Watch parties full of merch, activities and snacks are commonplace for big games or season finales – but for a giant truck inching its way down an Ohio freeway? Not so much.

But that’s exactly what semiconductor giant Intel did when construction of its New Albany, OH-based campus ramped up in 2024.

The new facility is expected to take up nearly 1,000 acres and include two chip manufacturing plants. The company’s chosen site in New Albany is just outside of Columbus – but, more importantly, almost 150 miles from the nearest river port on the Ohio River, where the massive pieces of equipment necessary for semiconductor production arrive in the state.

And by massive, we’re not just talking 18-wheelers. The largest individual Intel super loads weighed upward of 900,000 pounds each and measured 280 feet long, requiring 172 wheels, three semi tractors and dozens of people to keep them crawling at a few miles an hour up the route to the Intel site.

Because of that size, the process of transporting more than three dozen of these loads over the course of a year proved to be more than a bit disruptive for the towns along the route. It took more than a week for each “super load” to travel the distance from Adams County to the Intel site. Roads had to be blocked off while the convoy passed through, and utility companies had to help shift traffic lights and power lines out of the way so it could pass through streets and intersections.

“We know these big trucks could be an inconvenience,” says Emily Smith, the site development and community affairs director for the Intel Ohio campus. “And we wanted to give thanks to the communities along the route for their part in our historic project.”

Emily Smith (center), Intel’s site development and community affairs director, was among the Intel staff helping host watch parties and giveaways along the “super load” route.

Without town cooperation, Smith says, the equipment wouldn’t have been able to get to the New Albany site – and that’s why they hosted the watch parties.

Intel set up tents in each town along the route to talk to the community about the semiconductor industry and Intel’s project. They had hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities available for kids and families, music, snacks – and, of course, promotional giveaways. Staff were decked out in Intel-branded T-shirts, fanny packs and hats at the events, handing out noisemakers and toys to attendees.

The last of 37 “super loads” finished its trip to New Albany earlier this month, and the Intel campus is projected to wrap construction in 2026. The project will take up to $100 billion to complete, with the initial $20 billion poured into construction marking the largest single private company investment in Ohio’s history, according to the state’s governor. It’s anticipated to add thousands of jobs to the region.

Though there are no more trucks to watch along the “super load” route, Intel is hoping that its giveaways from the events continue to serve an important promotional purpose: brand connection.

“The giveaways were an important part of the watch parties because we wanted families in Ohio to take them home,” Smith says. “And when they see the logo, they’d be reminded of how important they are to the success of bringing manufacturing back to Ohio and back to the United States.”