Art Basel Miami Beach offered brands a week-long opportunity to host activations and sponsorships, and many chose to use the pop-up concept for stores, custom lounges, and more.
Harper’s Bazaar created a pop-up for its ShopBazaar.com e-commerce site at the Buena Vista Building in Miami’s design district. Guests in the black-and-white space, produced by XA, the Experiential Agency, were encouraged to shop online using MacBooks, iPads, and a touch-screen digital media wall. A branded shuffleboard game offered winners free T-shirts, cash prizes, and gift certificates, while Givenchy Beauty supplied complimentary makeup applications. South Beach’s Yardbird and new outpost Khong catered, and guests sipped on Mionetto and “Red-y to Wear” juice samples from Jugofresh.
Visionaire, Net-a-Porter.com, and MrPorter.com hosted the Free Store, an interactive installation from multimedia artist Jonathan Horowitz. Guests were given silk-screened canvas tote bags that read, “Bring stuff in you can’t use, take stuff away that you can.” The rules-free pop-up at Hyde Beach at SLS Hotel South Beach circulated a variety of wearable goods and antiques. Shoppers, who sipped drinks from Belvedere Red, also were invited to participate in the digital style challenge to create looks and win prizes from Net-a-Porter.com and MrPorter.com.
Sears made a play for attention with the SearsStyle Art of Fashion event that featured activities such as a Sally Hansen nail bar and a denim decorating station. On the balcony of the Raleigh penthouse, guests enjoyed refreshments and bites at the Eat & Tweet station, browsed clothing racks from brands such as the Kardashian Kollection, and took photos in the Picture This photo booth. Produced by Fingerprint Communications and KSVP Media & Events, the event also had tablet stations that featured the SearsStyle catalog, which encouraged shoppers to browse new styles online. Gift bags included Taylor Swift beach bags and SearsStyle water bottles and business card holders.
Heineken partnered with local bicycle sharing and rental program DecoBike for the Heineken Mural Project. Wynwood’s Wood Tavern was the home base of the Heineken Mural Project Bike Tour, housing both a bike station, as well as a Heineken Beer Garden throughout the week. The sponsorship also used QR code map technology to provide additional information on the murals and artists from the tour. Heineken took to Twitter to announce secret pop-up parties with DJ sets using the hashtag #HeinekenMurals.
Outside the Raleigh, Architectural Digest's AD Oasis pop-up offered a private retreat with a slate of offerings including spa treatments, a social media cabana, and art installations. Mark Cunningham designed the space, which featured an architectural central bar fabricated with Caesarstone. Other brands contributed to the space, with facials from Clarisonic, a Carrera-sponsored sunglasses gifting suite, and GE Monogram's pavilion that housed culinary demonstrations from chefs Joe Castro and Brian Logsdon and wine and spirits expert Michael Green.
