The New, Revitalized World of Events

Nothing has excited us more than our return to creating live events. Connecting people is our core value in all the work that we do, so to be able to connect people IRL again feels like we’re back in action. There’s a renewed appreciation for our social selves that extends far beyond us. With cities across the US back in full-swing, the energy of excitement and disbelief is palpable. 

A survey of the current events scene shows greater purpose to popping-up. Brands and organizations aren’t activating just to show up anymore, there’s a consideration of the where and who that guides the intention of why the event matters. As being out in public has taken on new emotional significance, branded events are more about creating that kind of unique, memorable experience, more so than promoting products. Crafting an event with a local consideration–in terms of location, culture, and community–only amplifies this significance. 

One way brands are doing this most visibly is through collaboration, but don’t let your mind go straight to collab culture and hype-chasing. These partnerships are with independent creators, organizations, and small businesses, creating a more holistic kind of multi-purpose event. Pyer Moss really demonstrated this sense of community connection with their first ever couture show, a ticketed public event (a purposeful deviance from most couture shows) that opened with a speech from former Black Panther leader, Elaine Brown and debuted a partnership with Voila, one of the largest Black-owned cannabis distributors in the U.S. This show demonstrates how collaborations can give purpose that lives beyond the physical event, as Kerby Jean-Raymond plans to make the brand a cornerstone for Black creativity, business, and revolutionary thought. 

Brands are also displaying new attitudes around IRL events in 2021 by celebrating, curating, and sponsoring creative work that takes precedence over their own product. For their reemergence in the experiential space, Recess, the CBD-infused sparkling water company, launched a series of pop-ups with physical copies of their “Re-Entering Society” zine, a partnership between numerous illustrators and designers created amidst lockdown. During Pride Month, Aesop turned three of their brick-and-mortar locations into “The Aesop Queer Library”, clearing their shelves of Aesop products and instead featuring books by queer authors, free for visitors to take. By using events as an ephemeral center of a creative network, brands better establish a world for their audience to connect with––and continue talking about afterwards. 

Popping-up post-lockdown brings a revitalized value for community and localized specificity. As we’ve been reporting throughout this pandemic, audiences are less interested in hearing what a brand has to say and more what a brand is doing now. This insight translates into the world of experiential in numerous ways. One clear way is by supporting local creative circles, allowing key figures in the community to lead the conversation backed by brand support. 

We took this approach for our latest experiential work with Sunglass Hut, celebrating their 50th anniversary with a roving rollerskating activation. We engaged local skate crews in LA and NY to bring out the summer vibes and bring local cultural movements to center stage. If you’re in New York this weekend, roll by to take in the Summer vibes. To learn more about localized activations and how to engage local creative communities, stay tuned for our upcoming deep dive on how we brought the Sunglass Hut activation to life! 

Until next time,

Douglas