Welcome to The Green Room, Baked by Subway®

Hot on the heels of developing the Subway® Fresh Forward global restaurant concept, FRCH NELSON was approached to conceptualize a traveling pop-up activation to hit the road for a series of Summer music festivals across the country. Building off the momentum of Subway’s new restaurant image and visual identity, we looked for opportunities to amplify and distill the brand’s expression for the music festival masses. We worked closely with the brand team on programming the pop-up experience and collaborated with IMG Live to maintain the design intent all the way through execution.

So how did we create an experience that is authentic to the brand and delivers something that’s memorable and of value to the festival audience?

Turn it Up

We envisioned a Subway branded oasis to pulsate with the energy of a music festival. Leveraging our green architectural fin from the new restaurant concept, we established a festival sized beacon to hold the visual identity and help attract festival goers to (and ultimately into) the activation. Once inside, the green fin becomes the basis for our live stage feed, illuminated focal, and DJ booth only to turn the corner and house a run of cold cases that display a bounty of freshly made sandwiches.

Feed the Need

Everyone loves free stuff… Especially with the added perk of some much needed air conditioning! Scheduled in between set-times, sandwich and swag giveaways satisfy festival goers with something that means something. Providing a nod to the personalization found in Subway restaurants, we planned for a saucing and topping station to give each guest a place to customize their sandwich. Specialty beverages are poured to provide festival goers with a reliable place to refresh and stay hydrated throughout the weekend. Just as everyone is fed, festival goers are surprised by the unmistakable scent of freshly baked cookies that build anticipation for a surprise cookie giveaway and unexpected sweet treat to beat the heat.

Stay Lit

At the heart of the lounge experience, we treated the floor plan as a flexible canvas to move and evolve with the schedule of each day. A fabric ceiling panel is suspended from above to provide an overhead grounding device and dynamic backdrop for illuminated projections that activate each evening. Below the ceiling, illuminated modular lounge seating comes to life at night to further signal that the party is always popping in The Green Room. The lounge seating is configured to move easily and make room for a pop-up stage that showcases acoustic acts via impromptu live performances throughout each weekend.

Hang Fresh

We embedded a “V.I.P.” seating perch at the front of the experience to provide guests a place within the Green Room to chill without missing a beat. This embedded vantage provides a vista to the outside happenings while providing a visual sense of destination to passersby to assure that everyone can see-and-be-seen. We outfitted our front yard with a flexible array of outdoor games and activities and specified large, group hammocks to give weary festival goers a necessary respite.

Share the Love

Amidst playful branded artwork panels, we identified an opportunity for guest engagement in the form of a step and repeat animated photo booth. The photo-op provides guests with an interactive opportunity to capture themselves in a dynamic fashion and share via social media for a kinetic, in-the-moment extension within The Green Room. Check the Instagram feed #SubYAY to see some of the results and see more of the activation in action.

After stops this Summer at Hangout Fest, Governors Ball, and Bonnaroo, we were finally able to catch up with the activation at Firefly Festival in Dover, DE. What a trip! It was beyond exhilarating to finally witness and participate in a party that we had a role in planning. Guests were overjoyed and literally lined up to get in and get a taste. Keep your eyes peeled for more polished photos to show up on our website or feel free to reach out if you’d like to talk about how your brand might show up at a music festival next season.

With the rapid growth of e-commerce and a global pandemic causing retail developments to limit capacity or temporarily close, transforming underutilized space into creative pickup and return concepts is a clever and valuable way to meet consumer demands now and in the future. When activating a development for click-and-collect opportunities, there are four principles to creating successful consumer engagement:

Identify underutilized space

Whether it’s a mixed-use development with underutilized storefront parking, or a traditional mall with excess garage space, the first step is identifying these dead spaces and transforming it to become a new touchpoint for transaction.

With increased delivery speeds, ride sharing apps, and lower foot traffic inside stores due to COVID-19, the demand for parking is shrinking. Developers can outfit a few parallel parking spaces in front of stores with prefabricated shipping containers that house walk-up lockers with adjacent loading spaces. This allows shoppers to quickly drop off returns or pick up orders without having to go inside a crowded store.

Traditional malls and shopping centers have a plethora of unused parking spaces that can be made into something more relevant for today’s consumer. A partial row of parking spaces within an existing surface lot or garage can be converted into a drive-up pickup area. These destinations can offer automated lockers or loading/unloading services.

