On a recent business trip I had the fortunate (and rare) encounter to have a few brief minutes to walk around between meetings. My first opportunity took me between Robertson Boulevard. I have to admit it’s been a while since I have made it to this area of LA…and at first I was disheartened…Robertson Boulevard, my how you have changed! While my beloved Chanel store still stands with its beautiful open air courtyard, it is flanked by endless “available” storefronts. The good news is that a short walk down Melrose, produced pockets of wonderful new retail and restaurants. And in true West Hollywood style, they vary from the refined design district with beautiful modern California architecture and storefronts, to the lush Marc Jacobs and Bookmarc’s buildings at Melrose Avenue, to the individual gritty and artful boutiques which remind us of the individual spirit and art that is inherently LA. And thankfully after cruising up Roberston Boulevard, I now instantly felt “in LA”. I had lunch in this area at a great little restaurant called Au Fudge – where fresh food meets creativity and if you are up for it, craft. The style is old meets new, white space met with brilliant accents that brought a refined touch to this little artsy niche, area of LA.

The following day took me along Abbot Kinney and Venice Boulevard….again, the richness of individuality, the crafted nature of the storefronts, interiors and boutiques, juxtaposed with a few refined restaurants reinforced the creative and laid-back side that LA has to offer. It’s refreshing to see both start-up boutiques as well as more established brands embrace a more laissez-faire attitude. When one thinks of LA, the formality and luxury definitely come to mind, but these artful pockets remind one instantly of the free spirit and creative entrepreneurship that exists here as well…how refreshing!

Recently, I had an opportunity to take in Amsterdam, a city that has somehow eluded me in my travels. Free time was limited so my exploration was fast and furious. It would have been tragic if I were to have made my way back home without gleaning something meaningful in the form of inspiration. I had long heard the stories and the tourist-y trappings of what makes the city world-famous, but I remained determined to sneak in an opportunity to develop an enlightened perspective on the city, it’s culture and of course, it’s design. 

Peep the slideshows for a blurred peek at some of what inspired me along the way. Highlights include simply walking the neighborhoods avoiding bicycles, soaking in the charm of the cities many canals, deciphering the quirky architecture, foraging into hotels for hospitality and sustenance, dipping into record shops, a trip to the MOCO for a street art exhibit, a random neighborhood art fair/ street festival, window shopping antiques, and a long-anticipated peruse through the Droog experience. I can’t wait to get back!

Architecture + Design

Art

Retail

Food

I’ve grown up going to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida every few years for almost my entire life. So, I’ve seen a lot of the changes and improvements they’ve made over the years. I remember when they moved from printed tickets to ticket cards and then the introduction of the FastPass system in 1999 – but my all-time favorite technology has been the MagicBand and MyMagic+ system they launched in 2013.

I remember the absolute uproar over these when they were first launched. Everyone was so concerned that Big Mouse (- vs. Big Brother) was watching their every move and many couldn’t get around that discomfort. Cut to 2017 when my husband and I took our trip to Walt Disney World in September, practically every single person in the park was wearing one. Given the ubiquity of trackers like FitBit, Garmin, and the Apple Watch, this new openness to the MagicBands makes sense.

In fact, they’re so popular now that you can actually buy bands with custom designs on them rather than just using the free ones provided to guests staying in a Disney-owned resort.

If you’re not familiar with what the MagicBands are, they act as your keys to the kingdom – literally. Guests can use them as their room key, credit card, park admission, photo collector, and ride FastPass holder. They also offer a TON of data to Disney in the form of a long-range radio signal that lets them know where visitors go in the park and how long they stay there.

A little creepy? Maybe, but also very awesome in terms of offering personalized experiences that make each trip to Disney that much more magical.

