The venue’s main space was divided via pink intersecting walls, which kept attendees from entering the panel discussion area too early—and encouraged them to mingle, take selfies and relax in a variety of seating options including hanging bubble chairs. "Gymshark events are all creating community and people coming together,” said producer Matt Stoelt.Photo: Vero Image
LOS ANGELES—Mixing a beloved fitness brand with a wildly popular YouTube star is typically a surefire recipe for a successful brand activation. But that doesn't mean pulling off a large-scale consumer event to celebrate that partnership—particularly in the middle of a pandemic—is a walk in the park.
So there's plenty to learn from U.K.-based activewear company Gymshark's recent event, which celebrated its third collaboration with fitness star Whitney Simmons. Held at City Market Social House in Los Angeles from Sept. 18-19, the ambitious, multifaceted gathering was part retail pop-up, part panel discussion, part community gathering—all taking place in a stylish, safe, photo op-ready space that highlighted the new collection in engaging and eye-catching ways.
The underlying theme of the event—which helped dictate the programming, design and activities—tapped into Simmons’ positive and inclusive approach to fitness. “In addition to bringing Whitney’s brand to life, the event was all about growth and effort, and how these two things equal progress,” explained Matt Stoelt, whose company, Stoelt Productions, designed and produced the activation. “Effort means going to the gym and taking other steps to better yourself, and growth is the wisdom you get along the way. Putting them together leads to progress—and that’s why the event was called ‘A Celebration of Progress.’”
Organizers took a number of smart steps to engage consumers while also keeping them safe. Before you dive into the eye-candy-filled photos, study these key takeaways that all event producers can learn from.
1. Safety is paramount right now.
If a brand activation is perceived as unsafe right now, all the event team's hard work will be wasted. So Stoelt and the Gymshark team took a number of smart safety-focused steps, including limiting capacity by dividing the audience into four groups, each consisting of about 150-200 people. Each group was given a three-hour window to enter the event, during which time they could shop the new collection—which dropped on Sept. 16—and enjoy on-theme ice breakers, take part in photo ops, grab a bit to eat, and attend panel discussions featuring Simmons and other guests, who discussed what it’s like to be a female businesswoman, as well as body positivity, mental health and fitness. (Attendees chose their time slot based on which talk they wanted to attend.)
To further insure safety, all attendees were required to wear masks when they weren’t eating, drinking or posing for a photo. The food and beverage area was set up outside, and all on-stage talent took COVID-19 tests beforehand.
2. Color and design elements can help set the tone and evoke the product.
That overall narrative of effort, growth and progress played out throughout the space, including in 16 different inspirational quotes from Simmons that were placed on the walls. The entire event had a four-color palette—white-gray, dusty rose, green eucalyptus and terracotta—that evoked the collection while also generating a sense of calm. Other design elements included a variety of curved lines, peek-a-book windows, illuminated arches, custom light fixtures, product vignettes and handmade paper leaves.
3. Attendees want to find their own creative photo ops.
While there were several designated photo setups, Stoelt noted that the goal was for guests to find their own unique spots for selfies, to avoid the kind of stale, everyone-looks-the-same moments that can tend to happen in photo booths. “We didn’t want anybody to walk out with the exact same picture," he explained. "So the design of the event, from retail to the hub to the walls to the arches, was all about creating this consumer journey where everybody got their own unique photo op."
Organizers also found subtle ways to incorporate the Gymshark logo throughout the space, like on the back of hanging bubble chairs or on the dressing room mirrors, which allowed it to show up in photos but not be too overbearing.
4. Attendees also want a variety of different experiences.
Organizers recognized that not every attendee was necessarily there for the same reason. For some, getting a chance to access the frequently sold-out collection via a fully fledged pop-up store was key, while others wanted to learn from the panelists or connect with other like-minded people. As a result, there were several distinct areas to the gathering, all centered around a hub that Stoelt described as “the heartbeat at the center of the event where people could come together.”
5. Community building is key.
A highlight of the event was an icebreaker moment, where attendees could find 10 questions related to effort—such as “What are your fitness goals right now?”—and 10 related to growth—like “Where is your favorite place you've ever been? Where would you love to vacation next?” Attendees wrote down their responses on custom, die-cut cloud-shaped cards and got paired up speed dating-style based on their answers. "Gymshark events are all creating community and people coming together,” noted Stoelt.
There was also a variety of seating areas that encouraged guests to relax and mingle. And to further reinforce an inclusive, body-positive atmosphere, the event showcased models of different shapes and sizes. Meanwhile, twelve brand ambassadors were on-site to answer questions and speak about the collection, and Simmons herself did meet-and-greets with every attendee after the panel discussions.
6. The space can be used to create longer-lasting content for your brand.
To make further use of the built-out space, Simmons shot and created some content between sessions and before the days kicked off. And while there was no virtual component to the gathering, everything was recorded so the brand can repurpose the content and panel discussions however they’d like. Stoelt observed that this has become a common trend for brands: “They're wanting to get these venues done the day before, so they can actually have talent come in and shoot content prior to actually activating,” he explained.
7. Initial plans will change—and that's OK.
"Planning an event of this size and scale during the pandemic fully exposed the challenges presented by the current supply chain shortages,” added Stoelt. “We were forced to make some design changes based on long lead times and limited availability of certain materials.”
But despite the challenges, the end result was a sleek, multi-part event that’s filled with inspiration for gatherings of all types. Scroll down for a look inside the activation, along with more details on how it came together.
