Events today are destinations, where learning, connection and commerce converge. And while shoppable event experiences aren’t anything new, we’ve got our eyes on how these spaces are serving as storytelling engines. Let’s take a look at the ways event marketers are curating a little retail therapy across the industry.
Most recently, FX promoted its new drama series, “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga,” with a community event in South L.A. that featured a marketplace of Black-owned businesses curated by the traveling platform Black on the Block. The ongoing campaign will feature additional collabs with restaurants and local retailers to offer limited-edition menu items and exclusive merch.
Last year, we explored how another brand dug deep into community identity as the Foot Locker-owned WSS retailer celebrated the relaunch of adidas’ Superstar shoe with a pop-up rooted in Latino culture that was a marketplace for local businesses in partnership with the nonprofit Midcity Mercardo.
In addition to the adidas Superstars that consumers could purchase and customizened businesses, vendors and artisans with booths on display to sell their products
And as trade show floors lean into lifestyle designs to make navigating them easier and to create more engaging potential touchpoints for exhibitors and sponsors, ShopTalk last year also leaned into a “high-visibility” marketplace experience to distribute curated products from sponsors.
The shop offered samples and actual show swag, much to the excitement of attendees who felt like they were checking off an important box on their business trips: “My wife will think I went shopping for her,” one attendee told our reporter.
The Trend of the Week is coproduced with the support of Pinnacle.