Provide designated support

Having a viable click-and-collect solution is nothing without support. In-person or digitally operated, it’s critical to make these novel activations successful.

Support looks different depending on the type of development. If it’s a standalone click-and-collect box located in an isolated parking lot, it may need a designated customer service representative. If it’s directly connected to a shopping center with plenty of in-person support nearby, a designated app or digital kiosk could suffice. Determine what’s right for the development and provide a thoughtful support model that fits.

One trend we see many brands adopting post-pandemic is smartphone technology services that offer product information and seamless support. As consumers continue to avoid communal, high-touch surfaces, brands have realized that the technology found inside our pockets is a valuable channel for click-and-collect models.

Create an integrated customer journey

While support is just one element of the larger customer journey, developers must also consider the holistic experience from start to finish to make a positive, lasting impression. It starts with the promotion of the service offering on the shopping center’s website, mobile app, or social media accounts. Consumers must first be aware of the perk before they can start to enjoy it. It is also about managing traffic for both cars and people, wayfinding, and minimizing bottlenecks.

Communication, notifications, and status updates leading up to the pick up or return are imperative. This can be accomplished through text message or email. Upon arriving to the destination, minimizing confusion and frustration can be solved immediately through clear signage. Consistent wayfinding from the second a consumer enters a shopping center is another key element of a successful, streamlined customer journey.

When considering a parking lot click-and-collect solution, there should be dedicated lanes for people dropping off versus picking up – even dedicated entrances may be necessary for in-store click-and-collect models. It’s about seamlessly integrating both physical and digital touchpoints for consumers, so they are always aware of what to expect and what they need to do to accomplish the task at hand.  

Remember your brand purpose

Brands must be strategic about how they approach these strategies, especially today while navigating the impacts of COVID-19. Even if it’s a short-term solution, it’s still a reflection of the brand and must feel authentic to consumers.

Developers must lean into their brand and make their click-and-collect solutions look and feel like what they already have to offer. Signage, wayfinding, and branding for these services is a great opportunity to make an immediate impact and present a true “wow” factor. Temporary sandwich boards and do-it-yourself window signs will take away a property’s credibility and seem like an after-thought, versus an innovative, thoughtful solution. A professional, branded look will not only differentiate you from the competition but provide consumers with a visual cue that they can trust that their experience will be seamless and keep them coming back long after the pandemic is over.  

Finally, consumers are fluid and are constantly altering their preferences based on external factors, their own need states, and advancements in technology. And to be successful, brands must function the same way. With the rise in e-commerce, and a global pandemic changing the way the world behaves, a demand lies in safe and convenient pickup and return options, but tomorrow, the ask may change, and the concept must be flexible and nimble enough to evolve with the consumer.

With a history spanning nearly 200 years, Levi’s sits in a unique position, as a heritage brand rich in stories, values, and authenticity unmatched by its competitors. While a storied past can be a treasure trove for brands, it’s important to adapt and resonate with contemporary consumers. Today, Levi’s appeal is stronger than ever, remaining relevant with new generations of consumers who have an overwhelming amount of denim choices.

On Thursday, October 26th at 4:15pm CST, NELSON Chief Brand & Creative Officer, Bevan Bloemendaal, and Lifestyle Studio Leader, Faith Huddleston will be joined by Levi’s Director of Global Store Design, Jesse Moyer for a fireside chat at the International Retail Design Conference in Minneapolis. During this closing keynote, Jesse, Bevan, and Faith will discuss how Levi’s remains relevant and ahead of the competition. What do they prioritize when it comes to store design and the in-store experience? Find out in this “riveting” session from two different perspectives – client and designer.

Register today for the International Retail Design Conference to attend this exclusive look at Levi’s, and for perspective on how centuries-old brands thrive in the 21st century. Save $100 on event registration with promo code EABGUEST. Restrictions apply. See website for details.

From retail destinations, office amenities, new services, and sustainable design, we’re seeing a surge in the desire to reconnect with the great outdoors across every consumer-facing environment. In our latest series, Our Return to the Great Outdoors we’ll share how brands can embrace this trend to create both safe and memorable outdoor experiences that will resonate with consumers long after COVID-19 fades.