For example, on this most recent trip, my husband and I checked into the park by tapping our MagicBands on the RFID reader at the gate and after our tickets had been accepted, the cast member manning the entrance looked up, smiled, and wished us both a happy anniversary. How did she know that? It’s a fact I provided to our hotel when we booked our reservation and they then linked to our MagicBands. Later that evening, during the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, we stopped to get our pictures taken, and as the photographer was putting together our photos to link them to us, she asked which characters we were dressed up as – very casually – and from that point on, anytime a cast member saw me or my husband the radio frequency from our bands ID’d us as our respective characters and they responded to us as such, asking things like “slaying any dragons this evening?”. I think my husband maybe got a little TOO used to being called Sir and Prince during our candy pilgrimage that evening.

Fun Fact: Disney hands out over 250 TONS of candy during 32 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties (and I think we had a combined 1 Ton ourselves).

Later that night, we took a ride on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and our car stopped during the ride to let a handicapped passenger exit. This is a normal occurrence, but this time we stopped right in front of a “high value target” on the ride, allowing my husband to rack up, a normally unprecedented, ONE MILLION points on the ride.

This information was, of course, linked to our bands and we ended up with this rather hilarious picture where I’m still trying to get points and he’s just being annoying and steering the car away from the targets. Marriage.

Our trip went on like that for the weekend, every time we interacted with a cast member, be it at the front gate or as we were checking in to use a FastPass for the new Avatar ride, they used the information gathered on our MagicBands to add moments of unexpected magic to our journey.

This ability to create custom moments is incredible, especially when you consider that just one of Disney’s four parks has annual visitors in the range of 20 million people, that means they’re creating unique memories like this for around 55,000 people per day in just ONE PARK. That’s mind-blowing.

The “What Ifs” this kind of data brings are nearly endless:

• What if Disney could use your MagicBand for interactive displays in shops and other areas of the parks?
• What if they could ensure more accurate wait times by reading the movement information on MagicBands in line?
• What if they could then notify you when the wait time is at a certain range for your favorite rides?
• What if you could get a customized list of food/restaurant recommendations based on places you’ve already eaten in the park?
• What if photographers could take candid shots of you enjoying the parade or sharing a Mickey Ice Cream bar with your kids and link those to your account for you?
• What if Characters could greet you by name as well as Cast Members?
• What if Disney could optimize the design of pathways or increase cast member presence at specific locations based on the density of Magic Bands in the area?

But then… what if this kind of big data collection started spilling into the real world? How would the shopping experience be different if we let them know more about us as we walked into the store? What would the restaurant of the future look like if they were able to know our food preferences and visit habits as soon as we sat down? Can you imagine walking into a store and having a personal shopper who already knows your size and can see what your purchase and return history to help you find your next favorite outfit?

Some might see this level of big data as intimidating, but if the information is used to make our lives better and maintain some level of personal privacy – isn’t that what technology is all about?

After all, one could argue that the first automobile was greeted with the same level of trepidation, but I’d rather ride in a car than on a horse for my daily commute.

Photo Credit: Disney Press Kit

Minneapolis, MN — September 30, 2020 — FRCH NELSON, a global brand experience firm delivering strategy, design, and architecture services for the retail industry, is now NELSON Worldwide—a multifaceted brand helping to create and deliver compelling retail experiences across the globe. The rebrand will serve to culturally connect and unite all brands under a single banner and provide clients with a holistic approach to design that is unrivaled in the industry.

“Today’s consumers are engaging with brands in a much more fluid manner, moving through experiences with no delineation in mind about format, location, or category,” says Robyn Novak, Vice President at FRCH NELSON. “This exciting transition will provide us with ample resources to continue to transform environments where people shop, dine, and play.”

FRCH NELSON has been creating innovative brand experiences for consumer-facing environments for over 50 years and has an impressive roster of clients including Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., Hershey’s, Kroger, Target, T-Mobile, Dick’s Sporting Goods, American Girl, Subway, YUM! Brands, and more. Officially merged in 2018, both NELSON and FRCH NELSON (formerly FRCH Design Worldwide) have forged a strong partnership that allowed them to holistically serve a diverse client base consisting of both long-standing relationships with Fortune 500 category leaders in multiple market segments, as well as boutique clients.

