deployed a Fan Zone at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).
“The goal was never just to decorate a terminal,” Wilson said. “The goal was to create a passenger moment. We wanted something visual, interactive and easy to enjoy, whether someone had 5 minutes or 30. When you see families stopping for photos or kids pulling their parents toward the foosball table, you know it is working.”
The custom oversized wooden block letters for IAH and HOU will continue to be used long after the World Cup. Houston Airports will likely rebrand the foosball tables so free games can continue in the terminals. And the beauty of a video game kiosk is that a new game can always be popped in for the next busy travel period—Houston Airports has already experienced a few of them this year.
“Our employees have stepped up again and again this year,” Czobor said. “They stepped up during the federal government shutdown. They stepped up during the opening of IAH Terminal E. Now they are stepping up to welcome passengers during the World Cup. Every time the airport has needed them, Houston Airports employees have answered.”
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