In times of uncertainty, consumer expectations don’t change completely—they simply evolve, pivot, and accelerate, raising the bar and amplifying the demand for new, relevant experiences. A growing trend as consumers gravitate toward more convenient services, road and curbside experiences of all shapes and sizes are becoming more and more essential, especially as COVID-19 pushes brands to offer outdoor and contact-less services. In part two of this series we explore the experiences and services that keep people outside and on the road, in addition we’ll identify what brands are doing to bring this to the forefront of their experiences:

Drive-Thru Only

With a growing number of consumers ordering takeout instead of dining in due to COVID-19, restaurant and food brands have had to adapt to more efficient service models that support new consumer behaviors. Even before the pandemic, we saw an uptick in these convenience focused concepts, but today they have grown even more essential.

• Restaurant table reservation app Resy is hosting a 10-course drive-thru dinner experience in Hollywood, CA. Catered by these high-end chefs, the model could help bringing luxury dining back to life. Guests will be served food in single-use containers and be given a lap tray to keep. Each car will have its own designated waiter who will guide them through the courses.
  

  Resy Drive-Thru Experience | RESY

• At KFC’s first drive-thru only concept located in Australia, the goal was to develop a unique operating model that celebrated this change in consumer behavior and gravitation toward technology. The drive-thru has multiple lanes that allow customers to order and pay for a meal through the brand’s smartphone app or website, including designated lanes for more traditional, on-the-spot orders. Traditionally, the restaurant is the hero experience, but in this case, it’s the drive-thru. 

KFC Drive-Thru | NELSON Worldwide

Creative Curbside Pickup

With the rapid growth of e-commerce and a global pandemic causing retail developments to limit capacity or temporarily close, transforming underutilized space into creative pickup and return concepts is a clever and valuable way to meet consumer demands now and in the future:

• Adjusting to safety demands and new consumer behaviors, NELSON Worldwide explored the idea of creative click-and-collect concepts that could serve retailers and mixed-use developments. Along the way, we identified three ways these concepts can be activated and brought to life.

Click-and-Collect | NELSON Worldwide

• Looking to capture more off-premises business during and post-pandemic, Shake Shack announced plans to incorporate and add interior and exterior pickup windows to its stores. The new concept dubbed Shake Track is the start of a trend we will see implemented in restaurants and food concepts around the world.

Shake Track Pickup Window | Shake Shack

In-Car Entertainment

Seeking new ways to connect with their communities and enhance their lives post-pandemic, consumers have turned to new, COVID-safe ways to entertain themselves. As a result, an old pastime has resurged giving consumers socially distant options to enjoy themselves. Around the world, many variations of the classic drive-in movie experience has been reimagined: 

• This Halloween, Hulu is engaging fans and customers with a socially distant drive-thru and scary movie experience. Hulu is taking over the L.A. Equestrian Center for some spooky screenings ahead of Halloween where guests can drive thru a haunted forest of jump scares and spooky scenery called Huluween.

Huluween Drive-In Experience | Hulu

• The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Toronto recently announced the world’s first drive-in art experience. Cleverly called, Gogh By Car, this new-age art experience is an immersive show of art, light, sound, movement, and imagination. The space can accommodate 14 vehicles per time slot and participants must park and turn off their engines to enjoy the 35-minute show from inside their cars.

Gogh By Car | Immersive Vincent Van Gogh Exhibit

For every “fresh”, “vegan” and “farm to table” concept in Los Angeles, you will find a cupcake shop, cookie stand, or gourmet bakery to match it (… of course with a Soul Cycle in between). While each one is typically executed in trendy interior design cues, contemporary branding and graphic design, and usually a gesture of visual merchandising – more often than not, the “experience” leaves a lot to be desired. That said, upon a recent trip to LA I stumbled upon two unique “sweet concepts” that allow the experience to transcend the sweet treats themselves (albeit very good in their own right). 

Au Fudge in West Hollywood is where fresh food meets creativity and even features a classroom for hands-on learning for both mom and kids. The combination curated retail (“marketplace” as they call it), café space, and classroom (“creative space”) work cohesively to offer a lifestyle experience for all ages. The décor has an old meets new style enveloped in white space with brilliant accents. The customer journey unfolds with each room – starting with an amazing outdoor seating niche, welcoming guests inside to discover all of the facets and experiences of Au Fudge. The brand exudes a playful wit in color, material selections and merchandising offerings (who doesn’t want a hat that says Au Fudge?!) and makes guests want to take the time to explore and experience all that the space has to offer. Check out their “Commandments” on their website, a tongue-in-cheek conversation about the rules (especially when bringing kids) to Au Fudge. One can appreciate the clarity in the branding behind this concept.