The universal identity, coupled with the firm’s dedication to design excellence, will allow for the free-flowing exchange of new ideas to deliver projects that boldly achieve client goals and uplift their surroundings. The traditional sectors of retail, hospitality, workplace, industrial, and even healthcare have blurred—and their influence signifies a shift in function and utilization of spaces. Consumer behaviors and preferences will continue to evolve, and this transition to one NELSON brand will provide clients with an unmatched, holistic approach.

“One-use destinations of the past have now become a mosaic of activities and engagement, a reflection of wavering consumer preferences and a desire to unify experiences. This rebrand demonstrates our continued commitment to bring more value to our clients. We look forward to continuing to build upon trusted partnerships as well as forging new ones along the way,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NELSON Worldwide, John “Ozzie” Nelson Jr.

Under the NELSON Worldwide name, the firm comes together with more than 1,100 teammates spread across 25 offices, combining decades of invaluable industry experience, service expertise, and geographic reach to deliver projects—not just across the country, but around the world. As the firm continues to strengthen its practices, one thing remains clear: NELSON is committed to innovative, boundary-pushing designs that transform and touch all dimensions of the human experience while seeking to learn, grow, and experiment through architecture and design to fuel the future.

About NELSON Worldwide

NELSON Worldwide is an award-winning firm delivering architecture, interior design, graphic design, and brand strategy services that transform all dimensions of the human experience, providing our clients with strategic and creative solutions that positively impact their lives and the environments where they work, serve, play, and thrive. Our collective network includes more than 1,100 teammates in 25 offices, combining industry experience, 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. 

Media Contact:
Caroline Saba
Associate Vice President
UpSpring PR
T: 646.722.8146
E: caroline@upspringpr.com

This holiday season, Chick-fil-A dropped their aprons and took the streets of New York City to gift something other than its famous chicken recipe. Opening a limited-time pop-up space, the restaurant brand created a holiday experience located in the heart of the city’s SOHO neighborhood. Named The Time Shop, the pop-up invites visitors to “give the gift of time”, with the ultimate goal to “inspire and equip guests to gift quality time to their loved ones this year.”

As a Chick-fil-A fanatic, I had to see what The Time Shop was all about. Upon arrival, I was given an RFID bracelet that I scanned at the various photo-op stations around the space. This connected to my email address so that my selfies could be sent to me when I was done. Genius!

After check-in, I was free to explore. It only made sense that this Time themed space was covered with clocks of all shapes and sizes and that when I entered a smiling face would say “you’re right on time.” In addition to this, the halls and each room resembled the North Pole you see in movies—lots of Christmas trees, ribbons, bows, snowflakes, and garland.

Through out the experience, visitors can hop into four different photo stations, join storybook readings, decorate life-size felt snowmen, or grab a warm cookie/peppermint milkshake sample. As part of the spaces “giving the gift of time” philosophy, there are minimal digital touchpoints so that visitors spend time together rather than with screens. I’m so glad Chick-fil-a took this into consideration when designing the space. It perfectly aligns with the experience’s purpose and though people may not notice this while traveling through the space, it’s a conscious move on their part.

Wrapping up the experience, I took a seat in the Time Room to write a card to the person I would be gifting my time to. In this case, I gifted my mother “Four Hours Of Holiday Cookie Baking”. After this, I handed my card to a talented calligrapher that replicated my note on a festive red card that I was able to take home and will deliver to my mom in person.

My experience at the Time Shop was short and sweet, but I loved seeing a restaurant brand go beyond food to create a meaningful experience that brings people together. These days brands must go out of their way to provide an authentic and unique experience to the table. If you’re in New York City and looking for some holiday cheer, make a reservation at The Time Shop before it leaves!