Further down Melrose is Duff’s Cake Mix – while built out with more of a warehouse/studio feel, it is a bright, fresh space that caters to walk-in cake decorating and appointment based parties … fun, crafty, and smelled amazing! While Duff may be known for extraordinarily crafted cakes by his renowned design team, this concept store flips that idea on its head and allows the guest to become the designer. Offering pre-made cakes and cupcakes with a never-ending combination of toppings and assorted add-ons. The experience felt fun, creative, approachable for all ages, and best of all … low pressure!

“Apprenticeship is huge. Architecture is the meld of art and science and many schools deal with the theory and design but only scratch the surface of the technical aspects. It’s really important that education continues at work—really diving into those projects, getting the experience of how buildings go together and the role technology plays is critical.” – Graham Lockridge Post

The architecture industry, like the legal industry, relies heavily on an apprenticeship model of training and was forced during the pandemic to learn on the fly about how that experience could be approximated in a virtual setting. Read more with Law.com here.

NELSON Worldwide, one of the top law firm designers in the country, is set to collaborate with global law firm Goodwin on its new office space, positioning Goodwin as the lead tenant at the newly unveiled West Tower, part of Schuylkill Yards, in Philadelphia.

Goodwin’s commitment to a 12.5-year lease for 31,500 square feet in the 28-story tower at 3025 John F. Kennedy Blvd comes nine months after establishing its presence in Philadelphia. This move underscores Goodwin’s dedication to the burgeoning Schuylkill Yards development and its commitment to being at the forefront of Philadelphia’s rapidly-evolving business landscape.

3025 JFK, a flagship component of Brandywine Realty Trust’s $3.5 billion master-planned neighborhood, dubbed Schuylkill Yards, includes 326 residential apartments, 200,000 square feet of office space, and additional amenities. Goodwin’s future occupancy of the entire eighth floor and a portion of the seventh floor signifies a strategic alignment with the vibrant life sciences and healthcare ecosystem in the area.

In partnership with Goodwin, NELSON Worldwide will harness the transformative energy of Schuylkill Yards to create an environment that inspires, empowers, and elevates the human experience.

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About NELSON Worldwide

NELSON Worldwide is an award-winning firm, boldly transforming all dimensions of the human experience through architecture, interior design, graphic design, and brand strategy. With more than 600 teammates across 20 offices, the firm’s collective network provides strategic and creative solutions that positively impact where people work, serve, play, and thrive. The team combines industry knowledge, service expertise, and geographic reach to deliver projects across the country and around the world. Client partnerships across the NELSON network include Hilton, Macy’s, Comcast, Simon Property Group, Prologis, Yum! Brands, Boston Consulting Group, T-Mobile, Emory Healthcare, SAP Fieldglass, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Kroger, Hyatt, Bayer, Target, and many more. Visit www.nelsonworldwide.com to learn more.

About Goodwin
We are in the business of building authentic, long-term relationships with our clients, who are some of the world’s most successful and innovative investors, entrepreneurs, and disruptors at the convergence of and within the life sciences, private equity, real estate, technology, and financial industries. Our immersive understanding of these industries — combined with our expertise across high-stakes litigation and dispute resolution, world-class regulatory compliance and advisory services, and complex transactions — sets us apart. To learn more about our global law firm, please visit www.goodwinlaw.com.

(Chicago, IL – March 1, 2023) NeoCon is pleased to announce that the submissions portal for the 2023 edition of the revered Best of NeoCon competition is now open. A NeoCon tradition since 1990, the competition garners hundreds of product entries each year as exhibitors vie for one of the coveted Best of NeoCon awards. Now in its 33rd year, the program will recognize superlative new products in 56 categories spanning a range of verticals including workplace, healthcare, hospitality,  and education sectors. New for 2023, entries will be considered for a Business Impact Award, in addition to honors for Gold, Silver, Innovation, Sustainability, and the singular honor of Best of Competition.

“The Best of NeoCon finalists are emblematic of the latest trends and movements that are shaping how we work, gather, learn, and communicate. This year, I think we will see an even greater emphasis on solutions that consider the growing role that technology plays in our daily lives,” comments Best of NeoCon Director Eileen McMorrow. “From introductions that adapt easily and embrace emerging tech to those that prioritize ergonomics, our jurors will be seeking out solutions that streamline the rapidly evolving ways we work and live, inside and outside of the office.”

More than 50 new and returning jurors representing the industry’s leading design professionals, specifiers, facility managers and decision-makers, will gather on site at THE MART to thoroughly evaluate all Best of NeoCon entries in the days prior to NeoCon, June 12-14. Hailing from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, this year’s jury includes individuals from influential entities such as Honda, Cash App, NBBJ, and Studio GC. The final roster will be announced in April.

“I am thrilled to be returning as a Best of NeoCon juror this year. The early access and exposure to cutting-edge innovations and in-depth dialogue with exhibiting manufacturers of all sizes is an enriching and enlightening experience,” remarks Best of NeoCon 2022 Juror Chen-Hui Spicer, Regional Design Director, NELSON Worldwide. “This year, I’m especially looking forward to evaluating and recognizing products and solutions that prioritize human-centered design, sustainability, and adaptability.”

New this year, the Best of NeoCon jury will be able to nominate products for consideration for a Business Impact Award, which will recognize exceptional solutions through a business-oriented lens. These nominees will then be further evaluated by a group of discerning business journalists. The business jury will conduct in-person judging at THE MART on the Sunday before NeoCon, reviewing each of the nominated products based on the degree to which they contribute to a more successful business and better enterprise-oriented, built environment across verticals—from workplace to healthcare. Criteria include: aesthetics, adaptability, ergonomics, ESG, experience, productivity contribution, sustainability and tech-integration. The program is an evolution of last year’s inaugural Business Innovation Awards, which were a great success.

Heralding the first official day of NeoCon, all Best of NeoCon 2023 winners will be unveiled at a live ceremony at THE MART on Monday, June 12. Winning manufacturers will receive the recognizable award designed by NeoCon partner and renowned design firm Maiarelli Studio.

Exhibitors can submit entries through the Best of NeoCon online portal starting March 1, 2023. Any new products introduced to the U.S. market since June 2022 and that will be on display at NeoCon 2023 are eligible. Products that were entered in Best of NeoCon 2022 are not eligible. Submission deadlines and entry fees are as follows:

Early entry by April 21:        $700.00

Regular entry by May 5:      $800.00

Late entry by May 19:          $900.00

More details on the program and entry process can be found at www.neocon.com/features/best-of-neocon. 

NeoCon will take place June 12-14 at THE MART in Chicago. The show is open to trade, C-Suite executives, and other industry-related professionals and registration is free for all attendees. To register, head here. Stay tuned for more details on programming, product trends, and highlights ahead at NeoCon 2023!

For showroom, exhibitor, and general NeoCon news, images, and real-time information, follow NeoCon on: Facebook (@NeoConShows), Twitter (@NeoCon_Shows), Instagram (@NeoCon_Shows), and LinkedIn (@NeoCon-Shows).

Media Contacts: Novità Communications

Alexandra Zwicky / Danielle McWilliams / Emma Reuland / Katie Fosdick

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About NeoCon: NeoCon is the world’s leading platform and most important event for the commercial interiors industry, held each year at THE MART in Chicago. Since launching in 1969, NeoCon has served as the annual gathering place for the commercial design world’s manufacturers, dealers, architects, designers, end-users, design organizations and media. The three-day event showcases game-changing products and services from close to 500 leading and emerging companies—providing unparalleled access to the latest and most innovative solutions. A robust educational program of keynote presentations and CEU sessions offers world-class expertise and insight about today’s most relevant topics as well as the future of commercial design. www.neocon.com

NeoCon® is a registered trademark of Merchandise Mart Properties Inc, a subsidiary of Vornado Realty Trust.

About THE MART: THE MART is the largest privately held commercial building in the United States: it encompasses 4.2 million gross square feet, spans two city blocks, rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 30,000 people each business day (or nearly 10 million people annually).

THE MART serves as the home to Chicago’s most creative and technologically innovative companies, including Motorola Mobility, 1871, Yelp, PayPal, and MATTER, as well as Fortune 500 companies Conagra Brands, Allstate, Medline Industries, Beam Suntory, Avant and Grainger. It is also the largest and most important center for design in North America with more than 250 premier design showrooms offering the latest resources for both residential and commercial markets.